Search for Dark Matter with CRESST

TL;DR

This paper reviews cryogenic scintillating crystal detectors used in the CRESST experiment for direct dark matter detection, highlighting recent advancements and competitive sensitivity limits in probing WIMP interactions.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of cryogenic dark matter detectors, including recent developments and experimental results from CRESST-II.

Findings

CRESST-II sets competitive limits on WIMP-nucleon cross section.

Cryogenic scintillating detectors are effective in dark matter searches.

Recent results constrain dark matter interaction parameters.

Abstract

The search for direct interactions of dark matter particles remains one of the most pressing challenges of contemporary experimental physics. A variety of different approaches is required to probe the available parameter space and to meet the technological challenges. Here, we review the experimental efforts towards the detection of direct dark matter interactions using scintillating crystals at cryogenic temperatures. We outline the ideas behind these detectors and describe the principles of their operation. Recent developments are summarized and various results from the search for rare processes are presented. In the search for direct dark matter interactions, the CRESST-II experiment delivers competitive limits, with a sensitivity below 5x10^(-7) pb on the coherent WIMP-nucleon cross section.