What question did this study set out to answer?

The study aims to search for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) by detecting neutrino-induced muons.

March 5, 2026Open Access

Limits on Drak Matter WIMPs Using Upward-Going Muons in the MACRO detector

Key Points

The study aims to search for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) by detecting neutrino-induced muons.
Used the MACRO detector for indirect searches.
Focused on upward-going muons resulting from WIMP annihilation.
Analyzed various angular positions centered on the Sun and Earth.
Evaluated WIMP masses by accommodating a range of angular cones.
No significant excess of upward-going muons over atmospheric neutrino background was observed.
Established upper limits on muon fluxes from the Sun and Earth.
Constrained parameters of neutralino particles suggested by previous studies.

Abstract

We perform an indirect search for Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) using the MACRO detector to look for neutrino-induced upward-going muons resulting from the annihilation of WIMPs trapped in the Sun and Earth. The search is conduced in various angular cones centres on the Sun and Earth to accomodate a range of WIMP masses. No significant excess over the background from atmospheric neutrinos is seen and limits are placed on the upward-going muon fluxes from Sun and Earth. These limits are used to constrain neutralino particle parameters from supersymmetric theory, including those suggested by recent results from DAMA/NaI.

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