Uncertainties in tellurium-based dark matter searches stemming from nuclear structure uncertainties

TL;DR

This paper evaluates how nuclear structure uncertainties in tellurium affect the limits and modulation signals in dark matter searches, highlighting significant uncertainties comparable to xenon-based detectors.

Contribution

It quantifies nuclear model uncertainties in tellurium isotopes and their impact on dark matter detection limits and annual modulation signals.

Findings

Uncertainties in tellurium isotopes are comparable to xenon.

Nuclear uncertainties significantly affect upper confidence limits.

Modulation phase remains insensitive to nuclear model variations.

Abstract

Using tellurium dioxide as a target, we calculate uncertainties on 90% upper confidence limits of Galilean effective field theory (Galilean EFT) couplings to a weakly-interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter candidate due to uncertainties in nuclear shell models. We find that these uncertainties in naturally-occurring tellurium isotopes are comparable across the different Galilean EFT couplings to uncertainties in xenon, with some reaching over 100%. We also consider the effect these nuclear uncertainties have on estimates of the annual modulation of dark matter from these searches, finding that the uncertainties in the modulation amplitude are proportional to the non-modulating upper confidence limit uncertainties. We also show that the determination of the modulation phase is insensitive to changes in the nuclear model for a given isotope.