First search for a dark matter annual modulation signal with NaI(Tl) in the Southern Hemisphere by DM-Ice17

• Published in: Physical Review D
• Main Authors: Barbosa de Souza, E., Cherwinka, J., Cole, A., Ezeribe, A. C., Grant, D., Halzen, F., Heeger, K. M., Hsu, L., Hubbard, A. J. F., Jo, J. H., Karle, A., Kauer, M., Kudryavtsev, V. A., Lim, K. E., Macdonald, C., Maruyama, R. H., Mouton, F., Paling, S. M., Pettus, W., Pierpoint, Z. P., Reilly, B. N., Robinson, M., Rogers, F. R., Sandstrom, P., Scarff, A., Spooner, N. J. C., Telfer, S., Yang, L.
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2022
• Subjects: 79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS; 46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; 72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS; Antarctic; South Pole; Antarc*; South pole
• Online Access: http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1253581; https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1253581; https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.95.032006

In this study, the first search for a dark matter annual modulation signal with NaI(Tl) target material in the Southern Hemisphere conducted with the DM-Ice17 experiment is presented. DM-Ice17 consists of 17 kg of NaI(Tl) scintillating crystal under 2200 m.w.e. overburden of Antarctic glacial ice. The analysis presented here utilizes a 60.8 kg yr exposure. While unable to exclude the signal reported by DAMA/LIBRA, the DM-Ice17 data are consistent with no modulation in the energy range of 4-20 keV, providing the strongest limits on WIMP candidates from a direct detection experiment located in the Southern Hemisphere. Additionally, the successful deployment and stable operation of 17 kg of NaI(Tl) crystal over 3.5 years establishes the South Pole ice as a viable location for future underground, low-background experiments.