Dark Photon Studies at BABAR

Abstract We present a particle physics model to explain the observed enhancement in the Xenon-1T data at an electron recoil energy of 2.5 keV. The model is based on a U(1) extension of the Standard Model where the dark sector consists of two essentially mass degenerate Dirac fermions in the sub-GeV region with a small mass splitting interacting with a dark photon. The dark photon is unstable and decays before the big bang nucleosynthesis, which leads to the dark matter constituted of two essentially mass degenerate Dirac fermions. The Xenon-1T excess is computed via the inelastic exothermic scattering of the heavier dark fermion from a bound electron in xenon to the lighter dark fermion producing the observed excess events in the recoil electron energy. The model can be tested with further data from Xenon-1T and in future experiments such as SuperCDMS.

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Supernova constraints on an axion-photon-dark photon interaction

Journal of High Energy Physics ◽

10.1007/jhep06(2021)167 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 (6) ◽

Author(s):

Anson Hook ◽

Gustavo Marques-Tavares ◽

Clayton Ristow

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Mode ◽

Transverse Mode ◽

The Other ◽

Unusual Feature ◽

Dark Sector ◽

Longitudinal Modes ◽

Dark Photon ◽

Transverse Modes ◽

Weakly Coupled ◽

Photon Coupling

Abstract We present the supernova constraints on an axion-photon-dark photon coupling, which can be the leading coupling to dark sector models and can also lead to dramatic changes to axion cosmology. We show that the supernova bound on this coupling has two unusual features. One occurs because the scattering that leads to the trapping regime converts axions and dark photons into each other. Thus, if one of the two new particles is sufficiently massive, both production and scattering become suppressed and the bounds from bulk emission and trapped (area) emission both weaken exponentially and do not intersection The other unusual feature occurs because for light dark photons, longitudinal modes couple more weakly than transverse modes do. Since the longitudinal mode is more weakly coupled, it can still cause excessive cooling even if the transverse mode is trapped. Thus, the supernova constraints for massive dark photons look like two independent supernova bounds super-imposed on top of each other.

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Dark Photon Searches at BESIII

International Journal of Modern Physics Conference Series ◽

10.1142/s2010194518600467 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 46 ◽

pp. 1860046 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Dayong Wang

Keyword(s):

Degrees Of Freedom ◽

New Physics ◽

Beyond The Standard Model ◽

Gauge Bosons ◽

Data Set ◽

Decay Modes ◽

Dark Photon ◽

The Standard Model ◽

New Type ◽

Low Mass

Many models beyond the Standard Model, motivated by the recent astrophysical anomalies, predict a new type of weak-interacting degrees of freedom. Typical models include the possibility of the low-mass dark gauge bosons of a few GeV and thus making them accessible at the BESIII experiment running at the tau-charm region. The BESIII has recently searched such dark bosons in several decay modes using the high statistics data set collected at charmonium resonaces. This talk will summarize the recent BESIII results of these dark photon searches and related new physics studies.

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Astrophysical aspects of milli-charged dark matter in a Higgs–Stueckelberg model

Modern Physics Letters A ◽

10.1142/s0217732315500893 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 30 (18) ◽

pp. 1550089 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

A. L. dos Santos ◽

D. Hadjimichef

Keyword(s):

Dark Matter ◽

Weakly Interacting Massive Particles ◽

Dark Sector ◽

Minimal Coupling ◽

Astrophysical Application ◽

Gauge Sector ◽

Dark Photon ◽

The Standard Model ◽

Vector Bosons ◽

The Impact

An extension of the Standard Model (SM) is studied, in which two new vector bosons are introduced, a first boson Z' coupled to the SM by the usual minimal coupling, producing an enlarged gauge sector in the SM. The second boson A' field, in the dark sector of the model, remains massless and originates a dark photon γ'. A hybrid mixing scenario is considered based on a combined Higgs and Stueckelberg mechanisms. In a Compton-like process, a photon scattered by a weakly interacting massive particles (WIMP) is converted into a dark photon. This process is studied, in an astrophysical application obtaining an estimate of the impact on stellar cooling of white dwarfs and neutron stars.

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Search for Light Gauge Bosons of the Dark Sector at the Mainz Microtron

Physical Review Letters ◽

10.1103/physrevlett.106.251802 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 106 (25) ◽

Cited By ~ 118

Author(s):

H. Merkel ◽

P. Achenbach ◽

C. Ayerbe Gayoso ◽

J. C. Bernauer ◽

R. Böhm ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dark Sector ◽

Gauge Bosons

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Searching for dark sector with missing mass technique in fixed target experiments

EPJ Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/epjconf/201921206001 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 212 ◽

pp. 06001 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Venelin Kozhuharov

Keyword(s):

Final States ◽

Dark Sector ◽

Initial State ◽

Missing Mass ◽

Fixed Target Experiments ◽

Hidden Sector ◽

Dark Photon ◽

Precise Knowledge ◽

Viable Solution ◽

Experimental Approaches

Currently, the existence of a dark sector almost completely decoupled from the Standard Model is a viable solution for numerous long-standing problems in physics, including the nature of dark matter and the muon anomalous magnetic moment. A new gauge mediator, the dark photon, could be the portal to this hidden sector. The most general probe to its existence is the missing mass technique which requires a precise knowledge of the initial state of the process but does not put constraints on the dark photon final states. The experimental approaches to the search for dark photons in positron-on-target annihilation and in mesons decay in flight are presented and the physics reach is discussed.

