Speaker
Description
The TESSERACT project will search for sub-GeV dark matter via multiple complementary advanced, ultra-sensitive phonon detectors, sensitive to nuclear-type, electron-type, and dark photon-type DM interactions, using three detector technologies: superfluid helium, polar crystals (GaAs and sapphire), and germanium/silicon bolometers. Those detectors will share Transition Edge Sensors (TES) for phonon readout and experimental settings. Besides maximising sensitivity, this multi-target approach also allows us to identify and discriminate against novel instrumental and physical backgrounds. The experiment is presently in a period of targeted R&D, with the first physics results based on demonstrator setups to be expected this year and all detectors working. Full integration of the TESSERACT setup at the Modane Underground Laboratory (LSM) is planned for 2028. We will present the status of the experiments and sensors with focus on the superfluid helium and polar crystals, expected sensitivities, and possible ways to achieve sub-MeV dark matter mass sensitivity.