Exploring light mediators with low-threshold direct detection experiments

TL;DR

Future low-threshold cryogenic direct detection experiments can effectively determine properties of light mediators in dark matter interactions, especially when combining data from multiple experiments, potentially enabling the study of dark matter self-interactions.

Contribution

This paper demonstrates the potential of upcoming cryogenic experiments to reconstruct mediator properties and improve dark matter model constraints through combined data analysis.

Findings

Experiments like CRESST-III, SuperCDMS SNOLAB, and EDELWEISS-III can reconstruct mediator masses in the MeV range.

Combining data from multiple experiments enhances parameter reconstruction accuracy.

Study suggests direct detection can probe dark matter self-interactions.

Abstract

We explore the potential of future cryogenic direct detection experiments to determine the properties of the mediator that communicates the interactions between dark matter and nuclei. Due to their low thresholds and large exposures, experiments like CRESST-III, SuperCDMS SNOLAB and EDELWEISS-III will have excellent capability to reconstruct mediator masses in the MeV range for a large class of models. Combining the information from several experiments further improves the parameter reconstruction, even when taking into account additional nuisance parameters related to background uncertainties and the dark matter velocity distribution. These observations may offer the intriguing possibility of studying dark matter self-interactions with direct detection experiments.