DMTPC: Dark matter detection with directional sensitivity

TL;DR

The DMTPC experiment employs a low-pressure CF_4 gas detector to search for directional signals of Galactic WIMP dark matter, providing new limits on WIMP-proton interactions based on recent surface run data.

Contribution

This work introduces the DMTPC apparatus and reports the first results from a surface run, demonstrating its capability to detect and analyze potential dark matter signals.

Findings

105 candidate events consistent with background

Set a limit on spin-dependent WIMP-proton cross-section of 2.0 × 10^{-33} cm^2

Detector deployed underground for future dark matter searches

Abstract

The Dark Matter Time Projection Chamber (DMTPC) experiment uses CF_4 gas at low pressure (0.1 atm) to search for the directional signature of Galactic WIMP dark matter. We describe the DMTPC apparatus and summarize recent results from a 35.7 g-day exposure surface run at MIT. After nuclear recoil cuts are applied to the data, we find 105 candidate events in the energy range 80 - 200 keV, which is consistent with the expected cosmogenic neutron background. Using this data, we obtain a limit on the spin-dependent WIMP-proton cross-section of 2.0 \times 10^{-33} cm^2 at a WIMP mass of 115 GeV/c^2. This detector is currently deployed underground at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico.