Direct Detection of Light Dark Matter and Solar Neutrinos via Color Center Production in Crystals

Understand

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 $\mathcal{O}(10)$ 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.