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

**Authors:** Daniel Baxter, Rouven Essig, Yonit Hochberg, Margarita Kaznacheeva, Belina von Krosigk, Florian Reindl, Roger K. Romani, Felix Wagner  
**arXiv:** [2503.08859](https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.08859)  
**Date:** 2025-03-11  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/paper/2503.08859v1/

## Key points

- Detectors are crucial for studying weakly interacting particles like dark matter and neutrinos
- Recent advancements have improved detector sensitivity to eV-scale energy depositions
- Discovery of previously unseen low-energy excess backgrounds
- Some backgrounds attributed to known processes, but others remain unexplained
- Review focuses on exploring origins of these backgrounds and parallels with effects in solid materials
- Understanding background sources is essential for interpreting particle interactions accurately at and below the eV-scale
- Shedding light on phenomena can enhance reliability and precision of data from detectors when studying interactions with weakly interacting particles
- Valuable resource for researchers in nuclear physics, particle science, astrophysics, experimental physics, and quantum physics

## Summary

Detectors play a crucial role in probing the scattering of weakly interacting particles such as dark matter and neutrinos. Their low recoil thresholds make them essential tools for studying these elusive particles. Recent advancements have significantly improved the sensitivity of these detectors to eV-scale energy depositions, leading to the discovery of previously unseen low-energy excess backgrounds. While some of these backgrounds can be attributed to known processes like thermal radiation, luminescence, and stress effects within the detector materials, there are still unexplained phenomena that require further investigation. In this comprehensive review, the authors focus on these backgrounds and explore their possible origins. They draw parallels to low-energy effects observed in solid materials and provide insights into understanding these background sources. This is crucial for accurately interpreting particle interactions at and below the eV-scale. By shedding light on these phenomena, researchers can improve the reliability and precision of data obtained from solid-state phonon and charge detectors when studying interactions with weakly interacting particles. This review serves as a valuable resource for researchers working in fields such as nuclear physics, particle science, astrophysics, experimental physics, and quantum physics.