Direct and indirect detection of WIMPs

Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) are among the best-motivated dark matter candidates. In light of no conclusive detection signal yet despite an extensive search program that combines, often in a complementary way, direct, indirect, and collider probes, we find it timely to give a broad overview of the WIMP paradigm. In particular, we review here the theoretical foundations of the WIMP paradigm, discuss status and prospects of various detection strategies, and expl...

The complementarity of direct, indirect and collider searches for dark matter has improved our understanding concerning the properties of the dark matter particle. I will review the basic concepts that these methods rely upon and highlight what are the most important information they provide when it comes down to interpret the results in terms of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs). Later, I go over some of the latest results emphasizing the implications to dark matt...

This review will present the latest advances in the search for non-baryonic dark matter from an experimental point of view, focusing more particularly on the direct detection approach. After a brief reminder of the main motivations for this search, we will expose the physical basis of WIMP detection, its advantages and limitations. The current techniques having achieved the most competitive results in terms of sensitivity will then be discussed. We will conclude with a rapid ...

The existence of dark matter as evidenced by numerous indirect observations is one of the most important indications that there must be physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. This article reviews the concepts of direct detection of dark matter in the form of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) in ultra-sensitive detectors located in underground laboratories, discusses the expected signatures, detector concepts, and how the stringent low-background req...

The current state searches for dark matter in the form of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) using both direct and indirect techniques is reviewed. Advances in recent years by various direct search experiments, utilising technology able to record the nuclear recoil events expected from elastic scattering by WIMPs, have allowed progress towards lower limits to be made. In particular, the Edelweiss and CDMS collaborations are achieving sensitiviy able to challenge dat...

Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) continue to be considered some of the best-motivated Dark Matter (DM) candidates. No conclusive signal, despite an extensive search program that combines, often in a complementary way, direct, indirect, and collider probes, has been however detected so far. This situation might change in the near future with the advent of even larger, multi-ton Direct Detection experiments. We provide here an updated review of the WIMP paradigm, wi...

Since the daring intuition by Fritz Zwicky in 1933 about the existence of dark matter in the Universe, in spite of the extensive investigations pursued over a very long lapse of time, the nature of this matter and of its (other than gravitational, if any) interactions have remained unknown. Very likely, at least a fraction of this matter consists of fossil particles; a possibility that in the last decades has prompted direct and indirect searches for these relics. Particular ...

An ever-increasing body of evidence suggests that weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) constitute the bulk of the matter in the Universe. We illustrate how experimental data, dimensional analysis and Standard Model particle physics are sufficient to evaluate and compare the potential of detectors searching for such particles either directly (e.g.\ by their scattering in germanium detectors), or indirectly (e.g.\ by observing their annihilation into neutrinos in underg...

One of the most popular classes of candidates for dark matter are Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), i.e. particles possessing masses and couplings falling roughly within the electroweak scale. Apart from offering a natural mechanism for explaining dark matter, WIMPs also provide us with a hope that they could be detected through their non-gravitational interactions. In such an eventuality, we shall certainly get closer to the goal of identifying the true nature of...

For many working in particle physics and cosmology successful discovery and characterisation of the new particles that most likely explain the non-baryonic cold dark matter, known to comprise the majority of matter in the Universe, would be the most significant advance in physics for a century. Reviewed here is the current status of direct searches for such particles, in particular the so-called Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), together with a brief overview of t...