Axion-like particle searches at DarkQuest

Journal Article · 03 February 2022 · JHEP

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP02(2022)036 · OSTI ID:1839579

Blinov, Nikita  ^[1]; Kowalczyk, Elizabeth ^[2]; Wynne, Margaret ^[3]

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1. Victoria U.; Fermilab
2. Fermilab; Michigan State U.
3. Fermilab; U. Michigan, Ann Arbor

Axion-like particles (ALPs) interacting with the Standard Model can be abundantly produced in proton beam fixed-target experiments. Looking for their displaced decays is therefore an effective search strategy for ALPs with a mass in the MeV to GeV range. Focusing on the benchmark models where the ALP interacts dominantly with photons or gluons, we show that the proposed DarkQuest experiment at Fermilab will be able to test parameter space which has been previously inaccessible. We pay particular attention to the self-consistency of gluon-coupled ALP production and decay calculations, which has been recently shown to be a problem in many existing predictions. We also apply these results to explore existing constraints in the ALP parameter space.

• Research Organization: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States); Michigan State U.; U. Michigan, Ann Arbor; Victoria U.
• Sponsoring Organization: US Department of Energy
• Grant/Contract Number: AC02-07CH11359
• OSTI ID: 1839579
• Report Number(s): FERMILAB-PUB-21-749-V; oai:inspirehep.net:1993934; arXiv:2112.09814
• Journal Information: JHEP, Journal Name: JHEP Vol. 02
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English