Crystal-based Detectors for Dark Matter and Neutrinos

With dark matter (DM) still eluding detection by large-scale experiments, and in light of the technical difficulties and expenses that are associated with constructing such detectors, a window has opened for new and daring ideas in the field. One such idea is to utilize the advent of modern microscopy and computational techniques to read out and reconstruct nanometer and micrometer-sized damage tracks produced by interactions of DM and neutrinos with nuclei of ancient natural crystals. Residing in the depths of the Earth for millions of years, certain minerals should have accumulated these minute tracks, allowing us to use such minerals as "paleo-detectors". Despite their small size the Myr-scale lifetime of paleo-detectors provides them with enormous exposure. Uniquely, if realized, such detectors can also probe the distribution of DM in our Galaxy and the evolution of neutrino fluxes over our Galaxy’s lifetime. In this talk, I will report on the latest research and developments towards the realization of mineral-based paleo-detectors.

This work is supported in part through the Helmholtz Initiative and Networking Fund (grant agreement no. ... mehrW2/W3-118). We also gratefully acknowledge the support by the KIT Center Elementary Particle and Astroparticle Physics (KCETA) for this project.