Atmospheric Neutrino and Dark Matter Detection with Ancient Minerals

The use of ancient minerals as "paleo-detectors" is an emerging experimental technique capable of transforming the fields of neutrino and dark matter detection. We present the use of paleo-detectors to indirectly detect atmospheric neutrinos and weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter by observing nuclear recoil damage tracks induced by interactions with atomic nuclei. Contrary to experiments that detect interactions in real-time, our ancient minerals preserve damage tracks for billions of years and only require small samples (~0.1 grams) for a comparative study. The most important aspect of this experimental method is the selection of a target mineral for background mitigation and track retention. Track retention is heavily dependent on electrical, thermal, and physical properties of minerals. Accurate modeling of background signals within the target can be achieved using age, overburden shield, and thermal history information. Once the target is optimized, observable tracks can then be used to estimate the cosmic ray flux across timescales on the order of the age of the Solar System. Ongoing work in mineral retrieval and background modeling at the University of Michigan will be reported.