Sub-GeV Dark Matter Detection with Dark Rates in Liquid Scintillators

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Santos-Olmsted, Lillian, Leane, Rebecca K., Blanco, Carlos, Beacom, John F.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Santos-Olmsted, Lillian
Leane, Rebecca K.
Blanco, Carlos
Beacom, John F.
author_facet Santos-Olmsted, Lillian
Leane, Rebecca K.
Blanco, Carlos
Beacom, John F.
contents It was recently shown that standard sub-GeV dark matter candidates can be effectively probed by large neutrino observatories via annual modulation of the total photomultiplier hit rate. That work focused on the production of light by the excitation of scintillator molecules and considered the JUNO detector, surpassing limits from dedicated dark-matter detectors and reaching theoretical targets. Here, we significantly generalize that work, now also taking into account ionization channels and extending the analysis to other liquid-scintillator detectors, including SNO+, Daya Bay, Borexino, and KamLAND. Last, we present a call to action: with multiple detectors achieving competitive sensitivity, there is an opportunity to validate this new technique across experiments and to refine it using each detector's strengths.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_13779
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Sub-GeV Dark Matter Detection with Dark Rates in Liquid Scintillators
Santos-Olmsted, Lillian
Leane, Rebecca K.
Blanco, Carlos
Beacom, John F.
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
High Energy Physics - Experiment
It was recently shown that standard sub-GeV dark matter candidates can be effectively probed by large neutrino observatories via annual modulation of the total photomultiplier hit rate. That work focused on the production of light by the excitation of scintillator molecules and considered the JUNO detector, surpassing limits from dedicated dark-matter detectors and reaching theoretical targets. Here, we significantly generalize that work, now also taking into account ionization channels and extending the analysis to other liquid-scintillator detectors, including SNO+, Daya Bay, Borexino, and KamLAND. Last, we present a call to action: with multiple detectors achieving competitive sensitivity, there is an opportunity to validate this new technique across experiments and to refine it using each detector's strengths.
title Sub-GeV Dark Matter Detection with Dark Rates in Liquid Scintillators
topic High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
High Energy Physics - Experiment
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.13779