Directional detection of Dark Matter

Abstract

Directional detection of galactic Dark Matter is a promising search strategy for discriminating genuine WIMP events from background ones. However, to take full advantage of this powerful detection method, one need to be able to extract information from an observed recoil map to identify a WIMP signal. We present a comprehensive formalism, using a map-based likelihood method allowing to recover the main incoming direction of the signal, thus proving its galactic origin, and the corresponding significance. Constraints are then deduced in the (sigma_n, m_chi) plane.

4 pages, proc. of the 45th Rencontres De Moriond: Electroweak Interactions And Unified Theories, 6-13 Mar 2010, La Thuile, Italy