Dark matter search results from the PICO-60 CF3 i bubble chamber

(PICO Collaboration)

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

142 Scopus citations

Abstract

New data are reported from the operation of the PICO-60 dark matter detector, a bubble chamber filled with 36.8 kg of CF3I and located in the SNOLAB underground laboratory. PICO-60 is the largest bubble chamber to search for dark matter to date. With an analyzed exposure of 92.8 livedays, PICO-60 exhibits the same excellent background rejection observed in smaller bubble chambers. Alpha decays in PICO-60 exhibit frequency-dependent acoustic calorimetry, similar but not identical to that reported recently in a C3F8 bubble chamber. PICO-60 also observes a large population of unknown background events, exhibiting acoustic, spatial, and timing behaviors inconsistent with those expected from a dark matter signal. These behaviors allow for analysis cuts to remove all background events while retaining 48.2% of the exposure. Stringent limits on weakly interacting massive particles interacting via spin-dependent proton and spin-independent processes are set, and most interpretations of the DAMA/LIBRA modulation signal as dark matter interacting with iodine nuclei are ruled out.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number052014
JournalPhysical Review D
Volume93
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 28 2016
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 American Physical Society.

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