Astrophysics-insensitive methods for Dark Matter direct detection
 Date/Time: Thursday, 25 October 2012 - 11:00 (Europe/Zurich) Location: LAPTh ( Auditorium ) Chairperson: Thomas Schwetz-Mangold (Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (DE)) Description: The search for galactic Dark Matter particles via the scattering in underground detectors is a very active field and results from current as well as near-future experiments are crucial tests for the WIMP hypothesis. In order to interpret results from such experiments assumptions on the local Dark Matter distribution have to be adopted, subject to large uncertainties. In this talk I review the phenomenology and recent results of Dark Matter direct detection experiments. Then I present methods which allow to draw conclusions independent of assumptions on the Dark Matter distribution. Special emphasis will be given on the annual modulation, which is considered to be a smoking-gun signature of Dark Matter. The methods will be applied to the annual modulation signal reported by the DAMA experiment.