Determining the WIMP mass from a single direct detection experiment

TL;DR

This paper explores how various experimental parameters influence the precision of WIMP mass determination in a single direct detection experiment, considering factors like target material, exposure, and background effects.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of how detector configuration and WIMP properties affect the accuracy of mass measurement in direct detection experiments.

Findings

WIMP mass determination accuracy varies with detector target and energy thresholds.

Background events and velocity distribution significantly impact measurement precision.

Optimal detector settings improve WIMP mass estimation accuracy.

Abstract

The energy spectrum of nuclear recoils in Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) direct detection experiments depends on the underlying WIMP mass (strongly for light WIMPs, weakly for heavy WIMPs). We discuss how the accuracy with which the WIMP mass could be determined by a single direct detection experiment depends on the detector configuration and the WIMP properties. In particular we examine the effects of varying the underlying WIMP mass, the detector target nucleus, exposure, energy threshold and maximum energy, the local velocity distribution and the background event rate and spectrum.