In http://de.arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0405282 the 7 year results of the DAMA/NaI dark matter direct detection experiment show a signal significant at 6.3σ according to the authors. An explanation for why a signal from mirror-baryonic matter should be expected in this experiment but not in others with similar cross-section detection parameters is presented in AstroPh:0403043, see also AstroPh:0407623 and references therein.
Aim: Check the experimental and theoretical claims and propose further tests
Try to find an alternative explanation for the DAMA/NaI results without going beyond the Standard Model of particle physics
Check whether the Foot et al. calculations of mirror matter properties are consistent with all the experimental data as the authors claim
Extend the Foot et al. calculations to find, e.g. a non-gravitational effect of mirror matter in stellar physics, e.g. symbiotic stars (gravitational effects of dark matter are already well studied)
the DAMA/NaI detection and mirror matter: longer introduction
AstroPh:0305542 - see Fig.~6 - mass: mW~43+12-9GeV (for v = 220km/s) - Bernabei et al - but mass depends strongly on halo model - see also AstroPh:0304446
HepPh:0210370 - parameter space of cross-section and WIMP mass excluded by other experiments (DAMA/Xe, Edelweiss). However, this is only valid for a certain class of interaction. It is invalid for mirror matter WIMPs.
in HepPh:0308254, Foot points out that for a direct detection experiment like DAMA/Xe or Edelweiss to succeed, the required velocity of the particles must not be too much higher than typical velocities in the halo. This maximum velocity - eq. (5) is
For either Germanium (Edelweiss, CDMS, ...) or Na interacting with H' (mirror H) and a threshold of 4-10keV, the minimum velocity is about 2200km/s. This is only the very tail end of any realistic galactic velocity distribution.
For Ge + He' + 10keV, vmin=1560km/s. This is also too high.
For Na + He' + 1keV, vmin=310km/s - this is much more consistent with the halo temperature.
For Ge + O' + 10keV, vmin=450km/s. So, if there is a big O' component - mirror O in the halo, then Edelweiss probably should have detected it. However, in HepPh:0308254 the claim is for a He' dominant component (with H' undetectable) and only a minor O' component.
A short fortran script to calculate these is here: mirrorvelocity.f
mirror matter claims independent of DAMA
AstroPh:0211067 - mirror matter from Eros lower limit to crater size
HepPh:0402267 - Ωb=0.2ΩDM where DM = mirror-baryonic matter
AstroPh:0401140 - neutralino annihilation - is this the same as SIDM (self-interacting dark matter?)
AstroPh:0307026 - Dark matter annihilation in the halo of the Milky Way - Felix Stoehr, Simon D. M. White, Volker Springel, Giuseppe Tormen, Naoki Yoshida
AstroPh:0401575 - scalar field ,,toy" model of SIDM matches observations Fuchs, Mielke
where , directly depends on c with no free parameters
values of c range from about 5-20 (see p563), i.e. ranges from about 20% (for big haloes) to 5% (for small haloes) of the virial radius - NFR1996 is now very old, but the problem is still probably that of the inner few kpc
w<-1.0 seems to help: AstroPh:0402210 Dark Energy and Dark Matter Halos - M. Kuhlen, L.E. Strigari, A.R. Zentner, J.S. Bullock, Joel R. Primack