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A new methodology for direct detection of heavy dark matter at intense particle beam facilities

A. Acar, M. Bashkanov, D. P. Watts

Abstract

We propose new concepts for experiments in which intense high energy photon or muon beams are employed parasitically to detect scattering by cosmic heavy weakly interacting dark matter (DM) particles. We show that the scattering cross-sections are sizeable enough to potentially observe beam scattering on heavy dark matter particles at high beam intensities for typically inferred near-Earth DM densities of $ρ_χ\sim0.3~GeV/cm^3$. The predicted effect is particularly large in the case of a proposed muon collider Higgs factory, especially in the heavy (and poorly constrained) DM scenarios of WIMPZilla's. Current photon facilities such as at Jefferson Laboratory are predicted to require intensity and energy upgrades to reach detectable rates.

A new methodology for direct detection of heavy dark matter at intense particle beam facilities

Abstract

We propose new concepts for experiments in which intense high energy photon or muon beams are employed parasitically to detect scattering by cosmic heavy weakly interacting dark matter (DM) particles. We show that the scattering cross-sections are sizeable enough to potentially observe beam scattering on heavy dark matter particles at high beam intensities for typically inferred near-Earth DM densities of . The predicted effect is particularly large in the case of a proposed muon collider Higgs factory, especially in the heavy (and poorly constrained) DM scenarios of WIMPZilla's. Current photon facilities such as at Jefferson Laboratory are predicted to require intensity and energy upgrades to reach detectable rates.
Paper Structure (10 sections, 8 equations, 5 figures)

This paper contains 10 sections, 8 equations, 5 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Weak Interactions
  3. Photon-Dark Matter Scattering
  4. Muon-Dark Matter Scattering
  5. Results
  6. Laser-plasma accelerators
  7. Conventional photon beams
  8. Muon collider
  9. Summary
  10. Acknowledgements

Figures (5)

  • Figure 1: Schematic illustration of the concept for detection of DM through scattering of particles from an intense particle beam.
  • Figure 2: All possible lowest order diagrams for dark matter-photon and DM-muon scattering propagated by the Higgs boson in the unitary gauge.
  • Figure 3: Differential cross-sections for $E_{\mu}=M_{H}/2$ muons (pink), 12 GeV photons(dash-dot orange) and 7 GeV photons (dash-dot-dot green) scattered on 1 TeV WIMP dark matter particles as a function of photon scattering angle in the lab frame.
  • Figure 4: Energy dependence of the photon flux(solid, left axis) and a corresponding number of scattered photons(dashed, right axis) for RAL(black), 12 GeV JLab(green) and 20 GeV JLab(orange). $M_\chi=M_{Planck}$. $I_{JLab}^{e^{-}}=5\mu A$.
  • Figure 5: Rate dependence of the beam scattering events as a function of DM mass, $M_{\chi}$ for muon collider (pink), 12 GeV JLab (green) and 20 GeV JLab(orange). Solid - for the normal conditions ($\rho_{\chi}=0.3~GeV/cm^3$, $I_{JLab}^{e^{-}}=5\mu A$, 10% RL radiator). Dashed for "lucky" conditions ($\rho_{\chi}=1000~GeV/cm^3$, $I_{JLab}^{e^{-}}=50mA$). Dotted red lines highlight 1 event per day case.