Dark Matter Search at Colliders and Neutrino Floor

TL;DR

This paper investigates whether collider experiments can detect dark matter that is undetectable in direct detection experiments due to the neutrino background, finding collider searches can probe certain light DM models below the neutrino floor.

Contribution

It demonstrates that collider searches, especially mono-photon channels at the LHC, can explore dark matter parameter space below the neutrino floor for specific effective interactions.

Findings

Collider searches can probe light DM below the neutrino floor.

Current LHC mono-photon data covers entire parameter space for a specific DM interaction.

Collider methods complement direct detection in dark matter searches.

Abstract

The sensitivity of direct detection of dark matter (DM) approaches the so-called neutrino floor below which it is hard to disentangle the DM candidate from the background neutrino. In this work we consider the scenario that no DM signals are reported in various DM direct detection experiments and explore whether the collider searches could probe the DM under the neutrino floor. We adopt several simplified models in which the DM candidate couples only to electroweak gauge bosons or leptons in the standard model through high dimensional operators. After including the RGE running effect we investigate constraints from direct detection, indirect detection and collider searches. The collider search can probe a light DM below neutrino floor. Especially, for the effective interaction of $\bar{\chi}\chi B_{\mu\nu}B^{\mu\nu}$, current data of the mono-photon channel at the 13 TeV LHC has already covered entire parameter space of the neutrino floor.