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Updated: Jan 12, 2026

High Resolution Phonon-assisted Quasi-resonance Fluorescence Spectroscopy
Published on: June 28, 2016
First Limits on Light Dark Matter Interactions in a Low Threshold Two-Channel Athermal Phonon Detector from the
T K Bui1, C L Chang2,3,4, Y-Y Chang5
1International Center for Quantum-field Measurement Systems for Studies of the Universe and Particles (QUP, WPI), High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), Oho 1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801, Japan.
Abstract:
We present results of a search for spin-independent dark matter-nucleus interactions in a 1 cm^{2} by 1 mm thick (0.233 g) high-resolution silicon athermal phonon detector operated above ground. For interactions in the substrate, this detector achieves an rms baseline energy resolution of 361.5(4) meV (statistical error), the best for any athermal phonon detector to date. With an exposure of 0.233 g×12 hours, we place the most stringent constraints on dark matter masses between 44 and 87 MeV/c^{2}, with the lowest unexplored cross section of 4×10^{-32} cm^{2} at 87 MeV/c^{2}. We employ a conservative salting technique to reach the lowest dark matter mass ever probed via direct detection experiment. This constraint is enabled by two-channel rejection of low energy backgrounds that are coupled to individual sensors.
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