Spin-orbit semiconductors as dark matter detector targets using first-principles calculations.*

The direct detection of light dark matter (DM) relies on harnessing low-threshold events in target materials. One such event is the scattering of an electron across a small gap, where our target material’s threshold will determine the range of masses of DM particles we are sensitive to. In this work we investigate spin-orbit semiconductors as DM detection targets. We report the results of a high-throughput search for new small-gapped semiconductors, and estimate their reach as DM targets using first-principles methods. We also discuss how the calculated material properties influence the detector size and geometry.