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Search for Reactor-Produced Millicharged Particles with Skipper-CCDs at the CONNIE and Atucha-II Experiments

Alexis A. Aguilar-Arevalo1, Juan Carlos D’Olivo1, Youssef Sarkis1, Nicolas Avalos2, Xavier Bertou2, Pablo Bellino3, Carla Bonifazi4,5, Ana Botti6, Gustavo Cancelo6 et al. (CONNIE and Atucha-II Collaborations)

Gustavo Cancelo6, Juan Estrada6, Richard Ford6, Kevin Kuk6, Andrew Lathrop6, Javier Tiffenberg6, Mariano Cababié7,8, Brenda A. Cervantes-Vergara1,6, Claudio Chavez6,9,10, Fernando Chierchie9, David Delgado11, Eliana Depaoli3,12, João dos Anjos13, Herman P. Lima, Jr.13, Guillermo Fernandez Moroni6,9,14, Aldo R. Fernandes Neto15, Ben Kilminster16, Patrick Lemos5, Katherine Maslova5, Irina Nasteva5, Ana Carolina Oliveira5, Pedro Ventura5, Martin Makler4,13, Agustina Magnoni17,18, Franciole Marinho19, Jorge Molina10, Diego Stalder10, Santiago Perez20,21,*, Dario Rodrigues20,21,†, Laura Paulucci22, Ivan Sidelnik23, and Miguel Sofo Haro24 (CONNIE and Atucha-II Collaborations)

  • *Contact author: santiep.137@gmail.com
  • †Contact author: rodriguesfm@df.uba.ar
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 071801 – Published 19 February, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.134.071801

Abstract

Millicharged particles, proposed by various extensions of the standard model, can be created in pairs by high-energy photons within nuclear reactors and can interact electromagnetically with electrons in matter. Recently, the existence of a plasmon peak in the interaction cross section with silicon in the eV range was highlighted as a promising approach to enhance low-energy sensitivities. The CONNIE and Atucha-II reactor neutrino experiments utilize Skipper-CCD sensors, which enable the detection of interactions in the eV range. We present world-leading limits on the charge of millicharged particles within a mass range spanning 6 orders of magnitude, derived through a comprehensive analysis and the combination of data from both experiments.

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Outline

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 071801– Published 19 February, 2025
  • Received 10 June 2024
  • Revised 5 November 2024
  • Accepted 24 January 2025
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