Inelastic WIMP-nucleus scattering to the first excited state in $^{125}$Te

Understand

The direct detection of dark matter constituents, in particular the weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), is considered central to particle physics and cosmology.

• In this paper we study transitions to the excited states, possible in some nuclei, which have sufficiently low lying excited states.
• Examples considered previously were the first excited states of $^{127}$I and $^{129}$Xe and $^{83}$Kr.
• Here we examine $^{125}$Te, which offers some advantages and is currently being considered as a target.In all these cases the extra signature of the gamma rays following the de-excitation of these states has definite advantages over the purely nuclear recoil and, in principle, such a signature can be exploited experimentally.