Probing the Scalar WIMP-Pion Coupling with the first LUX-ZEPLIN data

The LZ collaboration Aalbers, J. ; Akerib, D.S. ; Al Musalhi, A.K. ; et al.
Commun.Phys. 7 (2024) 292, 2024.
Inspire Record 2794384 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.152755

Weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) may interact with a virtual pion that is exchanged between nucleons. This interaction channel is important to consider in models where the spin-independent isoscalar channel is suppressed. Using data from the first science run of the LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter experiment, containing 60 live days of data in a 5.5~tonne fiducial mass of liquid xenon, we report the results on a search for WIMP-pion interactions. We observe no significant excess and set an upper limit of $1.5\times10^{-46}$~cm$^2$ at a 90% confidence level for a WIMP mass of 33~GeV/c$^2$ for this interaction.

1 data table

WIMP-Pion interaction cross section at the 90% CL