【科技日报】87年前量子力学预言获证实

Core Insights - The research team led by the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences has directly observed the Migdal effect during neutron-nucleus collisions, confirming a quantum mechanics prediction made 87 years ago and providing crucial experimental evidence for the search for lighter dark matter particles [1][2] Group 1: Research Findings - The study successfully captured instances of the Migdal effect during neutron interactions with atomic nuclei, achieving statistical significance exceeding five standard deviations, which meets the physical "discovery" standard [2] - The research measured the ratio of the Migdal effect cross-section to the atomic nucleus recoil cross-section, marking a significant advancement in the field [2] Group 2: Implications for Dark Matter Research - The Migdal effect is considered a key theoretical pathway to overcome the energy threshold for detecting light dark matter, which has faced skepticism due to the lack of experimental support for over 80 years [2] - This breakthrough allows future international dark matter detection experiments to utilize the Migdal effect to enhance signal recognition accuracy and expand the range of dark matter detection [2]