# Constraints on the Interactions between Dark Matter and Baryons from the X-ray Quantum Calorimetry Experiment

## TL;DR

This paper uses the X-ray Quantum Calorimetry experiment data and Monte Carlo simulations to set new constraints on the interaction strength between dark matter particles and baryons across a wide mass range.

## Contribution

It provides the most precise limits to date on dark matter-baryon interactions from the XQC experiment, improving upon previous analytical estimates.

## Key findings

- Rules out nucleon-scattering cross sections around one barn for dark matter masses 0.01 to 10^5 GeV.
- Provides new constraints on scenarios with only a fraction of dark matter interacting strongly.
- Enhances understanding of dark matter interaction parameter space.

## Abstract

Although the rocket-based X-ray Quantum Calorimetry (XQC) experiment was designed for X-ray spectroscopy, the minimal shielding of its calorimeters, its low atmospheric overburden, and its low-threshold detectors make it among the most sensitive instruments for detecting or constraining strong interactions between dark matter particles and baryons. We use Monte Carlo simulations to obtain the precise limits the XQC experiment places on spin-independent interactions between dark matter and baryons, improving upon earlier analytical estimates. We find that the XQC experiment rules out a wide range of nucleon-scattering cross sections centered around one barn for dark matter particles with masses between 0.01 and 10^5 GeV. Our analysis also provides new constraints on cases where only a fraction of the dark matter strongly interacts with baryons.