1–5 Jun 2026
Paraninfo, University of Zaragoza
Europe/Madrid timezone

Pioneering Sub-GeV Dark Matter Limits with COSINE-100

2 Jun 2026, 18:10
20m
Aula Magna

Aula Magna

Speaker

Won Kyung Kim (University of Science & Technology (UST), IBS School)

Description

We report new constraints on the spin-dependent (SD) dark matter (DM)-proton cross section using the COSINE-100 experiment at the Yangyang Underground Laboratory.
By implementing a specialized event selection including Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) training, this analysis achieves a detection threshold of 3- and 4-pulse clusters corresponding to the few photoelectrons. This allows us to access the unstudied few-photoelectron regime, significantly below the previous 8-photoelectron threshold.
Using four years of stable data, we find no statistically significant evidence of annual modulation. Consequently, we establish the world's most stringent SD DM-proton constraints for NaI(Tl) in the $1.75–2.25$ GeV/$c^2$ mass range. By incorporating the Migdal effect, we further extend our sensitivity into the $15–58$ MeV/$c^2$ mass range, setting new world-leading limits. These results demonstrate the unique capability of NaI(Tl) targets to probe previously unexplored regions of the dark matter parameter space.

Main Contribution topic Direct detection
Secondary contribution topic Light Dark Matter

Author

Won Kyung Kim (University of Science & Technology (UST), IBS School)

Presentation materials