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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 289 records · Page 16
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Phenomenology of electroweak portal dark showers: high energy direct probes and low energy complementarity

We investigate the phenomenology of a dark QCD sector interacting with the Standard Model (SM) via the electroweak (EW) portals. The portal interactions allow SM bosons, such as Z and h, or additional bosons that mix with them, to decay into dark quarks, producing dark showers. The light dark mesons are expected to be long-lived particles (LLPs), as their decays back to the SM states through the EW-portal interactions typically have macroscopic decay lengths. We focus on dark shower events initiated by various bosons at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The most prominent signal is the displaced decay of GeV-scale dark pions as LLPs. Current limits on dark shower signals at LHC detectors are recast from public data to provide simplified limits insensitive to UV physics details. Future limits in the high-luminosity phase and proposed auxiliary detectors are also projected. Additionally, we study the flavor-changing neutral current (FCNC) B decays into dark pions, obtaining both current and projected constraints at the LHC and other facilities. These constraints can be combined for specific models, which are illustrated in two EW-portal benchmarks: one with the heavy doublet fermion mediation and another with the Z′ mediator including a mass mixing. The collider reach shows significant potential to probe the parameter space unconstrained by EW precision tests, highlighting the necessity of dedicated LLP search strategies and facilities.

Dark Matter at Colliders↗
DOE OSTI2023

Search for invisible decays of a dark photon using e + e – annihilation data at BESIII

We report a search for a dark photon using 14.9 fb –1 of e + e – annihilation data taken at center-of-mass energies from 4.13 to 4.60 GeV with the BESIII detector operated at the BEPCII storage ring. The dark photon is assumed to be produced in the radiative annihilation process of e + e – and to predominantly decay into light dark matter particles, which escape from the detector undetected. The mass range from 1.5 to 2.9 GeV is scanned for the dark photon candidate, and no significant signal is observed. The mass dependent upper limits at the 90% confidence level on the coupling strength parameter ϵ for a dark photon coupling with an ordinary photon vary between 1.6 x 10 –3 and 5.7 x 10 –3 .

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Daily modulations and broadband strategy in axion searches: An application with the CAST-CAPP detector

It has been previously advocated that the presence of the daily and annual modulations of the axion flux on the Earth’s surface may dramatically change the strategy of the axion searches. The arguments were based on the so-called Axion Quark Nugget (AQN) dark matter model which was originally put forward to explain the similarity of the dark and visible cosmological matter densities Ω dark ∼ Ω visible . In this framework, the population of galactic axions with mass 10 − 6 eV ≲ m a ≲ 10 − 3 eV and velocity ⟨ v a ⟩ ∼ 10 − 3 c will be accompanied by axions with typical velocities ⟨ v a ⟩ ∼ 0.6 c emitted by AQNs. Furthermore, in this framework, it has also been argued that the AQN-induced axion daily modulation (in contrast with the conventional weakly interactive massive particle paradigm) could be as large as (10–20)%, representing the main motivation for the present investigation. We argue that the daily modulations along with the broadband detection strategy can be very useful tools for the discovery of such relativistic axions. The data from the CAST-CAPP detector have been used following such arguments. Unfortunately, due to the dependence of the amplifier chain on temperature-dependent gain drifts and other factors, we could not conclusively show the presence or absence of a dark sector-originated daily modulation. However, this proof of principle analysis procedure can serve as a reference for future studies. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

Caspers, F.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Experimental Search for Neutron to Mirror Neutron Oscillations as an Explanation of the Neutron Lifetime Anomaly

We report an unexplained >4σ discrepancy persists between “beam” and “bottle” measurements of the neutron lifetime. A new model proposed that conversions of neutrons n into mirror neutrons n', part of a dark mirror sector, can increase the apparent neutron lifetime by 1% via a small mass splitting Δm between n and n' inside the 4.6 T magnetic field of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Beam Lifetime experiment. A search for neutron conversions in a 6.6 T magnetic field was performed at the Spallation Neutron Source which excludes this explanation for the neutron lifetime discrepancy.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

The Search for Feebly Interacting Particles

At the dawn of a new decade, particle physics faces the challenge of explaining the mystery of dark matter, the origin of matter over antimatter in the Universe, the apparent fine-tuning of the electroweak scale, and many other aspects of fundamental physics. Perhaps the most striking frontier to emerge in the search for answers involves New Physics at mass scales comparable to that of familiar matter—below the GeV scale but with very feeble interaction strength. New theoretical ideas to address dark matter and other fundamental questions predict such feebly interacting particles (FIPs) at these scales, and existing data may even provide hints of this possibility. Emboldened by the lessons of the LHC, a vibrant experimental program to discover such physics is underway, guided by a systematic theoretical approach that is firmly grounded in the underlying principles of the Standard Model. We give an overview of these efforts, their motivations, and the decadal goals that animate the community involved in the search for FIPs, and we focus in particular on accelerator-based experiments.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Paving the Way for Electroweak Baryogenesis

