Searching for Dark Matter-Can it be directly detected?

An analysis is given connecting event rates for the direct detection of neutralino dark matter with the possible signatures of supersymmetry at the LHC. It is shown that if an effect is seen in the direct detection experiments at a level of $O(10^{-44})$ cm$^2$ for the neutralino-proton cross section, then within the mSUGRA model the next heavier particle above the neutralino is either a stau, a chargino, or a CP odd/CP even (A/H) Higgs boson. Further, the collider analysis s...

In supersymmetric models with an unbroken R-symmetry (rather than only R-parity), the neutralinos are Dirac fermions rather than Majorana. In this article, we discuss the phenomenology of neutralino dark matter in such models, including the calculation of the thermal relic abundance, and constraints and prospects for direct and indirect searches. Due to the large elastic scattering cross sections with nuclei predicted in R-symmetric models, we are forced to consider a neutral...

We calculate expected event rates for direct detection of relic neutralinos as a function of parameter space of the minimal supergravity model. Numerical results are presented for the specific case of a $^{73}$Ge detector. We find significant detection rates ($R> 0.01$ events/kg/day) in regions of parameter space most favored by constraints from $B\to X_s\gamma$ and the cosmological relic density of neutralinos. The detection rates are especially large in regions of large $\t...

The question of the nature of dark matter in the Universe remains one of the most outstanding unsolved problems in basic science. One of the best motivated particle physics candidates is the lightest supersymmetric particle, assumed to be the lightest neutralino. We here describe DarkSUSY, an advanced numerical FORTRAN package for supersymmetric dark matter calculations. With DarkSUSY one can: (i) compute masses and compositions of various supersymmetric particles; (ii) compu...

We address the direct detection of neutralino dark matter in the framework of the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model. We conduct a detailed analysis of the parameter space, taking into account all the available constraints from LEPII, and compute the neutralino-nucleon cross section. We find that sizable values for the detection cross section, within the reach of dark matter detectors, are attainable in this framework, and are associated with the exchange of very l...

We study the phenomenology of neutralino dark matter within generic supersymmetric scenarios where the Gaugino and Higgsino masses are much lighter than the scalar soft breaking masses (Split Supersymmetry). We consider a low-energy model-independent approach and show that the guidelines in the definition of this general framework come from cosmology, which forces the lightest neutralino to have a mass smaller than 2.2 TeV. The testability of the framework is addressed by dis...

Prospects for direct dark matter detection are considered in the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM). The effective neutralino-quark Lagrangian is obtained and event rates are calculated for Ge-73. Accelerator and cosmological constraints on the NMSSM are included in our numerical analysis, which allows us to conclude that the lightest neutralino from NMSSM could be detected in future dark matter experiments.

We compute the scattering rates for the lightest neutralino $\chi^0_1$ in the forthcoming germanium $(^{73}{\rm Ge}+^{76}{\rm Ge})$ detector and a proposed lead detector $(^{207}{\rm Pb})$, within the framework of $SU(5)\times U(1)$ supergravity. We find that in only a small portion ($\lsim10\%$) of the parameter spaces of this class of models, are the rates in the germanium detector above the expected initial experimental sensitivity of 0.1 events/kg/day. However, a much lar...

A full analytic analysis of the effects of CP violating phases on the event rates in the direct detection of dark matter in the scattering of neutralinos from nuclear targets is given. The analysis includes CP violating phases in softly broken supersymmetry in the framework of the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) when generational mixings are ignored. A numerical analysis shows that large CP violating phases including the constraints from the experimental limits o...

The direct detection of neutralino dark matter is analysed in general supergravity scenarios, where non-universal soft scalar and gaugino masses can be present. In particular, the theoretical predictions for the neutralino-nucleon cross section are studied and compared with the sensitivity of dark matter detectors. We take into account the most recent astrophysical and experimental constraints on the parameter space, including the current limit on B(Bs-> mu+ mu-). The latter ...