Search arXiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · 1804.00088

SENSEI: First Direct-Detection Constraints on sub-GeV Dark Matter from a Surface Run

The SENSEI Collaboration·Michael Crisler·Rouven Essig·Juan Estrada·Guillermo Fernandez·Javier Tiffenberg·Miguel Sofo Haro·Tomer Volansky·Tien-Tien Yu
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

The Sub-Electron-Noise Skipper CCD Experimental Instrument (SENSEI) uses the recently developed Skipper-CCD technology to search for electron recoils from the interaction of sub-GeV dark matter particles with electrons in silicon. We report first results from a prototype SENSEI detector, which collected 0.019 gram-days of commissioning data above ground at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. These commissioning data are sufficient to set new direct-detection constraints for dark matter particles with masses between ~500 keV and 4 MeV. Moreover, since these data were taken on the surface, they disfavor previously allowed strongly interacting dark matter particles with masses between ~500 keV and a few hundred MeV. We discuss the implications of these data for several dark matter candidates, including one model proposed to explain the anomalously large 21-cm signal observed by the EDGES Collaboration. SENSEI is the first experiment dedicated to the search for electron recoils from dark matter, and these results demonstrate the power of the Skipper-CCD technology for dark matter searches.

Explore related subjects

hep-exastro-ph.COhep-ph

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

The SENSEI Collaboration, Michael Crisler, Rouven Essig, Juan Estrada, Guillermo Fernandez, Javier Tiffenberg, Miguel Sofo Haro, Tomer Volansky, Tien-Tien Yu. 2018-09-11. SENSEI: First Direct-Detection Constraints on sub-GeV Dark Matter from a Surface Run. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.121.061803

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Dark photons in exotic Higgs boson decays at FCC-ee

A prospective search for dark photons decaying into collimated, displaced muon pairs is presented for the electron-positron stage of the Future Circular Collider, FCC-ee. Assuming the full luminosity of the Higgs run at 240 GeV, the study probes a broad range of dark photon masses and couplings. The signature comprises two jets from a Z boson decay and two muon pairs from dark photons produced in Higgs decays. A kinematics-based selection achieves zero background while retaining high signal efficiency. Expected limits are set on the Higgs boson branching ratio to dark photons as a function of the dark photon mass and coupling.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2026

Differential cross-section measurements of coherent production of singly and doubly resonant top-quark in $WWbb$ events with one lepton at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents differential cross-section measurements of events containing a charged lepton, missing transverse momentum, two $b$-jets, and two light jets, consistent with the $W^{+}W^{-}b\bar{b}$ final state. The analysis is based on 140 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collision data at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector during Run 2 of the Large Hadron Collider (2015-2018). Differential cross-sections are unfolded at particle level for a range of kinematic observables and in three kinematic regions. Both regions and observables are optimised for sensitivity to the interference between $W^{+}W^{-}b\bar{b}$ produced with singly and doubly resonant top quarks. Results are compared with various theoretical predictions. Significant discrepancies are observed in regions sensitive to the interference between singly and doubly resonant top-quark production. The unfolded results provide new information about the modelling of interference and off-shell effects of the $W^{+}W^{-}b\bar{b}$ final state, improving the understanding of top-quark production mechanisms and providing new inputs for future Monte Carlo generator development.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2026

Search for the reaction channel $e^+ e^- \to ηη\,J/ψ$ and the isospin partner of the $Z_c(3900)$ at center-of-mass energies $\sqrt{s} = 4.226-4.950$ GeV

We search for the reaction channel $e^+ e^- \to ηη\,J/ψ$ in a data sample with center-of-mass energies from 4.226 to 4.950 GeV that was collected by the BESIII detector operating at the Beijing Electron Positron Collider (BEPCII). The data analysis is performed with two different reconstruction methods, exclusive and semi-inclusive, enabling a comparison and combination of the results. Only at a few energy points a non-zero cross section is observed with a statistical significance of more than 3$σ$ using one of the methods. Therefore, the corresponding upper limits of the cross section at the 90% confidence level are determined. The energy dependent results show clear deviations from the the line shape expected from three-body phase space alone. Since the statistical significance for almost all center-of-mass energies is low, the upper limits for the reaction channel $e^+ e^- \to ηη\,J/ψ$ also serve as limits for the existence of a possible isospin partner to the charmonium-like isospin triplet $Z_{\rm c}(3900)$ which decays to $J/ψη$.

hep-ex↗