Exploring light dark matter with the DarkSPHERE spherical proportional counter electroformed underground at the Boulby Underground Laboratory
L. Balogh, C. Beaufort, M. Chapellier, E. C. Corcoran, J. -M., Coquillat, A. Dastgheibi-Fard, Y. Deng, D. Durnford, C. Garrah, G. Gerbier,, I. Giomataris, G. Giroux, P. Gorel, M. Gros, P. Gros, O. Guillaudin, E. W., Hoppe, I. Katsioulas, F. Kelly, P. Knights, P. Lautridou

TL;DR
DarkSPHERE is a proposed underground spherical proportional counter designed to detect light dark matter particles in the 0.05-10 GeV range, with ultra-low background and sensitivity to various dark matter interactions.
Contribution
This paper introduces the conceptual design of DarkSPHERE, a novel underground detector with advanced background suppression and broad dark matter detection capabilities.
Findings
Background level below 0.01 dru achieved
Sensitivity to spin-independent cross-section of 2x10^-41 to 2x10^-43 cm^2
Enhanced sensitivity to spin-dependent interactions for light dark matter
Abstract
We present the conceptual design and the physics potential of DarkSPHERE, a proposed 3 m in diameter spherical proportional counter electroformed underground at the Boulby Underground Laboratory. This effort builds on the R&D performed and experience acquired by the NEWS-G Collaboration. DarkSPHERE is primarily designed to search for nuclear recoils from light dark matter in the 0.05--10 GeV mass range. Electroforming the spherical shell and the implementation of a shield based on pure water ensures a background level below 0.01 dru. These, combined with the proposed helium-isobutane gas mixture, will provide sensitivity to the spin-independent nucleon cross-section of cm for a dark matter mass of GeV. The use of a hydrogen-rich gas mixture with a natural abundance of C provides sensitivity to spin-dependent nucleon…
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