Low background techniques for direct dark matter searches

Abstract

  Identification of the nature of the dark matter is one of the most important issues in the particle physics and cosmology. In this article, low background techniques required for realizing a sensitive direct dark matter search are described. To achieve low background environment for a dark matter search, we need to understand the origin of background. Some existing methods for sensitive measurements of radioactivity are introduced. It is also important to categorize the detector components from a point of view of the impact on the background. By categorizing into four classes of components, required conditions on each class are discussed by taking some example.