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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 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
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 OSTI2023

Search for Dark Photons in Rare $Z$ Boson Decays with the ATLAS Detector

A search for events with a dark photon produced in association with a dark Higgs boson via rare decays of the standard model Z boson is presented, using 139 fb –1 of $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV proton-proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The dark boson decays into a pair of dark photons, and at least two of the three dark photons must each decay into a pair of electrons or muons, resulting in at least two same-flavor opposite-charge lepton pairs in the final state. The data are found to be consistent with the background prediction, and upper limits are set on the dark photon’s coupling to the dark Higgs boson times the kinetic mixing between the standard model photon and the dark photon, α D ϵ 2 , in the dark photon mass range of [5, 40] GeV except for the $Υ$ mass window [8.8, 11.1] GeV. This search explores new parameter space not previously excluded by other experiments.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Diphoton signals of muon-philic scalars at DarkQuest

We analyze the capability of the DarkQuest proton beam-dump experiment at Fermilab to discover new light resonances decaying into photons. As an example model, we focus on muon-philic scalar particles that decay to photons. This is one of the few minimal models that can address the ( g − 2 ) μ anomaly at low mass. These scalars can be copiously produced by meson decays and muon bremsstrahlung. We point out that thanks to DarkQuest’s compact geometry, muons can propagate through the dump and efficiently produce dark scalars near the end of the dump. This mechanism enables DarkQuest to be sensitive to both long-lived and prompt scalars. At the same time, diphoton signatures are generically not background free, and we discuss in detail the different sources of background and strategies to mitigate them. We find that the backgrounds can be sufficiently reduced for DarkQuest to test currently viable ( g − 2 ) μ parameter space. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Blinov, Nikita (ORCID:000000022845961X)↗
DOE OSTI2025

New MicroBooNE Single Photon Searches: Delta Radiative Decay, Coherent, and Inclusive

The MicroBooNE experiment is a liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) in the Booster Neutrino Beam at Fermilab. The LArTPC technology allows us to distinguish between electron and photon showers, which is crucial for identifying the source of the long-standing anomalous excess reported by MiniBooNE. Initial MicroBooNE results have challenged the electron interpretation, which highlights the importance of further study of the single photon channel. In this talk, we present results from three new and improved searches for single photons, offering a wider probe of the photon channel: an enhanced search for NC Delta radiative single photon production, the world’s first search for neutrino-induced coherent single photon production, and an inclusive search for single photons in a diverse set of topologies.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
NASA NTRS1994

Multiple photon emission in heavy particle decays

Cosmic ray interactions, at energies above 1 TeV/nucleon, in emulsion chambers flown on high altitude balloons have yielded two events showing apparent decays of a heavy particle into one charged particle and four photons. The photons converted into electron pairs very close to the decay vertex. Attempts to explain this decay topology with known particle decays are presented. Unless both events represent a b yields u transition, which is statistically unlikely, then other known decay modes for charmed or bottom particles do not account satisfactorily for these observations. This could indicate, possibly, a new decay channel.

Asakimori, K.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Test of the decaying dark matter hypothesis using the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope

Sciama's hypothesis that the dark matter associated with galaxies, galaxy clusters, and the intergalactic medium consists of tau neutrinos of rest mass 28-30 eV whose decay generates ultraviolet photons of energy roughly 14-15 eV, has been tested using the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope flows aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. A straightforward application of Sciama's model predicts that a spectral line from neutrino decay photons should be observed from the rich galaxy cluster Abell 665 with an SNR of about 30. No such emission was detected. For neutrinos in the mass range 27.2-32.1 eV, the observations set a lower lifetime limit significantly greater than Sciama's model requires.

Davidsen, A. F.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Probing axion-like particles at the Electron-Ion Collider

Abstract The Electron-Ion Collider (EIC), a forthcoming powerful high-luminosity facility, represents an exciting opportunity to explore new physics. In this article, we study the potential of the EIC to probe the coupling between axion-like particles (ALPs) and photons in coherent scattering. The ALPs can be produced via photon fusion and decay back to two photons inside the EIC detector. In a prompt-decay search, we find that the EIC can set the most stringent bound form a ≲ 20 GeV and probe the effective scales Λ ≲ 10 5 GeV. In a displaced-vertex search, which requires adopting an EM calorimeter technology that provides directionality, the EIC could probe ALPs withm a ≲ 1 GeV at effective scales Λ ≲ 10 7 GeV. Combining the two search strategies, the EIC can probe a significant portion of unexplored parameter space in the 0.2 a< 20 GeV mass range.

