First measurement of the head–tail directional nuclear recoil signature at energies relevant to WIMP dark matter searches

Abstract We present first evidence for the so-called head–tail directional signature of neutron-induced nuclear recoil tracks at energies down to 1.5 keV/amu using the DRIFT-IIc dark matter detector. This regime is appropriate for recoils induced by Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMPs) but one where the differential ionization is poorly understood. We show that the distribution of recoil energies and directions induced here by 252 Cf neutrons matches well that expected from massive WIMPs. The results open a powerful new means of searching for a galactic signature from WIMPs.