Getting the astrophysics and particle physics of dark matter out of next-generation direct detection experiments

TL;DR

This paper proposes a new analysis method for dark matter direct detection data that jointly considers astrophysical and particle physics uncertainties, enabling more accurate characterization of dark matter properties and insights into its role in galaxy evolution.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach that treats astrophysical and particle physics uncertainties equally and combines multiple data sets for improved dark matter analysis.

Findings

Enhanced accuracy in dark matter property estimation.

Potential to reveal dark matter's coevolution with galaxies.

Framework for integrating diverse data sets in dark matter research.

Abstract

The next decade will bring massive new data sets from experiments of the direct detection of weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter. The primary goal of these experiments is to identify and characterize the dark-matter particle species. However, mapping the data sets to the particle-physics properties of dark matter is complicated not only by the considerable uncertainties in the dark-matter model, but by its poorly constrained local distribution function (the "astrophysics" of dark matter). In this Letter, I propose a shift in how to do direct-detection data analysis. I show that by treating the astrophysical and particle physics uncertainties of dark matter on equal footing, and by incorporating a combination of data sets into the analysis, one may recover both the particle physics and astrophysics of dark matter. Not only does such an approach yield more accurate estimates of dark-matter properties, but may illuminate how dark matter coevolves with galaxies.