Proposal for Direct Detection of Ultralight Dark Matter via Charged Lepton Flavor Violation
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: We propose a dark matter direct-detection strategy using charged particle decays at accelerator-based experiments. If ultralight (m_{ϕ}≪eV) dark matter has a misalignment abundance, its local field oscillates in time at a frequency set by its mass. If it also couples to flavor-changing neutral currents, rare exotic decays such as μ→eϕ^{'} and τ→e(μ)ϕ^{'} inherit this modulation. Focusing on such charged lepton flavor-violating decays, we show that sufficient event samples can enable detection of ultralight dark matter candidates at Mu3e, Belle-II, and FCC-ee.
Source: Physical Review Letters
DOI: 10.1103/gvf4-d2b9
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,750
Funders: Universities Research Association, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Aspen Center for Physics, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Azrieli Foundation, Munich Institute for Astro- and Particle Physics, Office of Science, High Energy Physics, Fermilab
Awards: G1897041155, G2011917337, G2376186588, EXC 2118: Precision Physics, Fundamental Interactions and Structure of Matter (PRISMA+), Collaborative Research: CyberTraining: Pilot: Monte Carlo General Education Network (MCGEN), Elements: Automated parametric transformations for rapid particle physics simulations, Elements: Machine Learning Quark Hadronization, G5574724152, G6471802762, G7377509079, RESEARCH IN PARTICLE THEORY AND EXPERIMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI
OpenAlex ID: W4414565618