Elastic vector and axial scattering of weakly interacting particles off nuclei

TL;DR

This paper investigates elastic scattering of weakly interacting particles off nuclei, focusing on vector and axial interactions, to inform direct detection strategies for dark matter and neutrinos.

Contribution

It provides comprehensive calculations of differential and integrated cross sections for various particle masses, velocities, and nuclear targets, considering general couplings.

Findings

Coherent, spin-independent scattering dominates the elastic cross section.

Cross sections are calculated across a wide parameter space including different particle and target types.

Results are relevant for detecting dark matter, neutrinos, and sterile neutrinos through nuclear scattering.

Abstract

We analyze the elastic scattering of particles interacting with nuclei through vector and axial currents with overall couplings of the order of the Standard Model weak interaction, or smaller; the dominant contribution to the elastic cross section is identified as the coherent component and is therefore spin-independent. Differential and integrated cross sections are obtained for a wide range of incident particle masses and velocities and for nuclear targets with different masses; vector, axial and overall couplings of the incident particle and of the hadronic target to the massive exchanged boson are also kept general. This study naturally encompasses several kinds of possible dark matter components, including active and sterile neutrinos or neutralinos, and addresses the prospects for their direct detection through elastic scattering off nuclei.