1. Potential of RES-NOVA as Dark Matter observatory
- Author
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Alloni, D., Benato, G., Carniti, P., Cataldo, M., Chen, L., Clemenza, M., Consonni, M., Croci, G., Dafinei, I., Danevich, F. A., Di Martino, D., Di Stefano, E., Iachellini, N. Ferreiro, Ferroni, F., Filippini, F., Ghislandi, S., Giachero, A., Gironi, L., Gorla, P., Gotti, C., Helis, D. L., Kasperovych, D. V., Kobychev, V. V., Marcucci, G., Melchiorre, A., Menegolli, A., Nisi, S., Musa, M., Pagnanini, L., Pattavina, L., Pessina, G., Pirro, S., Pozzi, S., Prata, M. C., Puiu, A., Quitadamo, S., Riccardi, M. P., Rossella, M., Rossini, R., Saliu, F., Salvini, A., Scherban, A. P., Solopikhin, D. A., Tretyak, V. I., Trotta, D., and Yuan, H.
- Subjects
Physics - Instrumentation and Detectors ,Astrophysics - Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics - Abstract
The RES-NOVA project is an experimental initiative aimed at detecting neutrinos from the next galactic supernova using PbWO$_{4}$ cryogenic detectors, operated at low temperatures in a low-background environment. By utilizing archaeological lead (Pb) as the target material, RES-NOVA leverages its high radiopurity, large nuclear mass, and the natural abundance of $^{207}$Pb, making it well-suited for exploring both spin-independent and spin-dependent Dark Matter (DM) interactions via nuclear scattering. This work presents a background model developed for the RES-NOVA technology demonstrator and evaluates its implications for Dark Matter detection. Detailed calculations of nuclear matrix elements, combined with the unique properties of archaeological Pb, demonstrate RES-NOVA's potential as a complementary tool to existing direct detection experiments for studying Dark Matter interactions. The experiment will conduct DM searches over a broad mass range spanning 4 orders of magnitude, from sub-GeV/$c^2$ to TeV/$c^2$. In the most optimistic scenario, RES-NOVA is expected to probe DM-nucleon cross-sections down to 1$\times 10^{-43}$ cm$^2$ and 2$\times 10^{-46}$ cm$^2$ for candidates with masses of 2 GeV/$c^2$ and 20 GeV/$c^2$, respectively.
- Published
- 2025