Particle dark matter in the galactic halo

The presence of Dark Matter (DM) particles in the galactic halo can be unambiguously pointed out in a model-independent way by exploiting the DM annual modulation signature with an apparatus of specific features placed deep underground. At present DAMA/LIBRA is running at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory of the I.N.F.N. and has presented so far the results obtained with the data collected in the first six annual cycles (exposure 0.87 ton x yr). When including the exposure of the former DAMA/Nal experiment (0.29 ton x yr), the total exposure is 1.17 ton x yr for 13 annual cycles, a value order of magnitude larger than those typically released in the field. These DAMA/LIBRA data have further confirmed the model-independent evidence of the presence of Dark Matter particles in the galactic halo on the basis of the exploited DM signature (8.9 sigma C.L for the cumulative exposure). (c) 2011 Elsevier BM. All rights reserved.