Probing the braneworld hypothesis with a neutron-shining-through-a-wall experiment

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel neutron-shining-through-a-wall experiment to test the braneworld hypothesis, aiming to detect matter swapping between our universe and a hidden extra-dimensional brane.

Contribution

It introduces an experimental setup to detect matter exchange between braneworlds, providing a new method to probe higher-dimensional theories.

Findings

Derived constraints from previous experiments.

Estimated sensitivity of the proposed detection method.

Theoretical basis for matter swapping in braneworlds.

Abstract

The possibility for our visible world to be a 3-brane embedded in a multidimensional bulk is at the heart of many theoretical edifices in high-energy physics. Probing the braneworld hypothesis is thus a major experimental challenge. Following recent theoretical works showing that matter swapping between braneworlds can occur, we propose a neutron-shining-through-a-wall experiment. We first show that an intense neutron source such as a nuclear reactor core can induce a hidden neutron flux in an adjacent hidden braneworld. We then describe how a low-background detector can detect neutrons arising from the hidden world and quantify the expected sensitivity to the swapping probability. As a proof of concept, a constraint is derived from previous experiments.