Low-Energy Backgrounds in Solid-State Phonon and Charge Detectors

Abstract

Solid-state phonon and charge detectors probe the scattering of weakly interacting particles, such as dark matter and neutrinos, through their low recoil thresholds. Recent advancements have pushed sensitivity to eV-scale energy depositions, uncovering previously-unseen low-energy excess backgrounds. While some arise from known processes such as thermal radiation, luminescence, and stress, others remain unexplained. This review examines these backgrounds, their possible origins, and parallels to low-energy effects in solids. Their understanding is essential for interpreting particle interactions at and below the eV-scale.

26 pages, 7 figures; in press at the Annual Review of Nuclear and Particle Science

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Cited by in corpus (7)

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• Particle background characterization and prediction for the NUCLEUS reactor CE$\nu$NS experiment
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