Snowmass White Paper: Light Dark Matter Direct Detection at the Interface With Condensed Matter Physics

Understand

Direct detection experiments for light (sub-GeV) dark matter are making enormous leaps in reaching previously unexplored theory space.

• The need for accurate characterizations of target responses has led to a growing interplay between particle and condensed matter physics.
• This white paper summarizes recent progress on direct detection calculations that utilize state-of-the-art numerical tools in condensed matter physics and effective field theory techniques.
• These new results provide the theoretical framework for interpreting ongoing and planned experiments using electronic and collective excitations, and for optimizing future searches.