The measurement of the direction of WIMP-induced nuclear recoils is a
compelling but technologically challenging strategy to provide an unambiguous
signature of the detection of Galactic dark matter. Most directional detectors
aim to reconstruct the dark-matter-induced nuclear recoil tracks, either in gas
or solid targets. The main challenge with directional detection is the need for
high spatial resolution over large volumes, which puts strong requirements on
the readout technologies. In this paper we review the various detector readout
technologies used by directional detectors. In particular, we summarize the
challenges, advantages and drawbacks of each approach, and discuss future
prospects for these technologies.Comment: 58 pages, 26 figures, accepted by Physics Report
Direct Dark Matter searches are nowadays one of the most fervid research topics with many experimental efforts devoted to the search for nuclear recoils induced by the scattering of Weakly Interactive Massive Particles (WIMPs). Detectors able to reconstruct the direction of the nucleus recoiling against the scattering WIMP are opening a new frontier to possibly extend Dark Matter searches beyond the neutrino background. Exploiting directionality would also prove the galactic origin of Dark Matter with an unambiguous signal-to-background separation. Indeed, the angular distribution of recoiled nuclei is centered around the direction of a
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