About this Research Topic
In the past, Dark Matter (DM) searches focused on WIMP type dark matter particles with mass of typically 100 GeV - well motivated by theoretical arguments (e.g., WIMP miracle and SUSY theory). The direct search experiments look for the elastic scattering of DM particles on nuclei and measure the recoil energy in form of ionization. Since the direct searches did not find any DM signal so far and at the LHC no physics beyond the Standard Model was identified, the interest to search for lighter DM particles increased during the last decade. Many existing experiments are now extending their mass search region and new experimental approaches have emerged. The DM particle interactions with matter now includes electron scattering, ionization via the Migdal effect, inelastic scatterings, or collective modes of interaction. New challenges like other background sources and methods of detector response calibrations must be solved. To convert experimental observations to cross sections, input from theory is needed for different types of interactions. It is therefore mandatory to include theory input.
The intention of this Research Topic is to provide an overview of this relatively new field of dark matter searches in the mass range below about 1 GeV. The Research Topic should reflect the theoretical motivation and input needed to interpret experiment results as well as the status of experimental efforts. The experiments face challenges like new background sources at lower energies and develop new methods to calibrate the detector response. It is timely to collect articles that discuss all aspects for low mass dark matter searches in a dedicated Research Topic.
We encourage the authors to present papers on current experiments that search for direct dark matter detection with mass less than about 1 GeV. The contributions should discuss:
(a) possible experimental results,
(b) the sensitivity to dark matter, including the understanding of the background spectrum and the detector calibration.
For theoretical contributions, we encourage authors to focus on:
(a) ideas for novel experiments (using new materials or detection channels, for example),
(b) methods for calibrating the detector response to different kind of dark matter interactions,
(c) possible explanations for the observed low-energy background spectrum.
The intention of this Research Topic is to provide an overview of this relatively new field of dark matter searches in the mass range below about 1 GeV. The Research Topic should reflect the theoretical motivation and input needed to interpret experiment results as well as the status of experimental efforts. The experiments face challenges like new background sources at lower energies and develop new methods to calibrate the detector response. It is timely to collect articles that discuss all aspects for low mass dark matter searches in a dedicated Research Topic.
We encourage the authors to present papers on current experiments that search for direct dark matter detection with mass less than about 1 GeV. The contributions should discuss:
(a) possible experimental results,
(b) the sensitivity to dark matter, including the understanding of the background spectrum and the detector calibration.
For theoretical contributions, we encourage authors to focus on:
(a) ideas for novel experiments (using new materials or detection channels, for example),
(b) methods for calibrating the detector response to different kind of dark matter interactions,
(c) possible explanations for the observed low-energy background spectrum.
Keywords: Dark Matter, Migdal effect, WIMP, nuclear recoil, electron recoil
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
