The status of the search for low mass WIMPs: 2012

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent experimental efforts and constraints on low mass WIMPs, highlighting diverse methods and discussing potential sources of signals and backgrounds in dark matter detection.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the latest experimental limits and discusses possible origins of observed signals and backgrounds in low mass WIMP searches.

Findings

Five experimental limits on low mass WIMPs

Recent XENON100 225-day exposure results

Discussion of potential signal sources and backgrounds

Abstract

Using information from a recent dark matter symposium at Marina del Rey, we discuss the most recent evidence and constraints on low mass WIMPs. There are now five separate experimental limits on such WIMPs, including a new paper on the XENON100 225 day exposure. There are very different experimental methods with different backgrounds that comprise this limit. We speculate on the possible sources of the reported low mass WIMP signals and background.