Exotic Heavily Ionizing Particles can be Constrained by the Geological Abundance of Fullerenes

The ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$ molecule exhibits a remarkable stability that leads to its survival in ancient carbonaceous rocks initially subjected to the elevated temperature requisite for its formation. Elementary particles having a large electronic stopping power can similarly form ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$ and higher fullerenes in their wake. Combined, these two features point at the possibility of using the ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$ presence in selected bulk geological samples as a new type of nuclear track detector, with applications in astroparticle physics.