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Updated: Jun 14, 2026
10:16
Digital Inline Holographic Microscopy (DIHM) of Weakly-scattering Subjects
Published on: February 8, 2014
SENSEI: A Search for Diurnal Modulation in Sub-GeV Dark Matter Scattering
Itay M Bloch1,2, Ana M Botti3,4, Mariano Cababie3,5,6
1University of California, Berkeley Center for Theoretical Physics, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|June 12, 2026
Summary
Scientists searched for daily changes in dark matter signals using the SENSEI experiment. This study improved sensitivity for MeV-scale dark matter detection by looking for Earth-shielding effects on dark matter particles.
Area of Science:
- Particle Physics
- Astrophysics
- Cosmology
Background:
- Dark matter interactions with ordinary matter can cause scattering.
- Earth's atmosphere and crust can shield dark matter particles.
- This shielding can create directional dependence in dark matter flux.
Purpose of the Study:
- Search for daily modulation in dark matter signal rates.
- Investigate MeV-scale dark matter using directional effects.
- Improve sensitivity of direct-detection experiments.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the SENSEI experiment.
- Searched for sidereal daily modulation in signal rates.
- Applied standard halo model with Maxwell-Boltzmann velocity distribution.
Main Results:
- Achieved nearly an order-of-magnitude improvement in sensitivity.
- Set new bounds for dark matter masses below ~1 MeV.
- Constrained the amplitude of general daily modulation signals.
Conclusions:
- Earth-shielding effects can modulate dark matter signals.
- Directional detection is a promising avenue for MeV-scale dark matter.
- SENSEI data provides strong constraints on low-mass dark matter.
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