The SABRE project and the SABRE Proof-of-Principle

AIP Conference Proceedings, 2006

EPJ Web of Conferences, 2014

The DAMA/LIBRA experiment, running at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory of the I.N.F.N. in Italy, has a sensitive mass of about 250 kg highly radiopure NaI(Tl). It is mainly devoted to the investigation of Dark Matter (DM) particles in the Galactic halo by exploiting the model independent DM annual modulation signature. The present DAMA/LIBRA experiment and the former DAMA/NaI one (the first generation experiment having an exposed mass of about 100 kg) have released so far results corresponding to a total exposure of 1.17 ton × yr over 13 annual cycles. They provide a model independent evidence of the presence of DM particles in the galactic halo at 8.9 σ C.L. on the basis of the investigated DM signature. The data of another annual cycle in the same DAMA/LIBRA running conditions are at hand. After the replacement at the end of 2012 of all the photomultipliers (PMTs) with new ones, having higher quantum efficiency, DAMA/LIBRA has entered to its phase 2; such a replacements allowed the lowering of the software energy threshold of the experiment in the present data taking. A short summary of the obtained results is presented and future perspectives of the experiment mentioned.

International Journal of Modern Physics A, 2013

Experimental observations and theoretical arguments at Galaxy and larger scales have suggested that a large fraction of the Universe is composed by Dark Matter particles. This has motivated the DAMA experimental efforts to investigate the presence of such particles in the galactic halo by exploiting a model independent signature and very highly radiopure set-ups deep underground. Few introductory arguments are summarized before presenting a review of the present model independent positive results obtained by the DAMA/NaI and DAMA/LIBRA set-ups at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory of the INFN. Implications and model dependent comparisons with other different kinds of results will be shortly addressed. Some arguments put forward in literature will be confuted.

Acta Polytechnica, 2013

Experimental efforts and theoretical developmens support that most of the Universe is Dark and a large fraction of it should be made of relic particles; many possibilities are open on their nature and interaction types. In particular, the DAMA/LIBRA experiment at Gran Sasso Laboratory (sensitive mass: ~250 kg) is mainly devoted to the investigation of Dark Matter (DM) particles in the Galactic halo by exploiting the model independent DM annual modulation signature with higly radiopure Na I(Tl) targets. DAMA/LIBRA is the succesor of the first generation DAMA/NaI (sensitive mass: ~100 kg); cumulatively the two experiments have released so far the results obtained by analyzing an exposure of 1.17 t yr, collected over 13 annual cycles. The data show a model independent evidence of the presence of DM particles in the galactic halo at 8.9σ confidence level (C.L.). Some of the already achieved results are shortly reminded, the last upgrade occurred at fall 2010 is mentioned and future pers...

Advances in High Energy Physics, 2014

The results obtained with the total exposure of 1.04 ton × yr collected by DAMA/LIBRA-phase1 deep underground at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS) of the I.N.F.N. during 7 annual cycles are summarized. The DAMA/LIBRA-phase1 and the former DAMA/NaI data (cumulative exposure 1.33 ton × yr, corresponding to 14 annual cycles) give evidence at 9.3 σ C.L. for the presence of Dark Matter (DM) particles in the galactic halo, on the basis of the exploited model independent DM annual modulation signature by using highly radiopure NaI(Tl) target. The modulation amplitude of thesingle-hitevents in the (2–6) keV energy interval is0.0112±0.0012 cpd/kg/keV; the measured phase is144±7days and the measured period is0.998±0.002 yr; values are in a good well in agreement with those expected for DM particles. No systematic or side reactions able to mimic the exploited DM signature have been found or suggested by anyone over more than a decade. Some of the perspectives of the presently running D...

Physics of Atomic Nuclei, 2006

DAMA is an observatory for rare processes and it is operative deep underground at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory of the INFN. Several low background setups have been realized and many rare processes have been investigated. In particular, the DAMA/NaI setup ( 100 kg of highly radiopure NaI(Tl)) has effectively investigated the model-independent annual modulation signature over seven annual cycles (total exposure of 107 731 kg day), obtaining 6.3σ C.L. model-independent evidence for the presence of a dark matter particle component in the galactic halo. Some of the many possible corollary modeldependent quests for the candidate particle have been investigated and others are in progress. At present, the second generation DAMA/LIBRA setup ( 250 kg of highly radiopure NaI(Tl)) is in data taking deep underground.

Canadian Journal of Physics, 2011

The DAMA/LIBRA experiment has a sensitive mass of about 250 kg highly radiopure NaI(Tl). It is running at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory of the I.N.F.N. in Italy, and is mainly devoted to the investigation of Dark Matter (DM) particles in the Galactic halo by exploiting the model independent DM annual modulation signature. The present DAMA/LIBRA experiment and the former DAMA/NaI one (the first generation experiment having an exposed mass of about 100 kg) have cumulatively released so far the results obtained with the data collected over 13 annual cycles (total exposure: 1.17 ton × yr). They give a model independent evidence of the presence of DM particles in the galactic halo on the basis of the investigated DM signature at 8.9 σ C.L. for the cumulative exposure. Few aspects of the obtained results are summarized and some comments addressed.

Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, 2009

International Journal of Modern Physics D, 2004

The DAMA/NaI experiment (≃ 100 kg highly radiopure NaI(Tl)) was proposed, designed and realised to effectively investigate in a model independent way the presence of a Dark Matter particle component in the galactic halo by exploiting the annual modulation signature. With a total exposure of 107731 kg · day, collected over seven annual cycles deep underground at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory of the I.N.F.N., it has pointed out -at 6.3 σ C.L. -an effect which satisfies all the peculiarities of the signature and neither systematic effects nor side reactions able to mimic the signature were found. Moreover, several (but still few with respect to the possibilities) corollary model dependent quests for the candidate particle have been carried out. In this paper the obtained results are summarized and some perspectives are discussed at some extent.

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 2011

With the present technology the only reliable signature able to point out, in a model independent way, the presence of Dark Matter (DM) particles in the galactic halo and sensitive to wide ranges both of DM candidates and of interaction types, is the DM annual modulation signature. This investigation is explored with suitable features by DAMA experiments. In particular, the first DAMA/LIBRA results confirm the evidence for the presence of DM particles in the galactic halo, as pointed out by the former DAMA/NaI set-up; cumulatively the data support such evidence at 8.2 σ C.L. and satisfy all the many peculiarities of the DM annual modulation signature. No systematics or side reactions able to account for the measured modulation amplitude and to contemporaneously satisfy all the requirements of the signature have been found or suggested by anyone over more than a decade. Moreover, no other experiment exists, whose result can be directly compared in a model-independent way with those of the DAMA experiments. Future perspectives are briefly addressed.