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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 613 records · Page 34
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Insights from binary pulsars and laboratories into baryon number violation: Implications for GeV dark matter

Rare processes in laboratory and within astrophysical environments can be highly sensitive probes of baryon-number-violating interactions at the TeV scale. We demonstrate the power of neutron stars to constrain baryon-number violation by considering a minimal extension of the standard model involving a TeV-mass scalar mediator and a GeV scale Majorana fermion ψ . We find that a Δ B = 2 mass-loss process in binary pulsar systems via n → γ ψ and the subsequent scattering ψ n → π − K + places stringent constraints on the model parameter space. These limits will become much stronger, due to the possibility of Λ → γ ψ decays at the tree level, if the neutron star equation of state is hyperonic. We compare these constraints with ongoing and future collider experiments, n − n ¯ oscillations, and dinucleon decay searches at future large-scale neutrino experiments, finding that the binary pulsars bounds on couplings are significantly tighter for specific flavor combinations. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

baryons↗
DOE OSTI2024

Primordial black holes from bubble collisions during a first-order phase transition

We study the possibility of production of primordial black holes (PBHs) from bubble collisions during a first-order phase transition. While typical colliding bubbles are small and irrelevant for PBH production, we find that those that can produce PBHs must have a macroscopically thick fluid shell and have been born much before the typical nucleation time. Particularly large uncertainties arise from an exponential sensitivity of the nucleation rate on the required duration of bubble growth which depends on the details of the collisions and the evolution of the spacetime metric toward the end of the phase transition. We introduce a few parameters to be obtained from future numerical simulation to represent those unknowns, and estimate the PBH abundance in an Abelian Higgs benchmark model and show that it can be significant. We predict an approximately monochromatic PBH mass spectrum, and find regions in the parameter space where the PBHs can constitute entire dark matter or even overclose the Universe. Our result thus shows that models with a first-order phase transition can be constrained by overabundant PBHs or null results of other PBH searches. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Generalized models for inflationary preheating: Oscillations and symmetries

The paradigm of the inflationary universe provides a possible explanation for several observed cosmological properties. In order for such solutions to be successful, the universe must convert the energy stored in the inflaton potential into standard model particles through a process known as reheating. In this paper, we reconsider the reheating process for the case where the inflaton potential respects an approximate (but spontaneously broken) conformal symmetry during the reheating epoch. After reviewing the Effective Field Theory of Reheating, we present solutions for the nonlinear oscillations of the inflaton field, derive the corresponding Hill’s equation for the coupled reheating field, and determine the stability diagram for parametric resonance. For this class of models —the simplest realization being a scalar field with a quartic term—the expansion of the universe drives the coupled field toward a more unstable part of parameter space, in contrast to the standard case. We also generalize this class of models to include quadratic breaking terms in the potential during the reheating epoch and address the process of stability in that universality class of models.

Barrowes, Leia [University of Michigan, Ann Arbor]↗
DOE OSTI2024

Regurgitated dark matter

We present a new paradigm for the production of the dark matter (DM) relic abundance based on the evaporation of early Universe primordial black holes (PBHs) themselves formed from DM particles. As a concrete realization, we consider a minimal model of the dark sector in which a first-order phase transition results in the formation of Fermiball remnants that collapse to PBHs, which then emit DM particles. We show that the regurgitated DM scenario allows for DM in the mass range ∼ 1 – 10 16 GeV , thereby unlocking parameter space considered excluded. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗
DOE OSTI2024

New physics at a neutron beam dump

We find a new utility of neutrons, usually treated as an experimental nuisance causing unwanted background, in probing new physics signals. The new physics signals can either be radiated from neutrons (neutron bremsstrahlung) or appear through secondary particles from neutron-on-target interactions, dubbed “neutron beam dump.” As a concrete example, we take the FASER/FASER2 experiment as a “factory” of high-energy neutrons that interact with the iron dump. We find that if new physics particles had the same interaction strength to protons and neutrons, their production rate via neutron-initiated bremsstrahlung would be comparable to that via proton-initiated ones, in terms of the resulting flux and the range of couplings that can be probed. The neutron bremsstrahlung can be used, for instance, to probe dark gauge bosons with nonzero neutron coupling. In particular, we investigate protophobic gauge bosons and find that FASER/FASER2 can probe new parameter space. We also illustrate the possibility of neutron-induced secondary particles by considering axionlike particles with electron couplings. We conclude that the physics potential of FASER/FASER2 in terms of new physics searches can be greatly extended and improved with the inclusion of neutron interactions. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗
DOE OSTI2025

