Neutron scattering and extra short range interactions

TL;DR

This paper uses neutron scattering data to set strong new limits on hypothetical short-range forces, filling a gap between collider and macroscopic force searches, and suggests ways to improve these constraints.

Contribution

It demonstrates that neutron scattering provides highly reliable constraints on short-range interactions, surpassing previous limits in the 1 pm to 5 nm range, and proposes improvements.

Findings

Constraints are several orders of magnitude better than previous ones.

Neutron scattering offers independent strategies for constraint validation.

Identifies promising methods to enhance current constraints.

Abstract

The available data on neutron scattering were analyzed to constrain a hypothetical new short-range interaction. We show that these constraints are several orders of magnitude better than those usually cited in the range between 1 pm and 5 nm. This distance range occupies an intermediate space between collider searches for strongly coupled heavy bosons and searches for new weak macroscopic forces. We emphasise the reliability of the neutron constraints in so far as they provide several independent strategies. We have identified the most promising way to improve them.