Speaker
Description
Direct searches for Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) require accurate nuclear structure inputs to reliably interpret experimental data. We present a self-consistent framework based on Skyrme Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov theory to compute the nuclear form factors entering WIMP–nucleus scattering. The approach provides all relevant spin-independent and spin-dependent responses within a unified description derived from the underlying one-body density matrix. We discuss applications to detector nuclei, including (^{40})Ar, and compare our predictions with shell-model calculations. While excellent agreement is obtained for the dominant spin-independent response, significant differences emerge in spin-orbit and other subleading channels, highlighting the importance of a microscopic treatment of nuclear structure for future dark matter searches. The same nuclear form factors are also employed to compute coherent elastic neutrino–nucleus scattering (CEvNS) cross sections, providing precise Standard Model predictions for next-generation neutrino experiments and demonstrating the versatility of the formalism. Together, these studies establish a common nuclear-structure framework applicable to both dark matter direct detection and low-energy weak-interaction processes, reducing theoretical uncertainties in searches for physics beyond the Standard Model.