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RECENT KLOE RESULTS ON THE SEARCH FOR DARK FORCES

International Journal of Modern Physics Conference Series ◽

10.1142/s2010194514603937 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 35 ◽

pp. 1460393

Author(s):

ENRICO GRAZIANI ◽

Keyword(s):

Final States ◽

Final State ◽

Dark Photon ◽

Hidden Symmetry ◽

Upper Limits ◽

Dark Force

The existence of a light dark force mediator has been tested with the KLOE detector at DAΦNE. This particle, the dark photon U, has been searched for in three different processes and four different final states: a) Φ → ηU, with U → e+e−, η → π+π−π0 and η → π0π0π0; b) e+e− → Uγ with U → μ+μ−; c) e+e− → Uh′ (dark Higgsstrahlung), U → μ+μ−, where h′ is a Higgs-like particle responsible for the breaking of the hidden symmetry. We did not find any evidence of the processes above and set upper limits on the parameters of the model, for different MU (and Mh′) mass ranges, depending on the considered final state.

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Gauge kinetic mixing and dark topological defects

Journal of High Energy Physics ◽

10.1007/jhep12(2021)122 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 (12) ◽

Author(s):

Takashi Hiramatsu ◽

Masahiro Ibe ◽

Motoo Suzuki ◽

Soma Yamaguchi

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Flux ◽

Magnetic Monopole ◽

Cosmic Strings ◽

Bianchi Identity ◽

Topological Defects ◽

Spherically Symmetric ◽

Dark Sector ◽

Dark Photon ◽

The Standard Model ◽

Symmetric Phase

Abstract We discuss how the topological defects in the dark sector affect the Standard Model sector when the dark photon has a kinetic mixing with the QED photon. In particular, we consider the dark photon appearing in the successive gauge symmetry breaking, SU(2) → U(1) → ℤ2, where the remaining ℤ2 is the center of SU(2). In this model, the monopole is trapped into the cosmic strings and forms the so-called bead solution. As we will discuss, the dark cosmic string induces the QED magnetic flux inside the dark string through the kinetic mixing. The dark monopole, on the other hand, does not induce the QED magnetic flux in the U(1) symmetric phase, even in the presence of the kinetic mixing. Finally, we show that the dark bead solution induces a spherically symmetric QED magnetic flux through the kinetic mixing. The induced flux looks like the QED magnetic monopole viewed from a distance, although QED satisfies the Bianchi identity everywhere, which we call a pseudo magnetic monopole.

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Dark photon search at Yemilab, Korea

Journal of High Energy Physics ◽

10.1007/jhep04(2021)135 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 (4) ◽

Author(s):

S. H. Seo ◽

Y. D. Kim

Keyword(s):

Electron Beam ◽

Confidence Level ◽

Particle Physics ◽

Absorption Process ◽

Neutrino Detector ◽

Dark Sector ◽

Dark Photon ◽

Mixing Parameter ◽

The Standard Model ◽

Background Events

Abstract Dark photons are well motivated hypothetical dark sector particles that could account for observations that cannot be explained by the standard model of particle physics. A search for dark photons that are produced by an electron beam striking a thick tungsten target and subsequently interact in a 3 kiloton-scale neutrino detector in Yemilab, a new underground lab in Korea, is proposed. Dark photons can be produced by “darkstrahlung” or by oscillations from ordinary photons produced in the target and detected by their visible decays, “absorption” or by their oscillation to ordinary photons. By detecting the absorption process or the oscillation-produced photons, a world’s best sensitivity for measurements of the dark-photon kinetic mixing parameter of ϵ2> 1.5 × 10−13(6.1 × 10−13) at the 95% confidence level (C.L.) could be obtained for dark photon masses between 80 eV and 1 MeV in a year-long exposure to a 100 MeV–100 kW electron beam with zero (103) background events. In parallel, the detection of e+e− pairs from decays of dark photons with mass between 1 MeV and ∼86 MeV would have sensitivities of ϵ2>$$ \mathcal{O}\left({10}^{-17}\right)\left(\mathcal{O}\left({10}^{-16}\right)\right) $$ O 10 − 17 O 10 − 16 at the 95% C.L. with zero (103) background events. This is comparable to that of the Super-K experiment under the same zero background assumption.

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The Investigation on the Dark Sector at the PADME Experiment

Universe ◽

10.3390/universe5020059 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 59

Author(s):

Fabio Ferrarotto

Keyword(s):

Atomic Electron ◽

Test Facility ◽

Beam Test ◽

Dark Sector ◽

Final State ◽

Thin Target ◽

The Third ◽

Dark Photon ◽

Experimental Hall ◽

Expected Performance

In this paper, we present the design and expected performance of the various detectors of the PADME experiment. The experiment design has been optimized for the detection of the final state photons produced along with a “Dark Photon”, decaying to invisible particles, in the annihilation a of 550 MeV positron with an atomic electron of a thin target. The PADME experiment has been built in a new dedicated experimental hall at the Beam Test Facility (BTF) of the INFN Frascati National Laboratories and has been taking data since the third quarter of 2018.

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