CERN Accelerating science

Preprint
Report number	arXiv:2409.10128 ; CERN-EP-2024-236
Title	Shedding light on Dark Sectors with high-energy muons at the NA64 experiment at the CERN SPS
Author(s)	Andreev, Yu.M. (Unlisted) ; Banerjee, D. (CERN) ; Banto Oberhauser, B. (Zurich, ETH) ; Bernhard, J. (CERN) ; Bisio, P. (Kobe U. ; INFN, Genoa) ; Charitonidis, N. (CERN) ; Crivelli, P. (Zurich, ETH) ; Depero, E. (Zurich, ETH) ; Dermenev, A.V. (Unlisted) ; Donskov, S.V. (Unlisted) ; Dusaev, R.R. (Unlisted) ; Enik, T. (Unlisted) ; Frolov, V.N. (Unlisted) ; Gardikiotis, A. (Patras U.) ; Gertsenberger, S.V. (Unlisted) ; Girod, S. (CERN) ; Gninenko, S.N. (Unlisted ; Unlisted, CL) ; Hösgen, M. (Bonn U., HISKP) ; Joosten, R. (Bonn U.) ; Kachanov, V.A. (Unlisted) ; Kambar, Y. (Unlisted) ; Karneyeu, A.E. (Unlisted) ; Kasianova, E.A. (Unlisted) ; Kekelidze, G. (Unlisted) ; Ketzer, B. (Bonn U., HISKP) ; Kirpichnikov, D.V. (Unlisted) ; Kirsanov, M.M. (Unlisted) ; Kolosov, V.N. (Unlisted) ; Kramarenko, V.A. (Unlisted ; Unlisted) ; Kravchuk, L.V. (Unlisted) ; Krasnikov, N.V. (Unlisted ; Unlisted) ; Kuleshov, S.V. (Unlisted, CL ; Chile U., Santiago) ; Lyubovitskij, V.E. (Unlisted ; Santa Maria U., Valparaiso ; Chile U., Santiago) ; Lysan, V. (Unlisted) ; Matveev, V.A. (Unlisted) ; Fredes, R. Mena (Chile U., Santiago ; Santa Maria U., Valparaiso) ; Yanssen, R.G. Mena (Chile U., Santiago ; Santa Maria U., Valparaiso) ; Bueno, L. Molina (Valencia U., IFIC) ; Mongillo, M. (Zurich, ETH) ; Peshekhonov, D.V. (Unlisted) ; Polyakov, V.A. (Unlisted) ; Radics, B. (York U., Canada) ; Salamatin, K.M. (Unlisted) ; Samoylenko, V.D. (Unlisted) ; Shchukin, D.A. (Unlisted) ; Soto, O. (La Serena U. ; Chile U., Santiago) ; Sieber, H. (Zurich, ETH) ; Tikhomirov, V.O. (Unlisted) ; Tlisova, I.V. (Unlisted) ; Toropin, A.N. (Unlisted) ; Tuzi, M. (Valencia U., IFIC) ; Veit, B.M. (Mainz U., Inst. Phys.) ; Volkov, P.V. (Unlisted) ; Volkov, V.Yu. (Unlisted) ; Voronchikhin, I.V. (Unlisted) ; Zamora-Saá, J. (Unlisted, CL ; Chile U., Santiago) ; Zhevlakov, A.S. (Unlisted)
Corporate author(s)	The NA64 collaboration
Publication	2024
Collaboration	NA64
Imprint	10 Sep 2024
Number of pages	24
Note	24 pages, 22 figures
Subject category	Particle Physics - Experiment
Accelerator/Facility, Experiment	CERN SPS ; NA64
Keywords	exotics ; particle and resonance production ; experimental results ; Dark Matter ; Dark Sectors ; Fixed target experiment ; Muon beam
Abstract	A search for Dark Sectors is performed using the unique M2 beam line at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron. New particles ($X$) could be produced in the bremsstrahlung-like reaction of high energy 160 GeV muons impinging on an active target, $\mu N\rightarrow\mu NX$, followed by their decays, $X\rightarrow\text{invisible}$. The experimental signature would be a scattered single muon from the target, with about less than half of its initial energy and no activity in the sub-detectors located downstream the interaction point. The full sample of the 2022 run is analyzed through the missing energy/momentum channel, with a total statistics of $(1.98\pm0.02)\times10^{10}$ muons on target. We demonstrate that various muon-philic scenarios involving different types of mediators, such as scalar or vector particles, can be probed simultaneously with such a technique. For the vector-case, besides a $L_\mu-L_\tau$ $Z'$ vector boson, we also consider an invisibly decaying dark photon ($A'\rightarrow\text{invisible}$). This search is complementary to NA64 running with electrons and positrons, thus, opening the possibility to expand the exploration of the thermal light dark matter parameter space by combining the results obtained with the three beams.
Other source	Inspire
Copyright/License	Preprint: © 2024 CERN (License: CC-BY-4.0)
Submitted by	[email protected]