This book is a pedagogical guide on how to make computations in direct dark matter (DM) detection. The theory behind the calculation of direct detection cross sections and rates is presented, touching aspects related to elementary particle physics, hadronic physics, nuclear physics, and astrophysics. The book is structured in self-contained sections, covering several topics ranging from the scattering kinematics to the phenomenology of direct DM searches. It follows a model-independent approach, aiming at providing the readers with all that is needed to understand the theory and start their own analysis. Meant for graduate students and researchers with interests in particle physics and phenomenology, it is enriched with several worked examples from standard and non-standard particle DM models. Senior researchers working in different areas related to dark matter, like particle and nuclear physics, astrophysics, and cosmology, find in this book a useful and updated guide for reference.

Autorentext

Eugenio Del Nobile received a PhD in Physics in 2012 with a dissertation on some theoretical aspects of particle dark matter models and their direct detection phenomenology. After, he gained postdoctoral positions at UCLA in US, University of Padua in Italy, and University of Nottingham in UK. His research interests are on direct dark matter detection theory and related phenomenology, notably concerning model-independent analyses and methods.

Inhalt

1. Introduction2. Rate Basics - Scattering rate - Detection rate

   3. Scattering kinematics Preliminaries - Two-particle kinematics - Elastic scattering - Inelastic scattering

   4. From quarks and gluons to nucleons Hadronic matrix elements - Scalar couplings - Pseudo-scalar couplings - Vector couplings - Axial-vector couplings - Tensor couplings

   5. DM-nucleon interaction Non-relativistic expansion - Non-relativistic operators - Examples

   6. From nucleons to nuclei Nuclear and single-nucleon matrix elements - Scattering amplitude - Nuclear form factors - Multipole expansion and nuclear responses - Scattering amplitude in the multipole expansion

   7. Scattering cross section Differential cross section - Spin-independent interaction - Spin-dependent interaction - Vector-mediated interaction - Scalar-mediated interaction - Magnetic-dipole DM

   8. DM velocity distribution and velocity integral DM velocity distribution in Earth's frame - Annual modulation - Computing the velocity integral - Standard Halo Model

   9. Phenomenology of direct DM detection Setup and example models - Rate spectrum - Constraining DM properties

2. Summary A kind of afterword - Two-pages summary - Q&A