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Sub-GeV dark matter detection with dark rates in liquid scintillators

Lillian Santos-Olmsted1,2,*, Rebecca K. Leane1,2,†, Carlos Blanco3,4,5,‡, and John F. Beacom6,7,8,§

  • *Contact author: solmsted@stanford.edu
  • †Contact author: rleane@slac.stanford.edu
  • ‡Contact author: carlosblanco@psu.edu
  • §Contact author: beacom.7@osu.edu
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Phys. Rev. D 113, 103007 – Published 4 May, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/l4y7-5nkv

Abstract

It was recently shown that standard sub-GeV dark matter candidates can be effectively probed by large neutrino observatories via annual modulation of the total photomultiplier hit rate. That work focused on the production of light by the excitation of scintillator molecules and considered the JUNO detector, surpassing limits from dedicated dark-matter detectors and reaching theoretical targets. Here, we significantly generalize that work, now also taking into account ionization channels and extending the analysis to other liquid-scintillator detectors, including SNO+, Daya Bay, Borexino, and KamLAND. Last, we present a call to action: with multiple detectors achieving competitive sensitivity, there is an opportunity to validate this new technique across experiments and to refine it using each detector’s strengths.

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Phys. Rev. D 113, 103007– Published 4 May, 2026
  • Received 8 January 2026
  • Accepted 23 March 2026
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