Suitability of superheated droplet detectors for dark matter search

We have measured the sensitivity of superheated droplet detectors in differ ent radiation environments and we discuss the suitability of this detection technique for the search of weakly interacting cold dark matter particles. In particular, we show that our new proposed detector based on superheated carbo-fluorates can be operated at ambient pressure and room temperature i n a mode where it is almost exclusively sensitive to the nuclear recoils fo llowing neutralino interaction, which allows a powerful background discrimi nation. The potential of the detection technique is shown by deriving a lim it on the spin-dependent neutralino cross-section, making use of the very f avourable neutralino-F-19 interaction and background suppression. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.