Nucleon consumption and mass-energy conversion induced by dark matter
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: We propose the nucleon consumption induced by dark matter (DM) as a new scenario to overcome the energy threshold of direct detection. It can be realized with proton ( χ + p → χ + ℓ + ) or neutron ( χ + n → χ + ν ) target. Both effective operators and concrete models are provided to illustrate the idea. Since the initial DM and nucleon velocity is only 10 − 3 and 1 / 4 of the speed of light, respectively, the cross section and hence event rate are determined by the involved particle masses and not affected by the nucleon Fermi motion. Of the two realizations, the proton consumption has richer phenomena with both charged lepton and the daughter nuclei deexcitation to allow double or even triple coincidence to significantly suppress the background. We also illustrate the projected sensitivities at DM and neutrino experiments such as PandaX-4T, DUNE, JUNO, and Hyper-K. Published by the American Physical Society 2024
Authors: Shao-Feng Ge, Xiao-Dong Ma
Institutions: Shanghai Jiao Tong University, South China Normal University
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4405029371