A Consistent Dark Matter Interpretation For CoGeNT and DAMA/LIBRA

TL;DR

This paper proposes a consistent dark matter particle model with a ~7 GeV mass that could explain signals from CoGeNT, DAMA/LIBRA, and possibly CRESST, while remaining compatible with other experimental constraints.

Contribution

It introduces a dark matter interpretation unifying CoGeNT and DAMA/LIBRA signals, considering uncertainties and channeling effects, and compares it with other experimental bounds.

Findings

A ~7 GeV dark matter particle can explain CoGeNT and DAMA/LIBRA signals.

The proposed model remains compatible with XENON and CDMS constraints.

Potential explanation for CRESST oxygen band events.

Abstract

In this paper, we study the recent excess of low energy events observed by the CoGeNT collaboration and the annual modulation reported by the DAMA/LIBRA collaboration, and discuss whether these signals could both be the result of the same elastically scattering dark matter particle. We find that, without channeling but when taking into account uncertainties in the relevant quenching factors, a dark matter candidate with a mass of approximately ~7.0 GeV and a cross section with nucleons of sigma_{DM-N} ~2x10^-4 pb (2x10^-40 cm^2) could account for both of these observations. We also comment on the events recently observed in the oxygen band of the CRESST experiment and point out that these could potentially be explained by such a particle. Lastly, we compare the region of parameter space favored by DAMA/LIBRA and CoGeNT to the constraints from XENON 10, XENON 100, and CDMS (Si) and find that these experiments cannot at this time rule out a dark matter interpretation of these signals.