Speaker
Description
The ANAIS (Annual modulation with NaI(Tl) Scintillators) experiment is intended to search for dark matter annual modulation with ultrapure NaI(Tl) scintillators in order to provide a model independent confirmation or refutation of the long-standing DAMA/LIBRA positive annual modulation signal in the low energy detection rate, using the same target and technique. Other experiments exclude the region of parameters singled out by DAMA/LIBRA. However, these experiments use different target materials, so the comparison of their results depends on the models assumed for the dark matter particle and its velocity distribution in the galactic halo. ANAIS−112, consisting of nine 12.5 kg NaI(Tl) modules produced by Alpha Spectra Inc., disposed in a 3×3 matrix configuration, collected data smoothly with excellent performance at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory, Spain, from August 2017 until January 2026, accumulating a total exposure of 900 kg·yr. Results corresponding to a six-year exposure led the international, model-independent effort to test the DAMA/LIBRA signal, showing compatibility with the absence of modulation and incompatibility with DAMA/LIBRA at a sensitivity above 4σ. In this talk, the current status of the experiment and prospects for the upcoming full dataset unblinding will be presented, with the potential to reach a 5σ sensitivity. Systematic effects affecting the comparison will also be discussed, particularly those related to the response of the detectors to nuclear recoils.
| Main Contribution topic | Direct detection |
|---|---|
| Secondary contribution topic | Direct detection |