GeV-scale dark matter: production at the Main Injector

TL;DR

This paper investigates the potential for detecting GeV-scale dark matter produced at Fermilab's Main Injector, focusing on signals in neutrino detectors that could reveal interactions mediated by a GeV-scale Z' boson.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach to search for dark matter via fixed target collisions and assesses the sensitivity of existing and future neutrino detectors to such signals.

Findings

Dark matter production can be significant at the Main Injector for certain gauge couplings.

Current detectors like NOvA can probe parts of the parameter space consistent with experimental constraints.

Future detectors like LBNF will enhance sensitivity to dark matter signals.

Abstract

Assuming that dark matter particles interact with quarks via a GeV-scale mediator, we study dark matter production in fixed target collisions. The ensuing signal in a neutrino near detector consists of neutral-current events with an energy distribution peaked at higher values than the neutrino background. We find that for a $Z'$ boson of mass around a few GeV that decays to dark matter particles, the dark matter beam produced by the Main Injector at Fermilab allows the exploration of a range of values for the gauge coupling that currently satisfy all experimental constraints. The NO$\nu$A detector is well positioned for probing the presence of a dark matter beam, while future LBNF near-detectors would provide more sensitive probes.