A direction-sensitive dark matter search experiment (NEWAGE)

Weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) are very plausible candidates of dark matter. We developed a three-dimensional gaseous tracking device, and performed a direction-sensitive dark matter search in a surface laboratory. By using 150 torr carbon-tetrafluoride (CF₄gas), we obtained a sky map drawn with the recoil directions of the carbon and fluorin e nuclei, and set the first limit on the spin-dependent WIMP (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles)-proton cross section by a direction-sensitive method. In this paper, we describe the detector performance and report on the direction-sensitive WIMP-search experiment in a surface laboratory.