ANAIS-112 status: two years results on annual modulation

Understand

ANAIS (Annual modulation with NaI Scintillators) is a dark matter direct detection experiment located at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC), in Spain.

• The goal is to confirm or refute in a model independent way the DAMA/LIBRA positive result: an annual modulation in the low-energy detection rate compatible with the expected signal induced by dark matter particles in the galactic halo.
• This signal, observed for about 20 years, is in strong tension with the negative results of other very sensitive experiments, but a direct comparison using the same target material, NaI(Tl), was still lacking.
• ANAIS-112, consisting of 112.5 kg of NaI(Tl) scintillators, is taking data at the LSC since August 2017.