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Register a new userSearch for dark matter decay of the free neutron from the UCNA experiment: n $rightarrow chi + e^+e^-$
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It has been proposed recently that a previously unobserved neutron decay branch to a dark matter particle ($chi$) could account for the discrepancy in the neutron lifetime observed in experiments that use two different measurement techniques. One of the possible final states discussed includes a single $chi$ along with an $e^{+}e^{-}$ pair. We use data from the UCNA (Ultracold Neutron Asymmetry) experiment to set limits on this decay channel. Coincident electron-like events are detected with $sim 4pi$ acceptance using a pair of detectors that observe a volume of stored Ultracold Neutrons (UCNs). The summed kinetic energy ($E_{e^{+}e^{-}}$) from such events is used to set limits, as a function of the $chi$ mass, on the branching fraction for this decay channel. For $chi$ masses consistent with resolving the neutron lifetime discrepancy, we exclude this as the dominant dark matter decay channel at $gg~5sigma$ level for $100~text{keV} < E_{e^{+}e^{-}} < 644~text{keV}$. If the $chi+e^{+}e^{-}$ final state is not the only one, we set limits on its branching fraction of $< 10^{-4}$ for the above $E_{e^{+}e^{-}}$ range at $> 90%$ confidence level.
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Discrepancies from in-beam and in-bottle type experiments measuring the neutron lifetime are on the 4$sigma$ standard deviation level. In a recent publication Fornal and Grinstein proposed that the puzzle could be solved if the neutron would decay on the one percent level via a dark decay mode, one possible branch being $n rightarrow chi + e^+ e^-$. With data from the perkeoII experiment we set limits on the branching fraction and exclude a one percent contribution for $95,%$ of the allowed mass range for the dark matter particle.
The UCNA experiment was designed to measure the neutron $beta$-asymmetry parameter $A_0$ using polarized ultracold neutrons (UCN). UCN produced via downscattering in solid deuterium were polarized via transport through a 7 T magnetic field, and then directed to a 1 T solenoidal electron spectrometer, where the decay electrons were detected in electron detector packages located on the two ends of the spectrometer. A value for $A_0$ was then extracted from the asymmetry in the numbers of counts in the two detector packages. We summarize all of the results from the UCNA experiment, obtained during run periods in 2007, 2008--2009, 2010, and 2011--2013, which ultimately culminated in a 0.67% precision result for $A_0$.
In a recent paper submitted to Physical Review Letters, Fornal and Grinstein have suggested that the discrepancy between two different methods of neutron lifetime measurements, the beam and bottle methods can be explained by a previously unobserved dark matter decay mode, n$rightarrow$ X+$gamma$ where X is a dark matter particle. We have performed a search for this decay mode over the allowed range of energies of the monoenergetic gamma ray for X to be a dark matter particle. We exclude the possibility of a sufficiently strong branch to explain the lifetime discrepancy with greater than 4 sigma confidence.
A sensitivity of the VEPP-2000 $e^+e^-$ collider in a search for the rare decay $eta rightarrow e^+ e^-$ has been studied. The inverse reaction $e^+ e^- rightarrow eta$ is proposed for this search. We have analyzed a data sample with an integrated luminosity of 108 nb$^{-1}$ collected with the SND detector in the center-of-mass energy range 520-580 MeV and found no background events for the reaction $e^+ e^- rightarrow eta$ in the decay mode $etatopi^0pi^0pi^0$. In the absence of background, a sensitivity to ${cal B}(eta rightarrow e^+ e^-)$ of $10^{-6}$ can be reached during two weeks of VEPP-2000 operation. Such a sensitivity is better than the current upper limit on ${cal B}(eta rightarrow e^+ e^-)$ by a factor of 2.3.
A search for the rare radiative leptonic decay $D_s^+togamma e^+ u_e$ is performed for the first time using electron-positron collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.19 fb$^{-1}$, collected with the BESIII detector at a center-of-mass energy of 4.178 GeV. No evidence for the $D_s^+togamma e^+ u_e$ decay is seen and an upper limit of $mathcal B(D_s^+togamma e^+ u_e)<1.3times 10^{-4}$ is set on the partial branching fraction at a 90% confidence level for radiative photon energies $E_{gamma}^*>0.01$~GeV.
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