Probing new physics with underground accelerators and radioactive sources
New light, weakly coupled particles can be efficiently produced at existing and future high-intensity accelerators and radioactive sources in deep underground laboratories. Once produced, these particles can scatter or decay in large neutrino detectors (e.g. Super-K and Borexino) housed in the same...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2015-01-01
|
| Series: | Physics Letters B |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0370269314008399 |
| _version_ | 1818981993415704576 |
|---|---|
| author | Eder Izaguirre Gordan Krnjaic Maxim Pospelov |
| author_facet | Eder Izaguirre Gordan Krnjaic Maxim Pospelov |
| author_sort | Eder Izaguirre |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | New light, weakly coupled particles can be efficiently produced at existing and future high-intensity accelerators and radioactive sources in deep underground laboratories. Once produced, these particles can scatter or decay in large neutrino detectors (e.g. Super-K and Borexino) housed in the same facilities. We discuss the production of weakly coupled scalars ϕ via nuclear de-excitation of an excited element into the ground state in two viable concrete reactions: the decay of the 0+ excited state of 16O populated via a (p,α) reaction on fluorine and from radioactive 144Ce decay where the scalar is produced in the de-excitation of 144Nd⁎, which occurs along the decay chain. Subsequent scattering on electrons, e(ϕ,γ)e, yields a mono-energetic signal that is observable in neutrino detectors. We show that this proposed experimental setup can cover new territory for masses 250 keV≤mϕ≤2me and couplings to protons and electrons, 10−11≤gegp≤10−7. This parameter space is motivated by explanations of the “proton charge radius puzzle”, thus this strategy adds a viable new physics component to the neutrino and nuclear astrophysics programs at underground facilities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T17:40:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e8f4bc6fd6a74896ae87b7c15ac3405e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0370-2693 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T17:40:09Z |
| publishDate | 2015-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Physics Letters B |
| spelling | doaj.art-e8f4bc6fd6a74896ae87b7c15ac3405e2022-12-21T19:31:08ZengElsevierPhysics Letters B0370-26932015-01-017406165Probing new physics with underground accelerators and radioactive sourcesEder Izaguirre0Gordan Krnjaic1Maxim Pospelov2Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Waterloo, Ontario, CanadaPerimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada; Corresponding author.Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, CanadaNew light, weakly coupled particles can be efficiently produced at existing and future high-intensity accelerators and radioactive sources in deep underground laboratories. Once produced, these particles can scatter or decay in large neutrino detectors (e.g. Super-K and Borexino) housed in the same facilities. We discuss the production of weakly coupled scalars ϕ via nuclear de-excitation of an excited element into the ground state in two viable concrete reactions: the decay of the 0+ excited state of 16O populated via a (p,α) reaction on fluorine and from radioactive 144Ce decay where the scalar is produced in the de-excitation of 144Nd⁎, which occurs along the decay chain. Subsequent scattering on electrons, e(ϕ,γ)e, yields a mono-energetic signal that is observable in neutrino detectors. We show that this proposed experimental setup can cover new territory for masses 250 keV≤mϕ≤2me and couplings to protons and electrons, 10−11≤gegp≤10−7. This parameter space is motivated by explanations of the “proton charge radius puzzle”, thus this strategy adds a viable new physics component to the neutrino and nuclear astrophysics programs at underground facilities.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0370269314008399 |
| spellingShingle | Eder Izaguirre Gordan Krnjaic Maxim Pospelov Probing new physics with underground accelerators and radioactive sources Physics Letters B |
| title | Probing new physics with underground accelerators and radioactive sources |
| title_full | Probing new physics with underground accelerators and radioactive sources |
| title_fullStr | Probing new physics with underground accelerators and radioactive sources |
| title_full_unstemmed | Probing new physics with underground accelerators and radioactive sources |
| title_short | Probing new physics with underground accelerators and radioactive sources |
| title_sort | probing new physics with underground accelerators and radioactive sources |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0370269314008399 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ederizaguirre probingnewphysicswithundergroundacceleratorsandradioactivesources AT gordankrnjaic probingnewphysicswithundergroundacceleratorsandradioactivesources AT maximpospelov probingnewphysicswithundergroundacceleratorsandradioactivesources |