Nuclear, Particle, Astroparticle and Cosmology (NUPAC) Seminars
Developing Novel Detector Technology in Search for the Migdal Effect (NOTE SPECIAL TIME)
Presented by Elizabeth Tilly, UNM
The Migdal effect predicts that a sudden kick to the atomic nucleus can, with a small probability, lead to the emission of an electron or other forms of radiation. A number of dark matter (DM) experiments have recently invoked this effect to rule out previously unexplored low-mass DM parameter space, in some cases by over 2 orders of magnitude. However, the Migdal effect has not been observed in the regime relevant to DM-nucleus interactions, which raises concern for its validity in setting DM limits. Given how the current and future applications of this effect could impact the DM landscape, an experimental verification of the effect is very much needed. I am part of two experimental efforts seeking to observe and characterize the Migdal effect using neutrons to induce nuclear recoils in table-top detectors . The goal of both experiments is to detect Migdal events and fully reconstruct their event topology in 3D; i.e., an electron and nuclear recoil track diverging from a common interaction point. In this talk, I will describe the experiments and give their current status and future plans. I will describe my contributions to both efforts to date, which include simulations, data analysis and R&D in the lab. I will end with plans for future work that will lead to my PhD.
1:30 pm, Tuesday, November 22, 2022
PAIS-3205, PAIS
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