Neutrino experiments probe hadrophilic light dark matter

We use Super-K data to place new strong limits on interactions of sub-GeV Dark Matter (DM) with nuclei, that rely on the DM flux inevitably induced by cosmic-ray upscatterings. We derive analogous sensitivities at Hyper-K and DUNE and compare them with others, e.g. at JUNO. Using simplified models, we find that our proposal tests genuinely new parameter space, allowed both by theoretical consistency and by other direct detection experiments, cosmology, meson decays and our recast of monojet. Our results thus motivate and shape a new physics case for any large volume detector sensitive to nuclear recoils.

Automated summary

The study establishes new strong limits on interactions of sub-GeV Dark Matter with nuclei using data from cosmic-ray upscatterings, and demonstrates that their proposal tests genuinely new parameter space. This motivates and shapes a new physics case for large volume detectors sensitive to nuclear recoils.