Direct Detection of Dark Matter -- APPEC Committee Report

TL;DR

This report reviews European efforts in direct dark matter detection, emphasizing experimental approaches, technological synergies, infrastructure needs, and advocating for prioritizing dark matter searches as key to confirming its particle nature.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of current and planned European direct detection experiments, highlighting challenges, opportunities, and strategic recommendations for the future of dark matter searches.

Findings

European direct detection efforts are diverse and technologically advanced.

Synergies exist between dark matter searches and collider/neutrino experiments.

Prioritizing dark matter detection is crucial for confirming its particle nature.

Abstract

This Report provides an extensive review of the experimental programme of direct detection searches of particle dark matter. It focuses mostly on European efforts, both current and planned, but does it within a broader context of a worldwide activity in the field. It aims at identifying the virtues, opportunities and challenges associated with the different experimental approaches and search techniques. It presents scientific and technological synergies, both existing and emerging, with some other areas of particle physics, notably collider and neutrino programmes, and beyond. It addresses the issue of infrastructure in light of the growing needs and challenges of the different experimental searches. Finally, the Report makes a number of recommendations from the perspective of a long-term future of the field. They are introduced, along with some justification, in the opening Overview and Recommendations section and are next summarised at the end of the Report. Overall, we recommend that the direct search for dark matter particle interactions with a detector target should be given top priority in astroparticle physics, and in all particle physics, and beyond, as a positive measurement will provide the most unambiguous confirmation of the particle nature of dark matter in the Universe.