Indirect searches for ultraheavy dark matter in the time domain

Dark matter may exist today in the form of ultraheavy composite bound states. Collisions between such dark matter states can release intense bursts of radiation that include γ -rays among the final products. Thus, indirect detection signals of dark matter may include unconventional γ -ray bursts. Such bursts may have been missed not necessarily because of their low arriving γ -ray fluxes, but rather their briefness and rareness. We point out that intense bursts whose nondetection thus far are due to the latter can be detected in the near future with existing and planned facilities. In particular, we propose that, with slight experimental adjustments and suitable data analyses, imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs) and Pulsed All-Sky Near-Infrared and Optical Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (PANOSETI) are promising tools for detecting such rare, brief, but intense bursts. We also show that, if we assume these bursts originate from collisions of dark matter states, IACTs and PANOSETI can probe a large dark matter parameter space beyond existing limits. Additionally, we present a concrete model of dark matter that produces bursts potentially detectable in these instruments. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Panorama of new-physics explanations to the MiniBooNE excess

The MiniBooNE low-energy excess stands as an unexplained anomaly in short-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments. It has been shown that it can be explained in the context of dark sector models. Here, we provide an overview of the possible new-physics solutions based on electron, photon, and dilepton final states. We systematically discuss the various production mechanisms for dark particles in neutrino-nucleus scattering. Our main result is a comprehensive fit to the MiniBooNE energy spectrum in the parameter space of dark neutrino models, where short-lived heavy neutral leptons are produced in neutrino interactions and decay to e + e - pairs inside the detector. For the first time, other experiments will be able to directly confirm or rule out dark neutrino interpretations of the MiniBooNE low-energy excess.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Perturbative stability of non-Abelian electric field solutions

We consider SU(2) gauge theory with a scalar field in the fundamental representation. The model is known to contain electric field solutions sourced by the scalar field that are distinct from embedded Maxwell electric fields. We examine the perturbative stability of the solution and identify a region of parameter space where the solution is stable. In the regime where the scalar field has a negative mass squared, the solution has two branches, and we identify an instability in one of the branches.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2025

Mixed warm dark matter constraints using Milky Way satellite galaxy counts

Warm dark matter has been strongly constrained in recent years as the sole component of dark matter. However, a less-explored alternative is that dark matter consists of a mixture of warm and cold dark matter (MWDM). In this work, we use observations of Milky Way satellite galaxies to constrain MWDM scenarios where the formation of small-scale structure is suppressed either by generic thermal relic warm dark matter or a sterile neutrino produced through the Shi-Fuller mechanism. To achieve this, we model satellite galaxies by combining numerical simulations with semianalytical models for the subhalo population, and use a galaxy-halo connection model to match galaxies onto dark matter subhalos. By comparing the number of satellites predicted by MWDM models to the observed satellite population from the Dark Energy Survey and Pan-STARRS1, we constrain the fraction of warm dark matter, f WDM , as a function of its mass, m WDM . We exclude dark matter being composed entirely of thermal relic warm dark matter with m WDM ≤ 6.6 keV at a posterior ratio of 10 ∶ 1 , consistent with previous works. However, we find that warm dark matter with smaller mass is allowed when mixed with cold dark matter, and that the f WDM constraints strengthen with decreasing m WDM until they plateau at f WDM ≲ 0.45 for m WDM ≲ 1.5 keV . Likewise, in the case of a sterile neutrino with mass of 7 keV produced through the Shi-Fuller mechanism, we exclude a fraction of f ν s ≲ 0.45 , independent of mixing angle. Our results extend constraints on MWDM to a region of parameter space that has been relatively unconstrained with previous analysis.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Beehive haloscope for high-mass axion dark matter

