Absorption of light dark matter in semiconductors
Abstract
Semiconductors are by now well-established targets for direct detection of MeV to GeV dark matter via scattering off electrons. We show that semiconductor targets can also detect significantly lighter dark matter via an absorption process. When the dark matter mass is above the band gap of the semiconductor (around an eV), absorption proceeds by excitation of an electron into the conduction band. Below the band gap, multiphonon excitations enable absorption of dark matter in the 0.01 eV to eV mass range. Energetic dark matter particles emitted from the sun can also be probed for masses below an eV. We derive the reach for absorption of a relic kinetically mixed dark photon or pseudoscalar in germanium and silicon, and show that existing direct detection results already probe new parameter space. Finally, with only a moderate exposure, low-threshold semiconductor target experiments can exceed current astrophysical and terrestrial constraints on sub-keV bosonic dark matter.
- Authors:
-
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Berkeley Center for Theoretical Physics
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Berkeley Center for Theoretical Physics
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1430675
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1341931
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-05CH11231; PHY-1002399; PHY-1316783
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Physical Review D
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 95; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 2470-0010
- Publisher:
- American Physical Society (APS)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
Citation Formats
Hochberg, Yonit, Lin, Tongyan, and Zurek, Kathryn M. Absorption of light dark matter in semiconductors. United States: N. p., 2017.
Web. doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.95.023013.
Hochberg, Yonit, Lin, Tongyan, & Zurek, Kathryn M. Absorption of light dark matter in semiconductors. United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.95.023013
Hochberg, Yonit, Lin, Tongyan, and Zurek, Kathryn M. Sun .
"Absorption of light dark matter in semiconductors". United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.95.023013. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1430675.
@article{osti_1430675,
title = {Absorption of light dark matter in semiconductors},
author = {Hochberg, Yonit and Lin, Tongyan and Zurek, Kathryn M.},
abstractNote = {Semiconductors are by now well-established targets for direct detection of MeV to GeV dark matter via scattering off electrons. We show that semiconductor targets can also detect significantly lighter dark matter via an absorption process. When the dark matter mass is above the band gap of the semiconductor (around an eV), absorption proceeds by excitation of an electron into the conduction band. Below the band gap, multiphonon excitations enable absorption of dark matter in the 0.01 eV to eV mass range. Energetic dark matter particles emitted from the sun can also be probed for masses below an eV. We derive the reach for absorption of a relic kinetically mixed dark photon or pseudoscalar in germanium and silicon, and show that existing direct detection results already probe new parameter space. Finally, with only a moderate exposure, low-threshold semiconductor target experiments can exceed current astrophysical and terrestrial constraints on sub-keV bosonic dark matter.},
doi = {10.1103/PhysRevD.95.023013},
journal = {Physical Review D},
number = 2,
volume = 95,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2017},
month = {Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2017}
}
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