Results from a Search for Light-Mass Dark Matter with a p-Type Point Contact Germanium Detector
Abstract
We report on several features in the energy spectrum from an ultralow-noise germanium detector operated deep underground. By implementing a new technique able to reject surface events, a number of cosmogenic peaks can be observed for the first time. We discuss an irreducible excess of bulklike events below 3 keV in ionization energy. These could be caused by unknown backgrounds, but also dark matter interactions consistent with DAMA/LIBRA. It is not yet possible to determine their origin. Improved constraints are placed on a cosmological origin for the DAMA/LIBRA effect.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review Letters
- Pub Date:
- April 2011
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevLett.106.131301
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1002.4703
- Bibcode:
- 2011PhRvL.106m1301A
- Keywords:
-
- 95.35.+d;
- 14.80.Va;
- 29.40.Wk;
- 95.55.Vj;
- Dark matter;
- Solid-state detectors;
- Neutrino muon pion and other elementary particle detectors;
- cosmic ray detectors;
- Astrophysics - Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics;
- High Energy Physics - Experiment;
- Physics - Instrumentation and Detectors
- E-Print:
- 4 pages, 4 figures. v2: submitted version. Minimal changes in wording, one reference added