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Title: New prospects in fixed target searches for dark forces with the SeaQuest experiment at Fermilab

Abstract

An intense 120 GeV proton beam incident on an extremely long iron target generates enormous numbers of light-mass particles that also decay within that target. If one of these particles decays to a final state with a hidden gauge boson, or if such a particle is produced as a result of the initial collision, then that weakly interacting hidden-sector particle may traverse the remainder of the target and be detected downstream through its possible decay to an e+e, μ+μ, or π+π final state. These conditions can be realized through an extension of the SeaQuest experiment at Fermilab, and in this initial investigation we consider how it can serve as an ultrasensitive probe of hidden vector gauge forces, both Abelian and non-Abelian. Here a light, weakly coupled hidden sector may well explain the dark matter established through astrophysical observations, and the proposed search can provide tangible evidence for its existence—or, alternatively, constrain a “sea” of possibilities.

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. Univ. of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (United States)
  2. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
  3. Rutgers Univ., Piscataway, NJ (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Nuclear Physics (NP); National Science Foundation (NSF)
OSTI Identifier:
1339619
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1256762
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC02-06CH11357; FG02-96ER40989
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Physical Review D
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 93; Journal Issue: 11; Journal ID: ISSN 2470-0010
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS

Citation Formats

Gardner, S., Holt, R. J., and Tadepalli, A. S. New prospects in fixed target searches for dark forces with the SeaQuest experiment at Fermilab. United States: N. p., 2016. Web. doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.93.115015.
Gardner, S., Holt, R. J., & Tadepalli, A. S. New prospects in fixed target searches for dark forces with the SeaQuest experiment at Fermilab. United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.93.115015
Gardner, S., Holt, R. J., and Tadepalli, A. S. Fri . "New prospects in fixed target searches for dark forces with the SeaQuest experiment at Fermilab". United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.93.115015. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1339619.
@article{osti_1339619,
title = {New prospects in fixed target searches for dark forces with the SeaQuest experiment at Fermilab},
author = {Gardner, S. and Holt, R. J. and Tadepalli, A. S.},
abstractNote = {An intense 120 GeV proton beam incident on an extremely long iron target generates enormous numbers of light-mass particles that also decay within that target. If one of these particles decays to a final state with a hidden gauge boson, or if such a particle is produced as a result of the initial collision, then that weakly interacting hidden-sector particle may traverse the remainder of the target and be detected downstream through its possible decay to an e+e–, μ+μ–, or π+π– final state. These conditions can be realized through an extension of the SeaQuest experiment at Fermilab, and in this initial investigation we consider how it can serve as an ultrasensitive probe of hidden vector gauge forces, both Abelian and non-Abelian. Here a light, weakly coupled hidden sector may well explain the dark matter established through astrophysical observations, and the proposed search can provide tangible evidence for its existence—or, alternatively, constrain a “sea” of possibilities.},
doi = {10.1103/PhysRevD.93.115015},
journal = {Physical Review D},
number = 11,
volume = 93,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Jun 10 00:00:00 EDT 2016},
month = {Fri Jun 10 00:00:00 EDT 2016}
}

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Cited by: 55 works
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