Abstract
We propose a new low-threshold direct-detection concept for dark matter and for coherent nuclear scattering of solar neutrinos, based on the dissociation of atoms and subsequent creation of color center type defects within a lattice. The novelty in our approach lies in its ability to detect single defects in a macroscopic bulk of material. This class of experiments features ultra-low energy thresholds which allows for the probing of dark matter as light as O(10) MeV through nuclear scattering. Another feature of defect creation in crystals is directional information, which presents as a spectacular signal and a handle on background reduction in the form of daily modulation of the interaction rate. We discuss the envisioned setup and detection technique, as well as background reduction. We further calculate the expected rates for dark matter and solar neutrinos in two example crystals for which available data exists, demonstrating the prospective sensitivity of such experiments.
Highlights
For over three decades there has been an extensive effort to search for Dark Matter (DM) directly with underground detectors, indirectly with the use of satellites and earth-based telescopes, and at colliders such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)
In the context of this study, we propose the use of color centers (CCs) creation as a means to identify the scattering of a feeblyinteracting particle off an ion within the crystal
We have proposed a new ultra-low threshold technique for the direct detection of DM a light as ∼ 20 MeV
Summary
More than 80% of the matter in our universe is yet to be discovered. This astonishing fact has been established with overwhelming evidence by measurements ranging from sub-galactic to cosmological scale. DM direct detection experiments typically search for the small recoiling energy imprinted on a target, such as an atom, as a result of DM scattering. We explore the prospects of detecting the formation of defects known as color centers (CCs) following the dislocation of a nucleus within the crystal These O(10) eV-threshold processes give rise to detectable signals, that should allow an experiment to explore an uncharted region in the parameter space of LDM as well as the low energy region of the solar neutrino spectrum. Many CCs exhibit low formation energies, of order few tens of eV, allowing for a low threshold experiment Their nature may allow to differentiate between electronically- and nuclear-induced creation. We take a step forward and suggest large-volume detection of CCs, which requires alternative methods in order to study creation of single defects
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