# Dark matter and exotic neutrino interactions in direct detection searches

Journal of High Energy Physics, Apr 2017

We investigate the effect of new physics interacting with both Dark Matter (DM) and neutrinos at DM direct detection experiments. Working within a simplified model formalism, we consider vector and scalar mediators to determine the scattering of DM as well as the modified scattering of solar neutrinos off nuclei. Using existing data from LUX as well as the expected sensitivity of LUX-ZEPLIN and DARWIN, we set limit on the couplings of the mediators to quarks, neutrinos and DM. Given the current limits, we also assess the true DM discovery potential of direct detection experiments under the presence of exotic neutrino interactions. In the case of a vector mediator, we show that the DM discovery reach of future experiments is affected for DM masses m χ ≲ 10 GeV or DM scattering cross sections σ χ ≲ 10−47 cm2. On the other hand, a scalar mediator will not affect the discovery reach appreciably.

This is a preview of a remote PDF: https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2FJHEP04%282017%29073.pdf

Enrico Bertuzzo, Frank F. Deppisch, Suchita Kulkarni, Yuber F. Perez Gonzalez, Renata Zukanovich Funchal. Dark matter and exotic neutrino interactions in direct detection searches, Journal of High Energy Physics, 2017, 73, DOI: 10.1007/JHEP04(2017)073