First Direct Detection Limits on Sub-GeV Dark Matter from XENON10

The first direct detection limits on dark matter in the MeV to GeV mass range are presented, using XENON10 data. Such light dark matter can scatter with electrons, causing ionization of atoms in a detector target material and leading to single- or few-electron events. We use $15text{ }text{ }mathrm{kg}text{ }mathrm{day}$ of data acquired in 2006 to set limits on the dark-matter—electron scattering cross section. The strongest bound is obtained at 100 MeV where ${ensuremath{sigma}}_{e}<3ifmmodetimeselsetexttimesfi{}{10}^{ensuremath{-}38}text{ }text{ }{mathrm{cm}}^{2}$ at 90% C.L., while dark-matter masses between 20 MeV and 1 GeV are bounded by ${ensuremath{sigma}}_{e}<{10}^{ensuremath{-}37}text{ }text{ }{mathrm{cm}}^{2}$ at 90% C.L. This analysis provides a first proof of principle that direct detection experiments can be sensitive to dark-matter candidates with masses well below the GeV scale.