Kwang-Hyuk You
Sungkyunkwan University · 物理学・天文学
研究室紹介
Professor Kwang-Hyuk You's research lab specializes in direct dark matter detection using high-purity NaI(Tl) scintillation detectors, with a focus on testing the controversial DAMA/LIBRA signal through model-independent searches for annual modulation. The lab conducts precision measurements of low-energy backgrounds, develops advanced background modeling techniques—including radionuclide contamination and energy scale uncertainties—and explores novel dark matter candidates such as inelastic and boosted dark matter. Their work at the Yangyang Underground Laboratory emphasizes experimental sensitivity, low-energy threshold optimization, and competitive constraints on dark sector models, particularly in the dark photon and WIMP parameter spaces. The lab also contributes to the theoretical interpretation of experimental results using effective field theories and velocity distribution modeling.
Research Overview
Research Output Trend
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Selected Papers
15We present new constraints on the dark matter-induced annual modulation signal using 1.7 years of COSINE-100 data with a total exposure of 97.7 kg yr. The COSINE-100 experiment, consisting of 106 kg of NaI(Tl) target material, is designed to carry out a model-independent test of DAMA/LIBRA's claim of WIMP discovery by searching for the same annual modulation signal using the same NaI(Tl) target. The crystal data show a 2.7 cpd/kg/keV background rate on average in the 2-6 keV energy region of int
COSINE-100 is a direct detection dark matter experiment that aims to test DAMA/LIBRA's claim of dark matter discovery by searching for a dark-matter-induced annual modulation signal with NaI(Tl) detectors. We present new constraints on the annual modulation signal from a dataset with a 2.82 yr livetime utilizing an active mass of 61.3 kg for a total exposure of $173\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{kg}\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}\mathrm{yr}$. This new result features an improved event select
We present a background model for dark matter searches using an array of NaI(Tl) crystals in the COSINE-100 experiment that is located in the Yangyang underground laboratory. The model includes background contributions from both internal and external sources, including cosmogenic radionuclides and surface $^{210}$Pb contamination. To build the model in the low energy region, with a threshold of 1 keV, we used a depth profile of $^{210}$Pb contamination in the surface of the NaI(Tl) crystals dete
A search for inelastic boosted dark matter (IBDM) using the COSINE-100 detector with 59.5 days of data is presented. This relativistic dark matter is theorized to interact with the target material through inelastic scattering with electrons, creating a heavier state that subsequently produces standard model particles, such as an electron-positron pair. In this study, we search for this electron-positron pair in coincidence with the initially scattered electron as a signature for an IBDM interact
We search for energetic electron recoil signals induced by boosted dark matter (BDM) from the galactic center using the COSINE-100 array of NaI(Tl) crystal detectors at the Yangyang Underground Laboratory. The signal would be an excess of events with energies above 4 MeV over the well-understood background. Because no excess of events are observed in a $97.7\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{kg}\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}\mathrm{yr}$ exposure, we set limits on BDM interactions under a variet
Assuming a standard Maxwellian for the WIMP velocity distribution, we obtain the bounds from null WIMP search results of 59.5 days of COSINE-100 data on the DAMA/LIBRA-phase2 modulation effect within the context of the non-relativistic effective theory of WIMP-nucleus scattering. Here, we systematically assume that one of the effective operators allowed by Galilean invariance dominates in the effective Hamiltonian of a spin-1/2 dark matter (DM) particle. We find that, although DAMA/LIBRA and COS
Abstract The COSINE-100 experiment is designed to test the DAMA experiment which claimed an observation of a dark matter signal from an annual modulation in their residual event rate. To measure the 1 %-level signal amplitude, it is crucial to control and monitor nearly all environmental quantities that might systematically mimic the signal. The environmental monitoring also helps ensure a stable operation of the experiment. Here, we describe the design and performance of the centralized environ
Abstract We present a comprehensive study of the nonproportionality of NaI(Tl) scintillation detectors within the context of dark matter search experiments. Our investigation, which integrates COSINE-100 data with supplementary $$\gamma $$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mi>γ</mml:mi> </mml:math> spectroscopy, measures light yields across diverse energy levels from full-energy $$\gamma $$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mi>γ</mml:mi>
We report measurements of annual and diurnal modulations of the cosmic-ray muon rate in the Yangyang underground laboratory (Y2L) using 952 days of COSINE-100 data acquired between September 2016 and July 2019. A correlation of the muon rate with the atmospheric temperature is observed and its amplitude on the muon rate is determined. The effective atmospheric temperature and muon rate variations are positively correlated with a measured effective temperature coefficient of αT = 0.80 ± 0.11. Thi