Description
Book SynopsisThis book is a pedagogical guide on how to make computations in direct dark matter (DM) detection. The theory behind the calculation of direct detection cross sections and rates is presented, touching aspects related to elementary particle physics, hadronic physics, nuclear physics, and astrophysics. The book is structured in self-contained sections, covering several topics ranging from the scattering kinematics to the phenomenology of direct DM searches. It follows a model-independent approach, aiming at providing the readers with all that is needed to understand the theory and start their own analysis. Meant for graduate students and researchers with interests in particle physics and phenomenology, it is enriched with several worked examples from standard and non-standard particle DM models. Senior researchers working in different areas related to dark matter, like particle and nuclear physics, astrophysics, and cosmology, find in this book a useful and updated guide for reference.
Trade Review“I personally believe this is a very useful read for students, researchers already in the field, or anyone who wants to understand the theoretical framework behind every direct dark-matter-search experiment. I think Del Nobile managed to cover all the necessary ingredients in an extensive and yet not-overwhelming way, and this volume will definitely find its spot on many bookshelves.” (Nikolina Šarčević, The Observatory, Vol. 143 (1294), June, 2023)
Table of Contents1. Introduction
2. Rate
Basics – Scattering rate – Detection rate
3. Scattering kinematics
Preliminaries – Two-particle kinematics – Elastic scattering – Inelastic scattering
4. From quarks and gluons to nucleons
Hadronic matrix elements – Scalar couplings – Pseudo-scalar couplings – Vector couplings – Axial-vector couplings – Tensor couplings
5. DM-nucleon interaction
Non-relativistic expansion – Non-relativistic operators – Examples
6. From nucleons to nuclei
Nuclear and single-nucleon matrix elements – Scattering amplitude – Nuclear form factors – Multipole expansion and nuclear responses – Scattering amplitude in the multipole expansion
7. Scattering cross section
Differential cross section – Spin-independent interaction – Spin-dependent interaction – Vector-mediated interaction – Scalar-mediated interaction – Magnetic-dipole DM
8. DM velocity distribution and velocity integral
DM velocity distribution in Earth’s frame – Annual modulation – Computing the velocity integral – Standard Halo Model
9. Phenomenology of direct DM detection
Setup and example models – Rate spectrum – Constraining DM properties
10. Summary
A kind of afterword – Two-pages summary – Q&A
