Spin-dependent WIMP scattering off nuclei

TL;DR

This paper develops a chiral EFT-based framework for spin-dependent WIMP-nucleus scattering, including one- and two-body currents, and applies it to xenon isotopes to improve dark matter detection models.

Contribution

It introduces a systematic derivation of WIMP-nucleus scattering currents within chiral EFT, incorporating long-range two-body effects for the first time.

Findings

Calculated structure factors for 129Xe and 131Xe with theoretical error estimates.

Demonstrated the significance of two-body currents in spin-dependent WIMP scattering.

Provided nuclear uncertainty bands to inform dark matter detection experiments.

Abstract

Chiral effective field theory (EFT) provides a systematic expansion for the coupling of WIMPs to nucleons at the momentum transfers relevant to direct cold dark matter detection. We derive the currents for spin-dependent WIMP scattering off nuclei at the one-body level and include the leading long-range two-body currents, which are predicted in chiral EFT. As an application, we calculate the structure factor for spin-dependent WIMP scattering off 129,131Xe nuclei, using nuclear interactions that have been developed to study nuclear structure and double-beta decays in this region. We provide theoretical error bands due to the nuclear uncertainties of WIMP currents in nuclei.