First Dark Matter Search Results From Coherent CAPTAIN-Mills

TL;DR

This paper reports initial results from the CCM detector at LANSCE, setting new limits on light dark matter in the 2-30 MeV range and informing future detector improvements.

Contribution

First dark matter search results from the CCM detector, exploring new parameter space and guiding the development of a more sensitive future detector.

Findings

Excluded new parameter space for leptophobic dark matter between 2-30 MeV.

Demonstrated the operation and capabilities of the CCM120 detector.

Provided insights for the design of the upcoming CCM200 detector.

Abstract

This paper describes the operation of the Coherent CAPTAIN-Mills (CCM) detector located at the Lujan Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). CCM is a 10-ton liquid argon (LAr) detector located 20 meters from a high flux neutron/neutrino source and is designed to search for sterile neutrinos ($\nu_s$) and light dark matter (LDM). An engineering run was performed in Fall 2019 to study the characteristics of the CCM120 detector by searching for coherent scattering signals consistent with $\nu_s$'s and LDM resulting from $\pi^+$ and $\pi^0$ decays in the tungsten target. New parameter space in a leptophobic dark matter model was excluded for DM masses between $\sim2.0$ and 30 MeV. The lessons learned from this run have guided the development and construction of the new CCM200 detector that will begin operations in 2021 and significantly improve on these searches.