Project Grant 2609255

The National Science Foundation Division of Physics awarded the University of New Mexico $400,000 on August 1, 2026, under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049) to perform definitive measurements of the Migdal Effect in atomic targets relevant to dark matter detection experiments. The Migdal Effect, a quantum mechanical process in which nuclear recoil induces emission of an atomic electron, has emerged as a technique for extending sensitivity of direct dark matter searches to low-mass particles, yet has not been conclusively observed in the low-energy regime critical to current experiments. The project will conduct neutron-scattering measurements at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in the United Kingdom, using an optical time-projection chamber (OTPC) to scatter neutrons from gaseous carbon- and fluorine-based targets and generate nuclear recoils capable of producing measurable Migdal events. Resulting measurements will provide benchmarks for theoretical calculations, reduce uncertainties in dark matter search interpretation, and strengthen discovery potential of next-generation detectors. The work builds on the principal investigator's leadership within the international Migdal Collaboration and prior detector development at the University of New Mexico demonstrating the OTPC's spatial resolution capabilities. Performance of record is Albuquerque, New Mexico, with the period of performance running through July 31, 2028.