Electron ionization via dark matter-electron scattering and the Migdal effect

Abstract

As dark matter searches push into the sub-GeV mass range, they look for electrons ionized by direct scattering with dark particles. However, dark matter scattering off nuclei can also produce electrons through the Migdal effect. In this paper the authors show that the Migdal effect can contribute significantly to signal rates and has to be included when interpreting experimental results.