The Proposed CYGNUS Directional Recoil Observatory

The identity of dark matter remains one of the most urgent mysteries in fundamental physics. With some leading direct detection experiments now observing background events and WIMP-nucleon scattering limits approaching the neutrino floor, there is renewed interest in constructing an observatory capable of detecting and distinguishing WIMP and coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS) via directionality. The CYGNUS proto-collaboration aims to deploy gas-target time projection chambers (TPCs) capable of event-by-event nuclear recoil imaging. Smaller, near-term detectors with this capability would enable new precision measurements, searches for beyond the Standard Model (BSM) physics, and measurements of solar neutrinos. A large detector could establish the galactic origin of a dark matter signal, and subsequently be used to map the local WIMP velocity distribution and explore the particle phenomenology of dark matter. Therefore, there exists an opportunity to develop a long-term, diverse, and cost-effective experimental program around directional detection of nuclear recoils in gas TPCs at different scales. I will discuss the projected dark matter sensitivity, compare the suitability of different technological approaches, and comment on the broader physics case.