Designing 3D Dirac materials for dark matter detectors using density functional theory

ORAL

Abstract

Light dark matter has been postulated to both scatter and excite electrons in a Dirac semimetal. However, the cross section depends strongly on the band gap, Fermi velocities and cone degeneracy in the material. Here we use first-principles calculations to propose materials that fulfil these criteria. We also discuss how these properties can be engineered with chemistry and pressure, thus optimizing the dark matter interaction criteria in a 3D Dirac material[1].
[1] Y. Hochberg et al., arXiv:1708.08929 (2017)

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Presenters

  • Sinead Griffin

    Lawrence Berkeley Natl Lab, Department of Physics, Univ of California - Berkeley

Authors

  • Sinead Griffin

    Lawrence Berkeley Natl Lab, Department of Physics, Univ of California - Berkeley

  • Zhenfei Liu

    Department of Physics, UC Berkeley and Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Lawrence Berkeley Natl Lab, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

  • Kathryn Zurek

    Lawrence Berkeley Natl Lab

  • Jeffrey Neaton

    Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley; Kavli Energy Nanosciences Institute at Berkeley, Physics, University of California, Berkeley; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of California, Univ of California - Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley Natl Lab, Materials Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Physics, University of California, Berkeley, Department of Physics UCB; Molecular Foundry LBNL; Kavli ENSI, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Department of Physics, Univ of California - Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and University of California - Berkeley