Undergrad Shape of exclusion plots of WIMP

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SUMMARY

The exclusion plots of Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) experiments exhibit a "U" shape due to two primary factors. First, the relationship between WIMP mass density and particle density results in parallel lines for larger WIMP masses, as higher mass leads to lower particle density and consequently fewer expected interactions. Second, at lower WIMP masses, the energy transfer to detectors diminishes, resulting in a rapid loss of sensitivity. These combined effects define the minimum of the exclusion curve.

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BillKet
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Hello! What is the reason why the exclusion plots of WIMP experiments have that "U" like shape? And what sets the minimum of the curve? Thank you!
 
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You can find this discussed in the publications. It's largely a combination of two effects:
* We have a pretty good estimate for the WIMP mass density from gravity, but detectors need the WIMP particle density, which is the mass density divided by the particle mass. Larger mass -> smaller particle density -> fewer expected interactions at the same cross section -> weaker cross section limits. That's why all these lines are parallel and following a simple linear relation for large WIMP masses.
* At low WIMP masses the energy transfer to the detector gets smaller, so the detectors quickly lose sensitivity.
 
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