The Migdal effect is a key inelastic signal channel which could be used to detect low-mass dark matter, but it has never been observed experimentally using Standard Model probes. Here we propose a conceptual design for an experiment which could detect the Migdal effect in diatomic molecules through low-energy neutron scattering, and we provide the requirements on the beam spectrum and reducible backgrounds such that a detection may be achieved. The enhancement of the Migdal rate through non-adiabatic couplings, which are absent in isolated atoms, combined with the distinctive photon energies of electronic transitions in CO, suggest that a positive detection of the molecular Migdal effect may be possible with modest beam times at existing neutron facilities.
@article{arxiv.2403.08866,
title = {Measuring the molecular Migdal effect with neutron scattering on diatomic gases},
author = {Yonatan Kahn and Jesús Pérez-Ríos},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2403.08866},
year = {2024}
}
Comments
5+2 pages, 3 figures; v2: Fig. 3 corrected and discussion of backgrounds clarified, conclusions unchanged; v3: matches version published in PRD