Normal and Reverse Annual Modulations of Elastic WIMP-Nucleus Scattering Signals

TL;DR

This paper investigates the seasonal variations in elastic WIMP-nucleus scattering signals, revealing normal and reverse annual modulations depending on WIMP mass, which can inform direct dark matter detection strategies.

Contribution

It demonstrates the existence of both normal and reverse annual modulations in WIMP detection signals based on WIMP mass and target nucleus, expanding understanding of seasonal effects.

Findings

Light WIMPs cause maximal signals in summer for both light and heavy nuclei.

Heavy WIMPs cause minimal signals in summer for heavy nuclei.

Intermediate WIMP masses show nearly uniform seasonal signals.

Abstract

Following our earlier work on the 3-dimensional effective velocity distribution of Galactic WIMPs (not only impinging on our detectors but also) scattering off target nuclei, in this paper, we demonstrate the normal and a "reverse" annual modulations of elastic WIMP-nucleus scattering signals, which could be observed in direct Dark Matter detection experiments. Our simulations show that, once the WIMP mass is as light as only a few tens GeV, the event number and the accumulated recoil energy of WIMP-induced scattering events off both of light and heavy target nuclei would indeed be maximal (minimal) in summer (winter). However, once the WIMP mass is as heavy as a few hundreds GeV, the event number and the accumulated recoil energy of WIMP scattering events off heavy nuclei would inversely be minimal in summer. Understandably, for an intermediate WIMP mass, the event number and the accumulated recoil energy of scattering events off some middle-mass nuclei would show an approximately uniform time dependence.