Low Threshold Results and Limits from the DRIFT Directional Dark Matter Detector

J. B. R. Battat; A. C. Ezeribe; J. -L. Gauvreau; J. L. Harton; R. Lafler; E. Law; E. R. Lee; D. Loomba; A. Lumnah; E. H. Miller; A. Monte; F. Mouton; S. M. Paling; N. S. Phan; M. Robinson; S. W. Sadler; A. Scarff; F. G. Schuckman II; D. P. Snowden-Ifft; N. J. C. Spooner; N. Waldram

doi:10.1016/j.astropartphys.2017.03.007

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arXiv · 1701.00171

Low Threshold Results and Limits from the DRIFT Directional Dark Matter Detector

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Abstract

We present results from a 54.7 live-day shielded run of the DRIFT-IId detector, the world's most sensitive, directional, dark matter detector. Several improvements were made relative to our previous work including a lower threshold for detection, a more robust analysis and a tenfold improvement in our gamma rejection factor. After analysis, no events remain in our fiducial region leading to an exclusion curve for spin-dependent WIMP-proton interactions which reaches 0.28 pb at 100 GeV/c^2 a fourfold improvement on our previous work. We also present results from a 45.4 live-day unshielded run of the DRIFT-IId detector during which 14 nuclear recoil-like events were observed. We demonstrate that the observed nuclear recoil rate of 0.31+/-0.08 events per day is consistent with detection of ambient, fast neutrons emanating from the walls of the Boulby Underground Science Facility.

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J. B. R. Battat, A. C. Ezeribe, J. -L. Gauvreau, J. L. Harton, R. Lafler, E. Law, E. R. Lee, D. Loomba, A. Lumnah, E. H. Miller, A. Monte, F. Mouton, S. M. Paling, N. S. Phan, M. Robinson, S. W. Sadler, A. Scarff, F. G. Schuckman II, D. P. Snowden-Ifft, N. J. C. Spooner, N. Waldram. 2016-12-31. Low Threshold Results and Limits from the DRIFT Directional Dark Matter Detector. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.astropartphys.2017.03.007

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