Electromagnetic neutrino-atom collisions: The role of electron binding

We present a new theoretical approach to neutrino-impact atomic excitation and/or ionization due to neutrino magnetic moments. The differential cross section of the process is given by a sum of the longitudinal and transverse terms, which are induced by the corresponding components of the force that the neutrino magnetic moment imposes on electrons with respect to momentum transfer. In this context, the recent theoretical studies devoted to the magnetic neutrino scattering on atoms are critically examined.