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  • Open Access

Dark-Matter-Induced Nuclear Deexcitation at the Short-Baseline Near Detector with Ab Initio Nuclear Theory

Bhaskar Dutta1,*, Debopam Goswami1,†, Baishan Hu2,‡, Wei-Chih Huang1,§, and Vishvas Pandey3,∥

  • *Contact author: dutta@tamu.edu
  • †Contact author: debopam22@tamu.edu
  • ‡Contact author: baishanhu4phys@gmail.com
  • §Contact author: s104021230@tamu.edu
  • ∥Contact author: vpandey@fnal.gov
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 201801 – Published 9 November, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/pppb-9sm1

Abstract

We explore the sensitivity of the short-baseline near detector (SBND) experiment to light dark matter using MeV-scale electromagnetic activity. Inelastic scattering of dark matter with argon nuclei can excite nuclear states that subsequently deexcite via the emission of MeV-scale photons, producing localized low-energy “blip” signatures in a liquid argon time projection chamber. We perform state-of-the-art ab initio nuclear calculations, including all relevant argon excited states with energies up to 18 MeV, to provide reliable predictions for these signals. After accounting for relevant backgrounds, we find that SBND can probe previously unexplored regions of parameter space for light dark matter.

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 201801– Published 9 November, 2026
  • Received 20 February 2026
  • Revised 9 June 2026
  • Accepted 16 October 2026
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