Snowmass2021 Cosmic Frontier White Paper: Calibrations and backgrounds for dark matter direct detection

Understand

Future dark matter direct detection experiments will reach unprecedented levels of sensitivity.

• Achieving this sensitivity will require more precise models of signal and background rates in future detectors.
• Improving the precision of signal and background modeling goes hand-in-hand with novel calibration techniques that can probe rare processes and lower threshold detector response.
• The goal of this white paper is to outline community needs to meet the background and calibration requirements of next-generation dark matter direct detection experiments.