Limits on the Spin-Dependent WIMP-Nucleon Cross Sections from the First Science Run of the ZEPLIN-III Experiment

作者：Lebedenko V N; Araujo H M^*; Barnes E J; Bewick A; Cashmore R; Chepel V; Currie A; Davidge D; Dawson J; Durkin T; Edwards B; Ghag C; Horn M; Howard A S; Hughes A J; Jones W G; Joshi M; Kalmus G E; Kovalenko A G; Lindote A; Liubarsky I; Lopes M I; Luescher R; Lyons K; Majewski P; Murphy A StJ; Neves F; da Cunha J Pinto; Preece R; Quenby J J; Scovell P R; Silva C; Solovov V N; Smith N J T; Smith P F

来源：Physical Review Letters, 2009, 103(15): 151302.

DOI：10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.151302

We present new experimental constraints on the WIMP-nucleon spin-dependent elastic cross sections using data from the first science run of ZEPLIN-III, a two-phase xenon experiment searching for galactic dark matter weakly interacting massive particles based at the Boulby mine. Analysis of similar to 450 kg . days fiducial exposure allow us to place a 90%-confidence upper limit on the pure WIMP-neutron cross section of sigma(n) = 1.9 x 10(-2) pb at 55 GeV/c(2) WIMP mass. Recent calculations of the nuclear spin structure based on the Bonn charge-dependent nucleon-nucleon potential were used for the odd-neutron isotopes (129)Xe and (131)Xe. These indicate that the sensitivity of xenon targets to the spin-dependent WIMP-proton interaction could be much lower than implied by previous calculations, whereas the WIMP-neutron sensitivity is impaired only by a factor of similar to 2.

• 出版日期2009-10-9