The Final Frontier for Proton Decay
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arXiv
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2024
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| _version_ | 1866909210337345536 |
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| author | Baum, Sebastian Little, Cassandra Sala, Paola Spitz, Joshua Stengel, Patrick |
| author_facet | Baum, Sebastian Little, Cassandra Sala, Paola Spitz, Joshua Stengel, Patrick |
| contents | We present a novel experimental concept to search for proton decay. Using paleo-detectors, ancient minerals acquired from deep underground which can hold traces of charged particles, it may be possible to conduct a search for $p \to \barν K^+$ via the track produced at the endpoint of the kaon. Such a search is not possible on Earth due to large atmospheric-neutrino-induced backgrounds. However, the Moon offers a reprieve from this background, since the conventional component of the cosmic-ray-induced neutrino flux at the Moon is significantly suppressed due to the Moon's lack of atmosphere. For a 100 g, $10^9$ year old (100 kton$\cdot$year exposure) sample of olivine extracted from the Moon, we expect about 0.5 kaon endpoints due to neutrino backgrounds, including secondary interactions. If such a lunar paleo-detector sample can be acquired and efficiently analyzed, proton decay sensitivity exceeding $τ_p\sim10^{34}$ years may be achieved, competitive with Super-Kamiokande's current published limit ($τ_p>5.9\times 10^{33}$ years at 90% CL) and the projected reach of DUNE and Hyper-Kamiokande in the $p \to \barν K^+$ channel. This concept is clearly futuristic, not least since it relies on extracting mineral samples from a few kilometers below the surface of the Moon and then efficiently scanning them for kaon endpoint induced crystal defects with sub-micron-scale resolution. However, the search for proton decay is in urgent need of a paradigm shift, and paleo-detectors could provide a promising alternative to conventional experiments. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2405_15845 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | The Final Frontier for Proton Decay Baum, Sebastian Little, Cassandra Sala, Paola Spitz, Joshua Stengel, Patrick High Energy Physics - Phenomenology Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics High Energy Physics - Experiment Instrumentation and Detectors We present a novel experimental concept to search for proton decay. Using paleo-detectors, ancient minerals acquired from deep underground which can hold traces of charged particles, it may be possible to conduct a search for $p \to \barν K^+$ via the track produced at the endpoint of the kaon. Such a search is not possible on Earth due to large atmospheric-neutrino-induced backgrounds. However, the Moon offers a reprieve from this background, since the conventional component of the cosmic-ray-induced neutrino flux at the Moon is significantly suppressed due to the Moon's lack of atmosphere. For a 100 g, $10^9$ year old (100 kton$\cdot$year exposure) sample of olivine extracted from the Moon, we expect about 0.5 kaon endpoints due to neutrino backgrounds, including secondary interactions. If such a lunar paleo-detector sample can be acquired and efficiently analyzed, proton decay sensitivity exceeding $τ_p\sim10^{34}$ years may be achieved, competitive with Super-Kamiokande's current published limit ($τ_p>5.9\times 10^{33}$ years at 90% CL) and the projected reach of DUNE and Hyper-Kamiokande in the $p \to \barν K^+$ channel. This concept is clearly futuristic, not least since it relies on extracting mineral samples from a few kilometers below the surface of the Moon and then efficiently scanning them for kaon endpoint induced crystal defects with sub-micron-scale resolution. However, the search for proton decay is in urgent need of a paradigm shift, and paleo-detectors could provide a promising alternative to conventional experiments. |
| title | The Final Frontier for Proton Decay |
| topic | High Energy Physics - Phenomenology Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics High Energy Physics - Experiment Instrumentation and Detectors |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.15845 |