Nuclear spin-dependent interactions: searches for WIMP, axion and topological defect dark matter, and tests of fundamental symmetries

Abstract

We calculate the proton and neutron spin contributions for nuclei using semi-empirical methods, as well as a novel hybrid ab initio/semi-empirical method, for interpretation of experimental data. We demonstrate that core-polarisation corrections to ab initio nuclear shell model calculations generally reduce discrepancies in proton and neutron spin expectation values from different calculations. We derive constraints on the spin-dependent P,T-violating interaction of a bound proton with nucleons, which for certain ranges of exchanged pseudoscalar boson masses improve on the most stringent laboratory limits by several orders of magnitude. We derive a limit on the CPT and Lorentz-invariance-violating parameter (Formula presented.) GeV, which improves on the most stringent existing limit by a factor of 8, and we demonstrate sensitivities to the parameters (Formula presented.) and (Formula presented.) at the level (Formula presented.) GeV, which is a one order of magnitude improvement compared to the corresponding existing sensitivities. We extend previous analysis of nuclear anapole moment data for Cs to obtain new limits on several other CPT and Lorentz-invariance-violating parameters: (Formula presented.) GeV, (Formula presented.) GeV and (Formula presented.).