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  • Open Access

Search for cosmic-ray-produced dark mesons via the U(1)D portal at JUNO

Zirong Chen1,*, Dan Chi2,†, Jinmian Li1,‡, and Junle Pei3,§

  • *Contact author: chenzirong@stu.scu.edu.cn
  • †Contact author: chidan@zjnu.edu.cn
  • ‡Contact author: jmli@scu.edu.cn
  • §Contact author: peijunle@hnas.ac.cn
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Phys. Rev. D 113, 115063 – Published 26 June, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/b49n-yzyt

Abstract

We investigate the atmospheric production and subsequent detection of sub-GeV dark mesons within the framework of a confining dark sector coupled to the Standard Model (SM) via a U(1)D vector portal. High-energy cosmic-ray interactions in the atmosphere produce dark quarks through proton bremsstrahlung, rare decays of Standard Model mesons, and Drell-Yan processes, which subsequently hadronize into dark mesons. We adopt a modified quark combination model to describe the nonperturbative dark hadronization process, allowing for a detailed event-level characterization of the dark meson flux. We simulate the flux and the interactions of these relativistic dark mesons in the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) using the genie generator, considering both elastic scattering off nuclei and deep inelastic scattering channels. Adopting a large-energy-singles-inspired conservative signal definition with 15  MeV<Evis<100  MeV and vetoing events containing final-state neutrons, we derive projected 90% C.L. sensitivities to the coupling strength between the dark gauge boson and the SM sector for a 20  kton·year exposure. For the representative benchmark masses mZ′=0.001, 0.01, and 0.1 GeV, the projected JUNO reach corresponds to gSM90=6.48×10−5, 7.75×10−5, and 2.37×10−4, respectively. This reach is found to be only mildly sensitive to order-one variations of the hadronization parameter, as illustrated by the choices κβ=1/3, 1, and 3.

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Phys. Rev. D 113, 115063– Published 26 June, 2026
  • Received 19 February 2026
  • Accepted 3 June 2026
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