Dark matter direct detection: status, results and future plans

Abstract

Direct dark matter detection experiments search for rare signals induced by hypothetical, galactic dark matter particles in low-background detectors operated deep underground. I will briefly review the direct detection principles, the expected signals and backgrounds, and the main experimental techniques. I will then discuss the status of ongoing experiments aiming to discover new particles in the keV - TeV mass range, as well as future detectors and their sensitivity.