A detail look at the ingredients needed for creating the observed matter anomaly of the universe at the electroweak scale: new particles related to the Higgs boson, new sources of CP violation, and possibly new forces, all manifesting during the electroweak phase transition in the early universe. I will discuss three examples of plausible scenarios, two focused on the problem of preserving an asymmetry once created, and the third exhibiting a new mechanism where the source of both CP violation and the resulting asymmetry comes from the dark matter sector.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

BSM Studies Using Long-baseline Neutrino Experiment

The standard model of particle physics cannot account for the various physical phenomena present in nature. For instance, the visible matter constitutes only about 5$\%$ of the whole universe, and the remaining content is believed to be dark matter and dark energy. Unfortunately, the standard model does not provide us with a good candidate for dark matter. The leading dark matter candidate is weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) having a mass of less than 1 GeV. We will require a broad, fixed target neutrino experiment to probe the vast parameter space for the light-dark matter particle. NOvA is a high luminosity long-baseline fixed-target accelerator neutrino experiment at Fermilab. It can provide a potentially exciting probe in searching for signatures of DM scattering with electrons in its near detectors. We aim to search for the MeV-scale dark matter particles that might be generated within the NuMI beam and produce detectable electron scattering signals in the NOvA Near Detector. Not only in the dark matter sector, the standard model cannot explain the neutrino mass and mixings. The neutrino propagation in matter can be affected by non-standard interactions (NSI), which is beyond the standard model phenomena. The constraints coming from the NSI sectors can affect the standard oscillation parameters like atmospheric mixing angle $\theta_{23}$ and CP-phase $\delta_{CP}$.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Apparent 𝑤 <−1 and a Lower 𝑆 8 from Dark Axion and Dark Baryons Interactions

We show that a simple coupling between dark energy and dark matter can simultaneously address two distinct hints at new physics coming from cosmological observations. The first is the recent evidence from the DESI project and supernovae observations that the dark energy equation of state w is evolving over cosmic time from an earlier value that is <-1 to a present-day value >-1. The second observation is the so-called S8 tension, describing the suppression of the growth of matter overdensities compared to that expected in the ΛCDM model. Here, we propose a stable, technically natural particle physics implementation of this idea, in which dark matter consists of dark baryons in a strongly coupled hidden sector, and the dark energy field is the associated dark axion. The time variation of the dark matter mass results in an effective dark energy equation of state that exhibits a phantom crossing behavior consistent with recent results. It also results in a slight delay in matter-radiation equality, which suppresses the overall growth of density perturbations.

Axions↗
DOE OSTI2020

SEARCHING FOR LONG-LIVED DARK PHOTONS WITH THE HEAVY PHOTON SEARCH EXPERIMENT

A heavy photon (also called a dark photon or A0 ) is a hypothetical vector boson that arises from a massive U(1) abelian gauge symmetry. Heavy photons kinetically mix with the Standard Model photon, thus they are a natural portal to hidden sectors that are favored in a variety of dark sector scenarios, particularly for dark matter at the sub-GeV mass scale. The Heavy Photon Search Experiment (HPS) is a fixed target experiment at Je↵erson Laboratory dedicated to searching for heavy photons in the MeV - GeV mass range and kinetic mixing strength ✏2 ⇠ 10

Solt, Matthew Reagan↗
DOE OSTI2025

Hyperstealth dark matter and long-lived particles

A new dark matter candidate is proposed that arises as the lightest baryon from a confining 𝑆⁢𝑈⁡(𝑁) gauge theory which equilibrates with the Standard Model only through electroweak interactions. Surprisingly, this candidate can be as light as a few GeV. The lower bound arises from the intersection of two competing requirements: (i) the equilibration sector of the model must be sufficiently heavy, at least several TeV, to avoid bounds from colliders, and (ii) the lightest dark meson (that may be the dark 𝜂′, 𝜎, or the lightest glueball) has suppressed interactions with the SM and must decay before big bang nucleosynthesis. The low-energy dark sector consists of one flavor that is electrically neutral and an almost electroweak singlet. The dark matter candidate is the lightest baryon consisting of 𝑁 of these light flavors leading to a highly suppressed elastic scattering rate with the Standard Model (SM). The equilibration sector consists of vectorlike dark quarks that transform under the electroweak group, ensuring that the dark sector can reach thermal equilibrium with the SM in the early Universe. The lightest dark meson lifetimes vary between 10 −3 ≲ 𝑐⁢𝜏 ≲ 10 7 m, providing an outstanding target for LHC production and experimental detection. We delineate the interplay between the lifetime of the light mesons, the suppressed direct detection cross section of the lightest baryon, and the scale of equilibration sector that can be probed at the LHC.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Twin sterile neutrino dark matter

