Isospin-Violating Dark Matter Benchmarks for Snowmass 2013

Understand

Isospin-violating dark matter (IVDM) generalizes the standard spin-independent scattering parameter space by introducing one additional parameter, the neutron-to-proton coupling ratio f_n/f_p.

• In IVDM the implications of direct detection experiments can be altered significantly.
• We review the motivations for considering IVDM and present benchmark models that illustrate some of the qualitatively different possibilities.
• IVDM strongly motivates the use of a variety of target nuclei in direct detection experiments.