Dark matter signals at neutrino telescopes in effective theories

TL;DR

This paper uses neutrino telescope data to constrain dark matter-nucleon interactions within an effective theory framework, deriving limits on various coupling constants and comparing sensitivities with direct detection experiments.

Contribution

It introduces new nuclear response functions into the analysis and identifies which interactions neutrino telescopes can better constrain than direct detection methods.

Findings

Derived exclusion limits on 28 coupling constants.

Identified interactions where neutrino telescopes outperform direct detection.

Showed Hydrogen is not always the most relevant element for exclusion limits.

Abstract

We constrain the effective theory of one-body dark matter-nucleon interactions using neutrino telescope observations. We derive exclusion limits on the 28 coupling constants of the theory, exploring interaction operators previously considered in dark matter direct detection only, and using new nuclear response functions recently derived through nuclear structure calculations. We determine for what interactions neutrino telescopes are superior to current direct detection experiments, and show that Hydrogen is not the most important element in the exclusion limit calculation for the majority of the spin-dependent operators.