We propose that the dark matter of our Universe could be sterile neutrinos which reside within the twin sector of a mirror twin Higgs model. In our scenario, these particles are produced through a version of the Dodelson-Widrow mechanism that takes place entirely within the twin sector, yielding a dark matter candidate that is consistent with x-ray and gamma-ray line constraints. Furthermore, this scenario can naturally avoid the cosmological problems that are typically encountered in mirror twin Higgs models. In particular, if the sterile neutrinos in the Standard Model sector decay out of equilibrium, they can heat the Standard Model bath and reduce the contributions of the twin particles to N eff . Such decays also reduce the effective temperature of the dark matter, thereby relaxing constraints from large-scale structure. The sterile neutrinos included in this model are compatible with the seesaw mechanism for generating Standard Model neutrino masses. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Search for long-lived particles decaying in the CMS muon detectors in proton-proton collisions at s = 13 TeV

A search for long-lived particles (LLPs) decaying in the CMS muon detectors is presented. A data sample of proton-proton collisions at s = 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb − 1 , recorded at the LHC in 2016–2018, is used. The decays of LLPs are reconstructed as high multiplicity clusters of hits in the muon detectors. In the context of twin Higgs models, the search is sensitive to LLP masses from 0.4 to 55 GeV and a broad range of LLP decay modes, including decays to hadrons, τ leptons, electrons, or photons. No excess of events above the standard model background is observed. The most stringent limits to date from LHC data are set on the branching fraction of the Higgs boson decay to a pair of LLPs with masses below 10 GeV. This search also provides the best limits for various intervals of LLP proper decay length and mass. Finally, this search sets the first limits at the LHC on a dark quantum chromodynamic sector whose particles couple to the Higgs boson through gluon, Higgs boson, photon, vector, and dark-photon portals, and is sensitive to branching fractions of the Higgs boson to dark quarks as low as 2 × 10 − 3 . © 2024 CERN, for the CMS Collaboration 2024 CERN

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Tree-level Unitarity in $$ \textrm{SU}{(2)}_L\times \textrm{U}{(1)}_Y\times \textrm{U}{(1)}_{Y^{\prime }} $$ Models

Abstract In models with a U(1) gauge extension beyond the Standard Model, one can derive sum rules for the couplings of the theory that are a consequence of tree-level unitarity. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive list of coupling sum rules for a general$$ \textrm{SU}{(2)}_L\times \textrm{U}{(1)}_Y\times \textrm{U}{(1)}_{Y^{\prime }} $$ SU 2 L × U 1 Y × U 1 Y ′ gauge theory coupled to an arbitrary set of fermion and scalar multiplets. These results are of particular interest for models of dark matter that employ an extended gauge sector mediated by a new (dark)Z ′ gauge boson. For the case of a minimal extension of the Standard Model with a$$ \textrm{U}{(1)}_{Y^{\prime }} $$ U 1 Y ′ gauge boson, we clarify the definitions of the weak mixing angle and the electroweakρparameter. We demonstrate the utility of a generalizedρparameter (denoted byρ ′ ) whose definition naturally follows from the unitarity sum rules developed in this paper.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2022

Mirror neutron stars

The fundamental nature of dark matter is entirely unknown. A compelling candidate is twin Higgs mirror matter, invisible hidden-sector cousins of the Standard Model particles and forces. This predicts mirror neutron stars made entirely of mirror nuclear matter. Here we find their structure using realistic equations of state, robustly modified based on first-principle quantum chromodynamic calculations, for the first time. This allows us to predict their gravitational wave signals, demonstrating an impressive discovery potential and ability to probe dark sectors connected to the hierarchy problem.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Constraints on Lightly Ionizing Particles from CDMSlite

The Cryogenic Dark Matter Search low ionization threshold experiment (CDMSlite) achieved effcient detection of very small recoil energies in its germanium target, resulting in sensitivity to Lightly Ionizing Particles (LIPs) in a previously unexplored region of charge, mass, and velocity parameter space. We report first direct-detection limits on the vertical intensity of cosmogenically-produced LIPs with an electric charge smaller than e/(3x10^5), as well as the strongest limits for charge <= e/160, with a minimum vertical intensity of 1.36 x 10^-7 cm^-2s^-1sr^-1 at charge e/160. These results apply over a wide range of LIP masses (5 MeV/c^2 to 100 TeV/c^2) and cover a wide range of beta-gamma values (0.1--10^6), thus excluding non-relativistic LIPs with beta-gamma as small as 0.1 for the first time.

Alkhatib, I↗