# Dark Matter Searches: State of the Field (October 2026)

Research dossier · v1 · updated 2026-10-30 · 3,464 words · 40 sources · 28 claims · verification: verified

This dossier surveys direct searches for dark matter particles as of October 2026: WIMP scattering in xenon and argon detectors, the annual-modulation test of sodium-iodide claims, sub-GeV electron-recoil searches, axion haloscopes and primordial black hole constraints. The central takeaway is that the tightest spin-independent WIMP limit reviewed here, near 2.2 × 10^-48 cm² at 40 GeV/c², is still an exclusion, while the sharpest current debate concerns the DAMA/LIBRA modulation claim and the neutrino background.

## Contents

- Executive summary
- Background and core concepts
- Timeline of key milestones
- State of the art
  - Spin-independent xenon and argon searches
  - Annual modulation: NaI(Tl) tests
  - Low-threshold and light dark matter
  - Axion and wave-like dark matter
  - Primordial black holes
  - Quantitative benchmarks
- Open problems and active debates
- Major programs and players
- Outlook: what to watch (next 12-18 months)
- Key papers
- Glossary

## Sample findings

- The LZ 4.2 tonne-year WIMP search (280 live days) reports a minimum spin-independent WIMP-nucleon upper limit of 2.2 × 10^-48 cm² at 40 GeV/c² at 90% confidence, with exclusion limits only and no claimed detection.
- LZ reports an exposure of 4.2 ± 0.1 tonne-years from 280 live days.

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