Abstract:

Finding out the fundamental nature of dark matter is one of the biggest open questions in particle physics today. One of the primary ways to look for dark matter is through ‘Direct Detection’. Though this program has mostly focused on looking for a signal of WIMPs (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles) above the GeV scale scattering off nuclei, recently there has been some interest in looking for sub-GeV candidates through various methods. In this seminar, I will talk about the method of looking for dark matter-electron scatterings, it’s potential reach and some of the challenges it faces. In particular, I will focus on the challenges of neutrino backgrounds and terrestrial effects.