Analysis of Statistical Methods for Setting Limits on WIMP Parameters (2011)

Undergraduate: Lenny Evans

Faculty Advisor: Reyco Henning
Department: Physics & Astronomy

---

Various astronomical observations of galactic rotation curves and cosmic microwave background radiation implicate that the amount of matter that is visible in galaxies cannot be all the matter that exists in the galaxies. Many theories have been proposed to describe this ``dark matter,' and many experiments have been designed to set constraints on the properties of dark matter particles, in order to confirm or refute these theories. This paper examines the Feldman-Cousins, Poisson, Rolke, and Yellin methods and determines when each of the methods is optimal in setting limits on WIMP dark matter masses and cross-sections in terms of coverage, discovery potential, and sensitivity of methods.