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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.23126 |
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| _version_ | 1866917265647075328 |
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| author | Galelli, Claudio Caccianiga, Lorenzo Apollonio, Lorenzo Magnani, Paolo Breton, Vincent |
| author_facet | Galelli, Claudio Caccianiga, Lorenzo Apollonio, Lorenzo Magnani, Paolo Breton, Vincent |
| contents | We present a phenomenological study demonstrating the feasibility of using olivine xenoliths from the Chaîne des Puys as a time-resolved paleo-detector array to probe the cosmic-ray flux over the last 40,000 years. This volcanic region provides a unique chronosequence of samples brought to the surface by well-dated eruptions. By modeling the expected density of nuclear recoil tracks induced by cosmic-ray muons in olivine, we show that the signal is detectable and above backgrounds from natural radioactivity. We demonstrate that by analyzing samples with different exposure ages, it is possible to construct a time-differential measurement of the cosmic-ray flux. This method shows sensitivity to historical variations, such as the enhanced flux expected during the Laschamp geomagnetic excursion ($\sim$41~kyr) and the potential contribution from nearby supernovae, for which we use the Antlia supernova remnant precursor as a benchmark. This work establishes a new application of the paleo-detector technique for long-scale time-domain high-energy astrophysics and provides the direct scientific motivation for experimental efforts to measure these track records. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_23126 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | A volcanic chronosequence as a time-resolved paleo-detector array to study the cosmic-ray flux in the Late Pleistocene and Holocene Galelli, Claudio Caccianiga, Lorenzo Apollonio, Lorenzo Magnani, Paolo Breton, Vincent High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena High Energy Physics - Phenomenology We present a phenomenological study demonstrating the feasibility of using olivine xenoliths from the Chaîne des Puys as a time-resolved paleo-detector array to probe the cosmic-ray flux over the last 40,000 years. This volcanic region provides a unique chronosequence of samples brought to the surface by well-dated eruptions. By modeling the expected density of nuclear recoil tracks induced by cosmic-ray muons in olivine, we show that the signal is detectable and above backgrounds from natural radioactivity. We demonstrate that by analyzing samples with different exposure ages, it is possible to construct a time-differential measurement of the cosmic-ray flux. This method shows sensitivity to historical variations, such as the enhanced flux expected during the Laschamp geomagnetic excursion ($\sim$41~kyr) and the potential contribution from nearby supernovae, for which we use the Antlia supernova remnant precursor as a benchmark. This work establishes a new application of the paleo-detector technique for long-scale time-domain high-energy astrophysics and provides the direct scientific motivation for experimental efforts to measure these track records. |
| title | A volcanic chronosequence as a time-resolved paleo-detector array to study the cosmic-ray flux in the Late Pleistocene and Holocene |
| topic | High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena High Energy Physics - Phenomenology |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.23126 |