Recoiling Ion-Channeling in Direct Dark Matter Detectors

TL;DR

This paper estimates the fraction of recoiling nuclei in crystalline dark matter detectors that undergo channeling, concluding it is too small to impact WIMP detection signals, and explores the potential for daily modulation detection.

Contribution

It provides updated analytic estimates of channeling fractions in crystalline detectors and assesses their significance for dark matter detection.

Findings

Channeling fractions are too small to affect WIMP signal interpretation.

No significant daily modulation due to channeling is expected.

Analytic models from the 1960s are used to estimate channeling effects.

Abstract

The channeling of the recoiling nucleus in crystalline detectors after a WIMP collision would produce a larger scintillation or ionization signal in direct detection experiments than otherwise expected. I present estimates of channeling fractions obtained using analytic models developed from the 1960's onwards to describe channeling and blocking effects. We find the fractions to be too small to affect the fits to potential WIMP candidates. I also examine the possibility of detecting a daily modulation of the dark matter signal due to channeling.