Trap with ultracold neutrons as a detector of dark matter particles with long-range forces

TL;DR

This paper explores using ultracold neutron traps as sensitive detectors for dark matter particles with long-range forces, capable of detecting extremely low recoil energies and potentially capturing dark matter in Earth's gravitational field.

Contribution

It introduces a novel detection method leveraging ultracold neutrons to identify dark matter with long-range interactions, providing initial experimental constraints.

Findings

Detection of recoil energy as low as 10^-7 eV possible

Constraints on Yukawa interaction parameters for dark matter

Potential accumulation of dark matter in Earth's gravitational field

Abstract

The possibility of using a trap with ultracold neutrons as a detector of dark matter particles with long-range forces is considered. The basic advantage of the proposed method lies in possibility of detecting the recoil energy 10-7 eV. The restrictions on parameters of Yukawa type interaction potential between dark matter particles and a neutron are presented for different dark matter densities on the Earth. The assumption concerned with long-range interaction of dark matter particles and ordinary matter leads to a substantial enhancement of cross section at low energy. Consequently, there arises a possibility of capture and accumulation of dark matter in a gravitational field of the Earth. Rough estimation of accumulation of low-energy dark matter on the Earth is discussed. The first experimental restrictions for existence of dark matter with long-range forces on the Earth are presented.