Ultra cold neutron trap as a tool to search for dark matter with long-range radius of forces

TL;DR

This paper explores using ultracold neutron traps to detect dark matter particles with long-range forces by measuring tiny recoil energies, providing new constraints on interaction parameters and potential accumulation mechanisms.

Contribution

It introduces a novel application of ultracold neutron traps for dark matter detection and establishes constraints on long-range interaction parameters and dark matter density on Earth.

Findings

Constraints on interaction potential parameters for dark matter-neutron interactions

Evaluation of long-range dark matter accumulation on Earth's surface

Discussion of initial experimental results on ultracold neutron storage time variation

Abstract

The problem of possible application of an ultracold neutron (UCN) trap as a detector of dark matter particles with long-range radius of forces has been considered. Transmission of small recoil energy in scattering is a characteristic of long-range forces. The main advantage of the ultracold neutron technique lies in possibility of detecting recoil energy as small as $10^{-7}$ eV. Here are presented constraints on the interaction potential parameters: $U(r)=a r^{-1} e^{-r/\lambda}$ for dark matter particles and neutrons, as well as on the density value of long-range dark matter on the Earth. The possible mechanism of accumulation of long-range dark matter on the Earth surface is considered and the factor of density increase on the Earth surface is evaluated. The results of the first experiment on search of astronomical day variation of ultracold neutron storage time are under discussion.