arXiv:2104.11219·v2·High Energy Physics — Experiment
Limits on Sub-GeV Dark Matter from the PROSPECT Reactor Antineutrino Experiment
M. Andriamirado🇺🇸 · A. B. Balantekin🇺🇸 · H. R. Band🇺🇸 · C. D. Bass🇺🇸 · D. E. Bergeron🇺🇸 · N. S. Bowden🇺🇸 · C. D. Bryan🇺🇸 · T. Classen🇺🇸 · A. J. Conant🇺🇸 · G. Deichert🇺🇸 · M. V. Diwan🇺🇸 · M. J. Dolinski🇺🇸
Abstract
If dark matter has mass lower than around 1 GeV, it will not impart enough energy to cause detectable nuclear recoils in many direct-detection experiments. However, if dark matter is upscattered to high energy by collisions with cosmic rays, it may be detectable in both direct-detection experiments and neutrino experiments. We report the results of a dedicated search for boosted dark matter upscattered by cosmic rays using the PROSPECT reactor antineutrino experiment. We show that such a flux of upscattered dark matter would display characteristic diurnal sidereal modulation, and use this to set new experimental constraints on sub-GeV dark matter exhibiting large interaction cross-sections.
Comments: 11 pages, 8 figures