Observing a light dark matter beam with neutrino experiments

2011/07/31 by Patrick deNiverville, Maxim Pospelov, Adam Ritz · 7 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics #Beam (structure) #Beam dump #Cosmology #Dark Matter and Cosmic Phenomena #Dark energy #Dark matter #Dark photon #Hot dark matter #Light dark matter #Luminosity #MiniBooNE #Neutrino #Neutrino Physics Research #Neutrino oscillation #Nuclear physics #Optics #Parameter space #Particle physics #Particle physics theoretical and experimental studies #Physics #Scalar field dark matter #Sterile neutrino #hep-ph

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevd.84.075020

19 pages, 5 figures; v2: typos corrected, to appear in Phys. Rev. D; v3: note added clarifying the parameter range excluded by LSND

openalex publication_date 2011/10/21 · arxiv created 2013/08/14 · arxiv updated 2015/03/19 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

We consider the sensitivity of fixed-target neutrino experiments at the luminosity frontier to light stable states, such as those present in models of MeV-scale dark matter. To ensure the correct thermal relic abundance, such states must annihilate via light mediators, which in turn provide an access portal for direct production in colliders or fixed targets. Indeed, this framework endows the neutrino beams produced at fixed-target facilities with a companion ``dark matter beam,'' which may be detected via an excess of elastic scattering events off electrons or nuclei in the (near-)detector. We study the high-luminosity proton fixed-target experiments at LSND and MiniBooNE, and determine that the ensuing sensitivity to light dark matter generally surpasses that of other direct probes. For scenarios with a kinetically-mixed U(1)^\ensuremath' vector mediator of mass m_V, we find that a large volume of parameter space is excluded for m_DM\ensuremath∼1--5 MeV, covering vector masses 2m_DM\ensuremath\lesssimm_V\ensuremath\lesssimm_\ensuremathη and a range of kinetic mixing parameters reaching as low as \ensuremathκ\ensuremath∼10^\ensuremath-5. The corresponding MeV-scale dark matter scenarios motivated by an explanation of the galactic 511 keV line are thus strongly constrained.

Citations

• Constraints on light dark matter andUbosons, fromψ,Υ,K+,π°,ηandη′decays
• Astrophysical signatures of secluded dark matter
• Exciting dark matter and the INTEGRAL/SPI 511 keV signal
• Probing hidden sector photons through the Higgs window
• Compatibility of DAMA dark matter detection with other searches
• MeV Dark Matter: Has It Been Detected?
• A theory of dark matter
• Measurement of neutrino-proton and antineutrino-proton elastic scattering
• Search for Light Gluinos via the Spontaneous Appearance of π+π- Pairs with an 800 GeV/c Proton Beam at Fermilab
• Evidence for neutrino oscillations from the observation ofν¯eappearance in aν¯μbeam

Cited by

• Looking forward to millicharged dark sectors at the LHC
• The Search for Feebly Interacting Particles
• Cosmic microwave background constraints on dark matter models of the Galactic center 511 keV signal
• Dark Matter Search in Missing Energy Events with NA64
• Direct detection of bound states of asymmetric dark matter
• Search for vector mediator of dark matter production in invisible decay mode
• Dark matter interpretation of excesses in multiple direct detection experiments