Direct detection of WIMPs

A generic weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) is one of the most attractive candidates to account for the cold dark matter in our Universe, since it would be thermally produced with the correct abundance to account for the observed dark matter density. WIMPs can be searched for directly through their elastic scattering with a target material, and a variety of experiments are currently operating or planned with this aim. In these notes we overview the theoretical calculation of the direct detection rate of WIMPs as well as the different detection signals. We discuss the various ingredients (from particle physics and astrophysics) that enter the calculation and review the theoretical predictions for the direct detection of WIMPs in particle physics models.