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

Solid-state phonon and charge detectors probe the scattering of weakly interacting particles, such
as dark matter and neutrinos, through their low recoil thresholds. Recent advancements have
pushed sensitivity to eV-scale energy depositions, uncovering previously unseen low-energy excess
backgrounds. While some arise from known processes such as thermal radiation, luminescence,
and stress, others remain unexplained. This review examines these backgrounds, their possible
origins, and parallels to low-energy effects in solids, an understanding of which is essential for
interpreting particle interactions at and below the eV scale.