Constraints on sub-GeV inelastic dark matter are derived from cosmic-ray cooling in NGC 1068 by including elastic and deep inelastic scattering in a vector-portal model.
First Direct Detection Limits on sub-GeV Dark Matter from XENON10
5 Pith papers cite this work. Polarity classification is still indexing.
abstract
The first direct detection limits on dark matter in the MeV to GeV mass range are presented, using XENON10 data. Such light dark matter can scatter with electrons, causing ionization of atoms in a detector target material and leading to single- or few-electron events. We use 15 kg-days of data acquired in 2006 to set limits on the dark-matter-electron scattering cross section. The strongest bound is obtained at 100 MeV where sigma_e < 3 x 10^{-38} cm^2 at 90% CL, while dark matter masses between 20 MeV and 1 GeV are bounded by sigma_e < 10^{-37} cm^2 at 90% CL. This analysis provides a first proof-of-principle that direct detection experiments can be sensitive to dark matter candidates with masses well below the GeV scale.
citation-role summary
citation-polarity summary
fields
hep-ph 5years
2026 5roles
background 4polarities
background 4representative citing papers
Freeze-in at low reheating temperatures allows MeV-scale dark matter in vector portal models to be probed by future direct detection experiments in nuclear recoils for 50-500 MeV masses and via enhanced solar neutrino coherent scattering.
Bilayer graphene enables sub-MeV dark matter detection via electronic excitations with small exposure and sidereal modulation signatures.
Xenon data constrain inelastic fermion DM with scalar mediator for sub-MeV mass splittings through endothermic and exothermic DM-electron scattering.
citing papers explorer
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Probing Inelastic Dark Matter via Cosmic-Ray Upscattering in NGC 1068
Constraints on sub-GeV inelastic dark matter are derived from cosmic-ray cooling in NGC 1068 by including elastic and deep inelastic scattering in a vector-portal model.
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New benchmarks for direct detection of freeze-in dark matter in vector portal models
Freeze-in at low reheating temperatures allows MeV-scale dark matter in vector portal models to be probed by future direct detection experiments in nuclear recoils for 50-500 MeV masses and via enhanced solar neutrino coherent scattering.
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Dive deeper with SUBMARINE: SUB-Mev dArk matter diRect detectIon using bilayer grapheNE
Bilayer graphene enables sub-MeV dark matter detection via electronic excitations with small exposure and sidereal modulation signatures.
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Direct-detection constraints on inelastic dark matter with a scalar mediator
Xenon data constrain inelastic fermion DM with scalar mediator for sub-MeV mass splittings through endothermic and exothermic DM-electron scattering.