Physics↗
NASA NTRS1983

Transition probability of the Si III 189.2-nm intersystem line

Measurement of the lifetime of the metastable 3s3p(3)P(0)1 level of Si(2+) (Si III), which decays by photon emission at 189.2 nm to the 3s2(1)S0 state, is reported. The data were taken from spontaneous emission from metastable Si III stored in an RF ion trap. The Si III ions were produced through electron bombardment of SiH4 and SiF4 at pressures of 1/100,000,000-1/10,000,000 Torr. A photomultiplier was employed to count the photon emissions from the transitions. A total of 11 decay curves were generated for analysis, with Poisson statistics used to set the uncertainties at within 8 pct. Significant systematic effects were controlled, and the lifetime was found to be within 3.6 microsec of 59.9 microsec. The method used is concluded valid for determining the lifetimes of metastable levels of low-Z ions with low charge, and thereby the transition probabilities.

Kwong, H. S.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Quantum Hamiltonian for the surface charge density on a ring torus and radiative decay of plasmons

Photon scattering and the ensuing excitation of surface plasmons in single rings, single composite rings, and many-ring systems was recently shown to provide dispersion and field distributions [K. V. Garapati et al., J. Phys. Commun. 2, 015031 (2018)] of potential for specific applications in particle and molecular trapping [R. Alaee et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 109, 141102 (2016); M. Salhi et al., Phys. Rev. A 92, 033416 (2015)], in addition to metamaterials and sensing. Furthermore, following photon or electron interactions with metallic nanorings, both radiative and nonradiative decay channels are important in the consideration of the nanoparticle as a photon or phonon source, and in related applications. In this work, we quantize the electronic normal modes of the ring torus and obtain the radiative decay of plasmons. Due to a geometry-related complexity, we employ a perturbation approach to obtain analytical expressions for the radiative decay channel for a vacuum bounded single solid nanoring. In quantizing the fields, the frequency spectrum of the charge density normal modes of the nanoring is obtained and shown to agree with the exact quasistatic plasmon dispersion relations. Higher-order corrections beyond the presented zero- and first-order calculations may be obtained following the presented results. The results are of potential interest in quantum sensing such as entangling photons and plasmons, or plasmons and trapped molecules.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2026

Search for a narrow resonance with a mass between 10 and 70 GeV decaying to a pair of photons in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{𝑠}$ = 13 TeV

The existence of a new spin-zero particle with a mass below the electroweak scale is predicted by several theoretical models. Searches for resonant production of photon pairs at the LHC are able to probe these models. We present a search for a narrow resonance produced through gluon fusion that decays into a pair of photons with an invariant mass between 10 and 70 GeV, using a proton-proton collision dataset from the CMS experiment. This dataset, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 54.4 fb −1 , was recorded in 2018 at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV using a newly introduced diphoton trigger that enabled exploration of the low-mass diphoton spectrum. No significant excess above the expected background is observed. Upper limits are set on the product of the gluon fusion production cross section and the branching fraction of the diphoton decay of a narrow resonance. An interpretation of these limits within an effective field theory framework for axionlike particles is also provided.

axion-like particles↗
DOE OSTI2026

Observing dark matter decays to gravitons via graviton-photon conversion

Since dark matter is only known to have gravitational interactions, it may plausibly decay to gravitons on cosmological timescales. Although such a scenario can be easily realized, there are currently no known limits on this possibility based on indirect-detection methods. We propose a new search strategy that exploits the Gertsenshtein effect, whereby the gravitons produced in dark matter decays can convert to photons in large-scale magnetic fields along the line of sight to an observer. These conversions primarily occur within cosmological filaments which occupy a large (order unity) volume fraction and contain ∼ 10 – 100 nG fields with ∼ Mpc coherence lengths. Thus, dark matter decays to gravitons predict an irreducible population of extragalactic photons, which we constrain using the extragalactic gamma-ray background measured by the Fermi-LAT telescope. Using this method, we derive the first-ever constraints on the dark matter lifetime in the 0.1 GeV - 10 8 GeV mass range, contingent on the assumed filament magnetic field strength. We also make projections for the Advanced Particle-astrophysics Telescope, which can improve sensitivity to this dark matter decay channel by an order of magnitude beyond those we set using Fermi-LAT data.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Probing Axion-Like-Particles at the CERN Gamma Factory

We report the aim of the proposed CERN Gamma Factory is to produce ≈10 17 photons per second with energies up to 400 MeV. The photon beam intensity is expected to be a factor of $\mathcal{O}$(10 7 ) larger than that of the presently available photon beams in the MeV energy range. In this work, its potential to probe physics beyond the Standard Model is explored. In particular, searches for axion like particles (ALPs) with dominant couplings to photons are discussed and various production scenarios - fixed target, photon-photon collision, and conversion by a magnetic field - and detection schemes considered - via decay to photons or back-conversion. It is found that the Gamma Factory in a fixed target mode can probe ALPs with mass m a ≲ $\mathcal{O}$(100 MeV) and decay constants larger than 10 7 GeV, improving by an order of magnitude the discovery potential of previous beam dump experiments.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Search for a resonance decaying to a W boson and a photon in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV using leptonic W boson decays

