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First Direct-Detection Constraints on eV-Scale Hidden-Photon Dark Matter with DAMIC at SNOLAB

A. Aguilar-Arevalo et al. (DAMIC Collaboration)
Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 141803 – Published 5 April 2017
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  • ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
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    Abstract

    We present direct detection constraints on the absorption of hidden-photon dark matter with particle masses in the range 1.2–30  eV c−2 with the DAMIC experiment at SNOLAB. Under the assumption that the local dark matter is entirely constituted of hidden photons, the sensitivity to the kinetic mixing parameter κ is competitive with constraints from solar emission, reaching a minimum value of 2.2×10−14 at 17  eV c−2. These results are the most stringent direct detection constraints on hidden-photon dark matter in the galactic halo with masses 3–12  eV c−2 and the first demonstration of direct experimental sensitivity to ionization signals <12  eV from dark matter interactions.

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    • Received 10 November 2016

    DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.141803

    © 2017 American Physical Society

    Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

    1. Research Areas
    Dark matterParticle dark matter
    1. Physical Systems
    Hypothetical gauge bosons
    1. Techniques
    Dark matter detectorsSolid-state detectors
    Particles & FieldsGravitation, Cosmology & Astrophysics

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    Issue

    Vol. 118, Iss. 14 — 7 April 2017

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    Images

    • Figure 1
      Figure 1

      Cross-sectional diagram of a pixel of a DAMIC CCD. A hidden photon is absorbed by a valence electron in the bulk silicon. The rest energy of the hidden photon (mVc2) is released into an energetic photoelectron. The photoelectron loses its kinetic energy by ionization, generating secondary charge carriers in the silicon. The charge carriers are then drifted across the substrate by the applied electric field and held below the gates until the device is read out. Adapted from Ref. [9].

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    • Figure 2
      Figure 2

      Mean of the pixel values in each row over the nine images ⟨p⟩, as a function of row number. The first 42 rows contain the CCD data, while the remaining 18 rows constitute the y overscan. The dotted line shows ⟨p⟩=0, while the solid line presents the level of leakage charge that corresponds to λ=4.0  e− mm−2 d−1.

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    • Figure 3
      Figure 3

      Distribution of the pixel values p considered for this analysis (markers). The solid line shows the best-fit result with the null hypothesis, i.e., only pixel white noise and a constant leakage current source across the device. The p value is 0.78. The dashed (dot-dashed) line shows the result after including a fixed contribution from hidden photons with masses mV=10  eV (25 eV) and an absorption rate of Γ=103  g−1 d−1 (102  g−1 d−1).

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    • Figure 4
      Figure 4

      Upper limits (90% C.L.) on the hidden-photon absorption rate Γ as a function of hidden-photon mass mV obtained from the likelihood fit described in the text.

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    • Figure 5
      Figure 5

      Exclusion plot (90% C.L.) for the hidden-photon kinetic mixing κ as a function of hidden-photon mass mV from the dark matter search presented in this Letter (solid line). The exclusion limits from other direct searches for hidden-photon dark matter in the galactic halo with a dish antenna (thin dotted line) [13] and with the XENON10 experiment (dashed line) [5] are shown for comparison. A limit from a direct search with the XENON10 experiment for hidden photons radiated by the Sun (dot-dashed line) [5] and an indirect constraint from the upper limit of the power lost by the Sun into invisible radiation (thick dotted line) [14] are also presented.

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