Phonon background from gamma rays in sub-GeV dark matter detectors

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Semiconductor based searches for dark matter are a promising route to look for low-mass (sub-GeV) particles, but they present challenges due to their sensitivity. This article analyzes the background from radiogenic photons, which can leave a phonon signal in the detector. The authors find this is a significant effect, which will require active veto strategies to ameliorate.