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First Results in the Search for Dark Sectors at NA64 with the CERN SPS High Energy Muon Beam

Yu. M. Andreev1, D. Banerjee2, B. Banto Oberhauser3, J. Bernhard2, P. Bisio4,5, N. Charitonidis2, P. Crivelli3,*, E. Depero3, A. V. Dermenev1 et al.

S. V. Donskov1, R. R. Dusaev1, T. Enik6, V. N. Frolov6, A. Gardikiotis7, S. V. Gertsenberger6, S. Girod2, S. N. Gninenko1,8, M. Hösgen9, R. Joosten10, V. A. Kachanov1, Y. Kambar6, A. E. Karneyeu1, E. A. Kasianova6, G. Kekelidze6, B. Ketzer9, D. V. Kirpichnikov1, M. M. Kirsanov1, V. N. Kolosov1, V. A. Kramarenko1,6, L. V. Kravchuk1, N. V. Krasnikov1,6, S. V. Kuleshov8,11, V. E. Lyubovitskij1,12,11, V. Lysan6, V. A. Matveev6, R. Mena Fredes11,12, R. G. Mena Yanssen11,12, L. Molina Bueno13,†, M. Mongillo3, D. V. Peshekhonov6, V. A. Polyakov1, B. Radics14, K. M. Salamatin6, V. D. Samoylenko1, D. A. Shchukin1, O. Soto15,11, H. Sieber3,‡, V. O. Tikhomirov1, I. V. Tlisova1, A. N. Toropin1, M. Tuzi13, M. B. Veit16, P. V. Volkov1,6, V. Yu. Volkov1,§, I. V. Voronchikhin1, J. Zamora-Saá8,11, and A. S. Zhevlakov6

  • 1Authors affiliated with an institute covered by a cooperation agreement with CERN
  • 2CERN, European Organization for Nuclear Research, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
  • 3ETH Zürich, Institute for Particle Physics and Astrophysics, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland
  • 4INFN, Sezione di Genova, 16147 Genova, Italia
  • 5Università degli Studi di Genova, 16126 Genova, Italia
  • 6Authors affiliated with an international laboratory covered by a cooperation agreement with CERN
  • 7Physics Department, University of Patras, 265 04 Patras, Greece
  • 8Center for Theoretical and Experimental Particle Physics, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Andres Bello, Fernandez Concha 700, Santiago, Chile
  • 9Universität Bonn, Helmholtz-Institut für Strahlen-und Kernphysik, 53115 Bonn, Germany
  • 10Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität, Bonn, Germany
  • 11Millennium Institute for Subatomic Physics at High-Energy Frontier (SAPHIR), Fernandez Concha 700, Santiago, Chile
  • 12Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María and CCTVal, 2390123 Valparaíso, Chile
  • 13Instituto de Fisica Corpuscular (CSIC/UV), Carrer del Catedratic Jose Beltran Martinez, 2, 46980 Paterna, Valencia, Spain
  • 14York University, Toronto, Canada
  • 15Departamento de Fisica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de La Serena, Avenida Cisternas 1200, La Serena, Chile
  • 16Johannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz, Germany

  • *paolo.crivelli@cern.ch
  • †laura.molina.bueno@cern.ch
  • ‡henri.hugo.sieber@cern.ch
  • §Deceased.
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 132, 211803 – Published 21 May, 2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.211803

Abstract

We report the first search for dark sectors performed at the NA64 experiment employing a high energy muon beam and a missing energy-momentum technique. Muons from the M2 beamline at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron with a momentum of 160  GeV/c are directed to an active target. The signal signature consists of a single scattered muon with momentum <80  GeV/c in the final state, accompanied by missing energy, i.e., no detectable activity in the downstream calorimeters. For a total dataset of (1.98±0.02)×1010 muons on target, no event is observed in the expected signal region. This allows us to set new limits on the remaining (mZ′,gZ′) parameter space of a new Z′ (Lμ−Lτ) vector boson which could explain the muon (g−2)μ anomaly. Additionally, our study excludes part of the parameter space suggested by the thermal dark matter relic abundance. Our results pave the way to explore dark sectors and light dark matter with muon beams in a unique and complementary way to other experiments.

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Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

synopsis

Careful Accounting Could Reveal the Dark Sector

Published 21 May, 2024

An experiment at CERN seeks signs of dark matter by looking for missing energy and momentum in the debris of particle collisions.

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Shedding light on dark sectors with high-energy muons at the NA64 experiment at the CERN SPS

Yu. M. Andreev et al. (NA64 Collaboration)
Phys. Rev. D 110, 112015 (2024)

Article Text

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Outline

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 132, 211803– Published 21 May, 2024
  • Received 9 January 2024
  • Revised 3 March 2024
  • Accepted 8 April 2024
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