We propose a new haloscope geometry that can arbitrarily increase the resonator volume for a given target axion mass. This geometry consists of closely packed, overlapping coaxial cavities operating as a single resonator. While the resonant frequency is still determined by the dimensions of the individual “cells,” the strong interactions between the cells encourage the entire “beehive” to oscillate in phase, a phenomenon expected of tightly coupled harmonic oscillators. This synchronization behavior allows the construction of a singly connected large volume resonator at high frequency by simply increasing the number of the cells. Using direct numerical simulations, we verify the existence of a global eigenmode that has a high (40%) form factor in a 169-element beehive resonator. The resonant frequency of the eigenmode is tunable by moving the center rods laterally in unison. The form factor is very tolerant to dimensional deviations and misalignment as a result of mode hybridization due to strong coupling. The beehive haloscope inherits many appealing properties from the conventional coaxial cavity: a high quality factor, compatibility with a solenoid magnet, and ease of fabrication, tuning, and coupling. We argue that this geometry is an excellent candidate for high-mass axion searches covering the post-inflationary parameter space (>5 GHz).

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Probing lepton number violation at same-sign lepton colliders

Same-sign lepton colliders offer a promising environment to probe lepton number violation. We study processes that change lepton number by two units in the context of Majorana heavy neutral leptons and neutrinophilic scalars at μ TRISTAN , a proposed same-sign muon collider. Our work shows that such colliders, with modest energy and luminosity requirements, can either reveal direct evidence of lepton number violation or significantly constrain unexplored regions of parameter space, especially in the case of a neutrinophilic scalar. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

de Lima, Carlos Henrique (ORCID:0000000252126145)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Flavor constraints in a generational three-Higgs-doublet model

We propose a three-Higgs-doublet model (3HDM) that goes beyond natural flavor conservation and in which each of the three Higgs doublets couples mainly to a single generation of fermions via nonstandard Yukawa structures. A hierarchy in the vacuum expectation values of the three Higgs doublets can partially address the Standard Model flavor puzzle. In light of the experimentally observed 125 GeV Higgs boson, we primarily work within a 3HDM alignment limit such that a Standard Model-like Higgs is recovered. In order to reproduce the observed Cabibbo–Kobayashi–Maskawa mixing among quarks, the neutral Higgs bosons of the theory necessarily mediate flavor changing neutral currents at the tree level. We consider constraints from neutral kaon, B meson, and D meson mixing as well as from the rare leptonic decays B s / B 0 / K L → μ + μ − / e + e − . We identify regions of parameter space in which the new physics Higgs bosons can be as light as a TeV or even lighter. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

Altmannshofer, Wolfgang (ORCID:0000000316212561)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Joint explanation of the B → π K puzzle and the B → K ν ν ¯ excess

In light of the recent branching fraction measurement of the B + → K + ν ν ¯ decay by Belle II and its poor agreement with the Standard Model expectation, we analyze the effects of an axionlike particle (ALP) in B meson decays. We assume a long-lived ALP with a mass of the order of the pion mass that decays to two photons. We focus on a scenario where the ALP decay length is of the order of meters such that the ALP has a non-negligible probability to decay outside the detector volume of Belle II, mimicking the B + → K + ν ν ¯ signal. Remarkably, such an arrangement is also relevant for the long-standing B → π K puzzle by noting that the measured B 0 → π 0 K 0 and B + → π 0 K + decays could have a B 0 → a K 0 and B + → a K + component, respectively. We also argue based on our results that the required ALP-photon effective coupling belongs to a region of parameter space that can be extensively probed in future beam dump experiments like SHiP. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

Altmannshofer, W. (ORCID:0000000316212561)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Leptonic probes of alternative left-right symmetric models

