Direct detection signals of dark matter with magnetic dipole moment
  A neutral dark matter (DM) particle with a magnetic dipole moment has a very
different direct detection phenomenology with respect to standard candidates.
This is due to the peculiar functional form of the differential cross section
for scattering with nuclei. Such a candidate could be a bound state of charged
particles, as the neutron or an atom, or a fundamental particle coupled to
heavier charged states, much like a Dirac neutrino. We analyze here the direct
detection signals of DM with magnetic dipole moment, both the recoil rate and
its modulation, and show that they are very different from those expected in
standard scenarios. For this candidate, contrary to the common lore, the time
of maximum signal depends on the recoil energy as well as on the target
material. The observation of different modulations by experiments employing
different targets would be a strong indication in favor of this type of DM
particles.
