DAMA confronts null searches in the effective theory of dark matter-nucleon interactions

TL;DR

This paper investigates whether the DAMA dark matter detection signal can be explained within a comprehensive effective field theory framework, finding significant tension with null results from other experiments under standard assumptions.

Contribution

It introduces a novel semi-analytical method for comparing experimental results within the high-dimensional parameter space of non-relativistic effective theories of dark matter.

Findings

Strong tension between DAMA signal and null results from other experiments.

Developed a semi-analytical approach for high-dimensional parameter space analysis.

Assumed standard halo model, results indicate incompatibility of DAMA with other data.

Abstract

We examine the dark matter interpretation of the modulation signal reported by the DAMA experiment from the perspective of effective field theories displaying Galilean invariance. We consider the most general effective coupling leading to the elastic scattering of a dark matter particle with spin 0 or 1/2 off a nucleon, and we analyze the compatibility of the DAMA signal with the null results from other direct detection experiments, as well as with the non-observation of a high energy neutrino flux in the direction of the Sun from dark matter annihilation. To this end, we develop a novel semi-analytical approach for comparing experimental results in the high-dimensional parameter space of the non-relativistic effective theory. Assuming the standard halo model, we find a strong tension between the dark matter interpretation of the DAMA modulation signal and the null result experiments. We also list possible ways-out of this conclusion.