Atomic limits in the search for galactic dark matter

Abstract

Direct searches for low mass dark matter particles via scattering off target nuclei require detection of recoiling atoms with energies of ~1 keV or less. The amount of electronic excitation produced by such atoms is quenched relative to a recoiling electron of the same energy. The Lindhard model of this quenching, as originally formulated, remains widely used after more than 50 years. The present work shows that for very small energies, a simplifying approximation of that model must be removed. Implications for the sensitivity of direct detection experiments are discussed.

6 pages, 5 figures

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• Direct measurement of the ionization quenching factor of nuclear recoils in germanium in the keV energy range
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• Measurement of the low-energy quenching factor in germanium using an ${}^{88}$Y/Be photoneutron source
• LUX likelihood and limits on spin-independent and spin-dependent WIMP couplings with LUXCalc
• Consequences of the Dresden-II reactor data for the weak mixing angle and new physics
• New constraints and discovery potential of sub-GeV dark matter with xenon detectors
• New reactor data improves robustness of neutrino mass ordering determination
• Study of the ionization efficiency for nuclear recoils in pure crystals
• Secluded WIMPs, QED with massive photons, and the galactic center gamma-ray excess
• Coherent neutrino scattering and the Migdal effect on the quenching factor
• First measurement of the nuclear-recoil ionization yield in silicon at 100 eV
• Implications of the first evidence for coherent elastic scattering of reactor neutrinos
• A Review of NEST Models for Liquid Xenon and Exhaustive Comparison to Other Approaches
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• First observation of isolated nuclear recoils following neutron capture for dark matter calibration
• First measurement of surface nuclear recoil background for argon dark matter searches
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