First Direct-Detection Constraints on eV-Scale Hidden-Photon Dark Matter with DAMIC at SNOLAB

Phys Rev Lett. 2017 Apr 7;118(14):141803. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.141803. Epub 2017 Apr 5.

Abstract

We present direct detection constraints on the absorption of hidden-photon dark matter with particle masses in the range 1.2-30 eV c^{-2} with the DAMIC experiment at SNOLAB. Under the assumption that the local dark matter is entirely constituted of hidden photons, the sensitivity to the kinetic mixing parameter κ is competitive with constraints from solar emission, reaching a minimum value of 2.2×10^{-14} at 17 eV c^{-2}. These results are the most stringent direct detection constraints on hidden-photon dark matter in the galactic halo with masses 3-12 eV c^{-2} and the first demonstration of direct experimental sensitivity to ionization signals <12 eV from dark matter interactions.