We explore constraints on the parameter space of the alternative left-right model originating from the leptonic sector. Our analyses focuses on both lepton-flavor-conserving observables, particularly the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, and lepton-flavor-violating processes like μ → e γ decay and μ − e conversions in nuclei. While contributions to the anomalous magnetic moment fall below the measured values at 2 σ , current and future experimental sensitivities to flavor-violating branching rations of the Standard Model leptons are expected to impose lower bounds on the mass of the peculiar S U ( 2 ) R gauge boson of the model. This provides complementary constraints relative to existing limits, which are indirect and derived from collider bounds on the mass of the associated neutral gauge boson Z ′ . Published by the American Physical Society 2025

Frank, Mariana (ORCID:0000000322684821)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Dark baryon black holes

We explore a novel mechanism for dark matter production through the formation of light black holes from the collapse of dark baryons in confining SU(N) gauge theories in the large- N limit. While glueballs and mesons cannot form black holes under physically reasonable conditions, we prove that for appropriate ranges of the confinement scale, quark masses, number of colors N , and dark sector temperature, dark baryons can produce Planck-scale black hole relics in the early Universe. Assuming the relics are stable, the abundance of both the dark baryon black hole population directly arising at confinement and that frozen in from dark glueball and meson pair annihilation are exponentially suppressed in N , leading to an upper limit N ≲ 100 and of a few hundred Planck units in mass for models where the black hole relics are the entirety of the dark matter. We present a detailed numerical study of the parameter space where this scenario is realized. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

Profumo, Stefano (ORCID:0000000291597556)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Time-delayed gamma-ray signatures of heavy axions from core-collapse supernovae

Heavy axions that couple to both quantum electrodynamics and quantum chromodynamics with masses on the order of MeV–GeV and high-scale decay constants in excess of ∼ 10 8 GeV may arise generically in, e.g., axiverse constructions. In this work we provide the most sensitive search to date for the existence of such heavy axions using Fermi-LAT data toward four recent supernovae (SN): Cassiopea A, SN1987A, SN2023ixf, and SN2024ggi. We account for heavy axion production in the proto-neutron-star cores through nuclear and electromagnetic processes and then the subsequent decay of the axions into photons. While previous works have searched for gamma rays from SN1987A using the Solar Maximum Mission that observed SN1987A during the SN itself, we show that using Fermi Large Area Telescope data provides an approximately 5 orders of magnitude improvement in flux sensitivity for axions with lifetimes larger than around 10 yrs. We find no evidence for heavy axions and exclude large regions of previously unexplored parameter space.

Axions↗
DOE OSTI2024

Applications of a Rayleigh-Taylor model to direct-drive laser fusion

Here, this paper presents a simple physics-based model for the interpretation of key metrics in laser direct drive. The only input parameters required are target scale, in-flight aspect ratio, and beam-to-target radius, and the importance of each has been quantified with a tailored set of cryogenic implosion experiments. These analyses lead to compact and accurate predictions of the fusion yield and areal density as a function of hydrodynamic stability, and suggest new ways to take advantage of direct drive. To provide examples, we will discuss how the inferred mix width behaves relative to theory, then show how it could be exploited to perform a direct drive implosion with a Lawson metric or Χ no α of 0.24 ± 0.02—using a novel parameter space at high velocities and beam radii on the OMEGA laser—that projects to ignition at a laser energy ≤2.0 MJ.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Absorption of Axion Dark Matter in a Magnetized Medium

Detection of axion dark matter heavier than an meV is hindered by its small wavelength, which limits the useful volume of traditional experiments. This problem can be avoided by directly detecting in-medium excitations, whose ∼ meV – eV energies are decoupled from the detector size. We show that for any target inside a magnetic field, the absorption rate of electromagnetically coupled axions into in-medium excitations is determined by the dielectric function. As a result, the plethora of candidate targets previously identified for sub-GeV dark matter searches can be repurposed as broadband axion detectors. We find that a kg yr exposure with noise levels comparable to recent measurements is sufficient to probe parameter space currently unexplored by laboratory tests. Noise reduction by only a few orders of magnitude can enable sensitivity to the QCD axion in the ∼ 10 meV – 10 eV mass range. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