New Windows on Heavy Dark Matter: Mineral Melt Modelling and X-Ray Readout for Muscovite Mica
Yilda Boukhtouchen Joseph Bramante Andrew Buchanan Alexander Hayes Matthew Leybourne Jennika McIntosh Anupam Ray Aaron Shugar
作者信息
Abstract
Muscovite mica is a translucent, layered silicate mineral whose basal cleavage, low radiogenic background, gigayear exposures, and demonstrated track retention over geological timescales make it a compelling target for rare particle searches. In this work, we develop a new framework for detecting heavy composite dark matter using muscovite mica as a paleodetector. We model melt track formation by heavy composite dark matter transiting through mica using a Sedov-Taylor thermal spike formalism, and validate the sub-micron regime with SRIM/TRIM simulations of nuclear recoil cascades, which also calibrate the phonon efficiency governing local energy deposition. We demonstrate a novel readout method using rapid X-ray fluorescence mapping with a copper backing contrast technique, capable of identifying micron-scale damage features in cleaved mica sheets over macroscopic scan areas, and calibrate the minimum detectable track size using laser-ablated defect regions. We present projected sensitivities for opaque and diffuse composite dark matter, including a sub-melt hole-channel detection mode for large composites substantially attenuated by overburden. We also revisit prior dark matter exclusions from etched mica searches, identifying shortcomings that compromise the robustness of these constraints.引用本文复制引用
Yilda Boukhtouchen,Joseph Bramante,Andrew Buchanan,Alexander Hayes,Matthew Leybourne,Jennika McIntosh,Anupam Ray,Aaron Shugar.New Windows on Heavy Dark Matter: Mineral Melt Modelling and X-Ray Readout for Muscovite Mica[EB/OL].(2026-06-01)[2026-06-05].https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.02579.学科分类
地质学/物理学
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