Detection of galactic halo magninos via their coherent interaction with heavy nuclei

Magninos (neutral spin 1/2 fermions with mass 4–10 GeV and anomalous magnetic moment μ≈10^?2) have been proposed as a solution to both the solar neutrino and dark matter problems. Direct detection of galactic halo magninos is possible via their coherent interaction with heavy nuclei. In this paper we have calculated the relevant non-relativistic cross section. We find a typical counting rate of about 100 events per day per kilogram of either a silicon or germanium detector. The magnetic moment of the magnino was needed in order to solve the solar neutrino problem. When scattering off of heavy nuclei, the charge radius r of the magnino is also relevant.