Polarized target as a tool for probing the non-standard properties of dark matter

TL;DR

This paper explores how polarized nuclear targets can be used to detect non-standard properties of fermionic dark matter, including potential time reversal symmetry violation, through model-independent scattering experiments.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach using polarized targets to probe complex couplings and symmetry violations in dark matter interactions in a model-independent framework.

Findings

Identification of measurable effects of complex scalar and tensor couplings.

Proposal of experimental setups to detect time reversal symmetry violation.

Analysis of polarization and recoil measurements for dark matter characterization.

Abstract

Possibility of using the polarized nucleus target for testing the non-standard properties of fermionic dark matter is considered. It is assumed that the incoming dark matter scatters on the polarized nuclei in the presence of vector, axial, scalar and tensor interactions. The scalar and tensor couplings are assumed to be complex numbers. Various types of measurement settings are tested depending on the assumptions regarding dark matter polarization and measurement of the recoil nucleus spin. In particular we address the question of finding and distinguishing effects of theoretically possible scenarios in which mixed triple products among various polarization vectors, the momenta of incoming dark matter and of recoil nucleus appear in the cross section. Their presence would indicate the possibility of time reversal symmetry violation in the polarized dark matter-nucleus scattering. Our considerations are model-independent and carried out in the non-relativistic dark matter and recoiled nucleus limit.