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arXiv · 1706.04934

First results from the NEWS-G direct dark matter search experiment at the LSM

G Collaboration·Q. Arnaud·D. Asner·J. -P. Bard·A. Brossard·B. Cai·M. Chapellier·M. Clark·E. C. Corcoran·T. Dandl·A. Dastgheibi-Fard·K. Dering·P. Di Stefano·D. Durnford·G. Gerbier·I. Giomataris·P. Gorel·M. Gros·O. Guillaudin·E. W. Hoppe·A. Kamaha·I. Katsioulas·D. G. Kelly·R. D. Martin·J. McDonald·J. -F. Muraz·J. -P. Mols·X. -F. Navick·T. Papaevangelou·F. Piquemal·S. Roth·D. Santos·I. Savvidis·A. Ulrich·F. Vazquez de Sola Fernandez·M. Zampaolo
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Abstract

New Experiments With Spheres-Gas (NEWS-G) is a direct dark matter detection experiment using Spherical Proportional Counters (SPCs) with light noble gases to search for low-mass Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs). We report the results from the first physics run taken at the Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane (LSM) with SEDINE, a 60 cm diameter prototype SPC operated with a mixture of $\mathrm{Ne}+\mathrm{CH}_{4}$ (0.7 %) at 3.1 bars for a total exposure of $9.7\;\mathrm{kg\cdot days}$. New constraints are set on the spin-independent WIMP-nucleon scattering cross-section in the sub-$\mathrm{GeV/c^2}$ mass region. We exclude cross-sections above $4.4 \times \mathrm{10^{-37}\;cm^2}$ at 90 % confidence level (C.L.) for a 0.5 $\mathrm{GeV/c^2}$ WIMP. The competitive results obtained with SEDINE are promising for the next phase of the NEWS-G experiment: a 140 cm diameter SPC to be installed at SNOLAB by summer 2018.

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G Collaboration, Q. Arnaud, D. Asner, J. -P. Bard, A. Brossard, B. Cai, M. Chapellier, M. Clark, E. C. Corcoran, T. Dandl, A. Dastgheibi-Fard, K. Dering, P. Di Stefano, D. Durnford, G. Gerbier, I. Giomataris, P. Gorel, M. Gros, O. Guillaudin, E. W. Hoppe, A. Kamaha, I. Katsioulas, D. G. Kelly, R. D. Martin, J. McDonald, J. -F. Muraz, J. -P. Mols, X. -F. Navick, T. Papaevangelou, F. Piquemal, S. Roth, D. Santos, I. Savvidis, A. Ulrich, F. Vazquez de Sola Fernandez, M. Zampaolo. 2017-06-15. First results from the NEWS-G direct dark matter search experiment at the LSM. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.astropartphys.2017.10.009

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