A search for a new charged particle X with mass between 0.3 and 2.0 TeV decaying to a W boson and a photon is presented, using proton-proton collision data at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, collected by the CMS experiment and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. Particle X has electric charge $\pm$ 1 and is assumed to have spin 0. The search is performed using the electron and muon decays of the W boson. No significant excess above the predicted background is observed. The upper limit at 95% confidence level on the product of the production cross section of the X and its branching fraction to a W boson and a photon is found to be 94 (137) fb for a 0.3 TeV resonance and 0.75 (0.81) fb for a 2.0 TeV resonance, for an X width-to-mass ratio of 0.01% (5%). This search presents the most stringent constraints to date on the existence of such resonances across the probed mass range. A statistical combination with an earlier study based on the hadronic decay mode of the W boson is also performed, and the upper limit at 95% confidence level for a 2.0 TeV resonance is reduced to 0.50 (0.63) fb for an X width-to-mass ratio of 0.01% (5%).

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Search for Higgs bosons produced in association with a high-energy photon via vector-boson fusion and decaying to a pair of b -quarks in the ATLAS detector

A search for Standard Model Higgs bosons produced in association with a high-energy photon and decaying to $b\bar{b}$ is performed using 133 fb −1 of $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV pp collision data collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. The photon requirement reduces the multijet background, and the H → $b\bar{b}$ decay is the dominant decay mode. Event selection requirements target events produced by vector-boson fusion, the dominant production mode in this channel. Several improvements enhance the search sensitivity compared to previous measurements. These improvements include better background modelling and characterization, the use of a neural-network classifier, and an updated signal extraction strategy adopting a direct binned-likelihood fit to the classifier output. With these improvements, the Higgs boson signal strength is measured to be 0.2 ± 0.7 relative to the Standard Model prediction. This corresponds to an observed significance of 0.3 standard deviations, compared to an expectation of 1.5 standard deviations assuming the Standard Model.

ATLAS experiment↗
DOE OSTI2026

Axion-like particle at the 10 GeV scale: Higgs decays to wide jets and photons

If axion-like particles (ALPs) exist, they may have renormalizable couplings only to the Higgs boson ($h^0$) or to fields beyond the Standard Model. An ALP $A_h$ lighter than about 60 GeV would allow the $h^0 \to A_h A_h$ decay, with a branching fraction determined by the explicit global symmetry breaking responsible for the main contributions to the $A_h$ mass ($M_A$). New heavy fields that carry color and electric charge, such as squarks, can mediate $A_h$ decays at one loop mostly into gluons, but also into photons. Exploring LHC sensitivity to $A_h$, we show that the $h^0 \to A_h A_h \to (gg)(γγ)$ channel leads to a diphoton resonance at $M_A$ whose production rate is consistent with a $3.5σ$ excess reported by a CMS search at $M_A \approx 13.6$ GeV. For $M_A$ of order 10 GeV, the $h^0 \to A_h A_h \to 4g$ cascade decay leads to two wide jets (each with 2-prong substructure) that form a resonance at 125 GeV.

Dobrescu, Bogdan A. [Fermilab] (ORCID:000000034291↗
DOE OSTI2020

Searching for Axion-like Particles at DarkQuest

Axion-like particles (ALPs) interacting with photons can be abundantly produced in proton xed target experiments. Once produced, they can travel a macroscopic distance before decaying into photons. We study the sensitivity of the proposed DarkQuest experiment at Fermilab to this signature. We show that the proposed upgrade to install an electromagnetic calorimeter will enable DarkQuest to explore untested parameter space by searching for the displaced decays of ALPs.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Cosmological Neutron Stars Produce Diffuse Axion X-Ray Signatures

Axion-like particles can be abundantly produced through scattering processes in the cores of neutron stars (NSs). If they are ultralight ($m_a \lesssim 10^{-4}$ eV), then they can efficiently convert to detectable photons in the external NS magnetospheres, and if they are heavy ($m_a \gtrsim 1$ eV), then they can decay into photons before reaching Earth. In this work, we search for the resulting X-ray signatures from both of these channels summing over the $\textit{cosmological}$ NS population. We compare the predicted axion-induced X-ray signal to the cosmic X-ray background today as measured by a number of instruments such as NuSTAR, HEAO, Swift, and INTEGRAL. We model the axion-induced signal using NS cooling simulations and magnetic field evolution models. We find no evidence for axions and derive strong constraints for both ultralight and heavy axion scenarios, covering new parameter space for the axion-photon and axion-nucleon couplings. Our results rule out the axion-explanation of the Magnificent Seven X-ray excess from nearby isolated NSs.

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.C↗