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Constraining chameleon field theories using the GammeV afterglow experiments

Journal Article · · Physical Review. D, Particles Fields
 [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, Enrico Fermi Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637 (United States)
  2. Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, PO Box 500, Batavia, Illinois 60510 (United States)
  3. Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge, CB2 0WA (United Kingdom)
The GammeV experiment has constrained the couplings of chameleon scalar fields to matter and photons. Here, we present a detailed calculation of the chameleon afterglow rate underlying these constraints. The dependence of GammeV constraints on various assumptions in the calculation is studied. We discuss the GammeV-CHameleon Afterglow SEarch, a second-generation GammeV experiment, which will improve upon GammeV in several major ways. Using our calculation of the chameleon afterglow rate, we forecast model-independent constraints achievable by GammeV-CHameleon Afterglow SEarch. We then apply these constraints to a variety of chameleon models, including quartic chameleons and chameleon dark energy models. The new experiment will be able to probe a large region of parameter space that is beyond the reach of current tests, such as fifth force searches, constraints on the dimming of distant astrophysical objects, and bounds on the variation of the fine structure constant.
OSTI ID:
21409001
Journal Information:
Physical Review. D, Particles Fields, Journal Name: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 81; ISSN PRVDAQ; ISSN 0556-2821
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English