Searching for boosted dark matter at ProtoDUNE

Abstract

We propose the first experimental test of the inelastic boosted dark matter hypothesis, capitalizing on the new physics potential with the imminent data taking of the ProtoDUNE detectors. More specifically, we explore various experimental signatures at the cosmic frontier, arising in boosted dark matter scenarios, i.e., relativistic, inelastic scattering of boosted dark matter often created by the annihilation of its heavier component which usually comprises of the dominant relic abundance. Although features are unique enough to isolate signal events from potential backgrounds, vetoing a vast amount of cosmic background is rather challenging as the detectors are located on the ground. We argue, with a careful estimate, that such backgrounds nevertheless can be well under control by performing dedicated analyses after data acquisition. We then discuss some phenomenological studies which can be achieved with ProtoDUNE, employing a dark photon scenario as our benchmark dark-sector model.

Strong new limits on light dark matter from neutrino experiments

“…[28] used data from MiniBooNE and Super-Kamiokande (Super-K) to set strong new constraints on sub-MeV and especially sub-keV DM scattering with electrons. (These exclusion regions are complementary to those recently derived based on another type of upscattered DM, namely DM particles accelerated by solar reflection [13,14]; see below) We emphasize that DM upscattering by CRs is very different from the scenario usually referred to as "boosted" DM, in which energetic DM particles of one species are produced by pair annihilation of a second, heavier DM species [29][30][31][32].…”

Relaxation of Shannon entropy for trapped interacting bosons with dipolar interactions

“…For the rest of evolution we find that several other orbitals almost equally contribute as n 1 (we checked that the obtained results do not depend on the chosen value of M ). However, with the considered number of particles our present computation is unable to present the full-blown N -fold occupation of natural orbitals which can be achieved when the system is quenched to very large values of g d , that correspond to crystal-like states [82,83]. Fig.…”

Explaining the ANITA anomaly with inelastic boosted dark matter

“…It is summarized that the event topology under consideration begins with an upscattering of an invisible particle and accompanies a long-lived intermediary state decaying to hadrons. Indeed, the structure of upscatterdecay has been adopted in a diverse range of astrophysical phenomena [32][33][34][35][36], search strategies in particle accelerator experiments [37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44], and inelastic boosted dark matter [27,31,45,46]. In particular, Refs.…”