Track theory and nuclear photographic emulsions for Dark Matter searches V.A. Ditlov* Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics, B. Cheremushkinskaya str. 25, 117259 Moscow, Russia
h i g h l i g h t s < Specific features of Dark Matter Search in nuclear photographic emulsions. < Track theory for WIMP search in nuclear emulsions. < Primary efficiency for single WIMP registration. < Properties of primary WIMP registration efficiency. < Primary registration efficiency of WIMP flow.
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Article history: Received 9 December 2011 Received in revised form 13 November 2012 Accepted 16 November 2012
This work is devoted to the analysis of possibilities of nuclear emulsions for Dark Matter search, particles of which can produce slow recoil-nuclei. Tracks of such recoil-nuclei in developed nuclear emulsion consist from several emulsion grains. The analysis was carried out with Monte-Carlo calculations made on the basis of the Track Theory and the various factors influencing Dark Matter particles registration efficiency were investigated. Problems, which should be solved for optimal utilization of nuclear emulsions in Dark Matter search, were formulated."Body Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Dark Matter Track theory Nuclear emulsion Registration efficiency
1. Introduction One of important nowadays problems for understanding of Space physics is the search of a Dark Matter (DM). There are several cosmological and theoretical facts in favor of DM existence (Sadouler, 1996). It is known that Universe contains only 4.6% of baryon matter, 72.6% is Dark energy and 22.8% of Universe is invisible DM (Bernabei, 1995). There are developed several hypotheses about its nature (Bernabei, 1995) and all this defines a great actuality of search and registration of DM particles (Ryabov et al., 2008). Particles of DM are expected to be very weakly interacting massive particles or shortly WIMPs (Sadouler, 1996; Yakushev, 2009). The only way to detect WIMPs in nuclear emulsion is to observe recoil nuclei after collisions of WIMPs with nuclei of matter. Already several decades the scientists have been
* Alikhanov Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics, Russia. Tel.: þ7 (0) 95 7145207. E-mail address: [email protected]. 1350-4487/$ e see front matter Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.radmeas.2012.11.016
planning and performing several experiments for DM searches, for example, experiments based on one or two phase detectors for measuring electroluminescence from matter after recoil nuclei moving (Akimov, 2001; Akimov et al., 2002; Ditlov et al., 2002a,b). Recently some experimental works, devoted to preparation for WIMPs search with help of nuclear photographic emulsion, were published (Tatsuhiro et al., 2008). Nuclear emulsions have a set of advantages against other detectors: high gravity of sensitive microscopic AgBr crystals r ¼ 6.47 g/cm3; wide diapason of atomic numbers of elements in nuclear emulsion structure; possibilities to exposure large amount of nuclear photographic emulsion and to use automatic methods of developed photographic layers scanning for events analyses. Besides, it is reasonable to expect that interactions with matter of WIMPs and of neutrinos will be more distinguishable in photo emulsion than in other detectors, such as Xenon camera for example. Physicists have almost centenary experience of photographic materials use and Track Theory is already well developed (Bogomolov, 1958; Katz, 1970; Ditlov, 2001). The aim of this work is to use possibility of Track Theory for numerical analysis of photoemulsion possibilities in DM Search experiments.
1.1. Specific features of Dark Matter Search in nuclear photographic emulsions
The atoms of Silver and Bromine give a main yield production of recoil-nuclei (Fig. 2), which was calculated for nuclear emulsion type-R2 with chemical structure from Rodicheva data (1958).
Here are listed several features of DM Search in nuclear emulsions: 1. The cross section of interaction of WIMPs is equal (Yakushev, 2009):
sWIMP w1042 O1044 cm2 ;
(1)
2. The mass of DM Particle is still unknown and it is expected to be a very heavy inside the interval:
MWIMP ¼ 10O1000 GeV=c2 ;
(2)
3. WIMPs have some Maxwellian-like distribution over their velocities (Kamionkowski, 1998; Green, 2010):