Light new physics in coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering experiments

TL;DR

This paper explores how upcoming coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering experiments can detect new light weakly-coupled particles, like sub-GeV dark matter and neutrino-like states, surpassing current experimental limits.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of the sensitivity of proposed experiments to light dark matter and neutrino-like states mediated by light vectors or baryon number currents.

Findings

Proposed experiments can significantly improve sensitivity to light dark matter.

Experiments can detect neutrino-like states beyond current limits.

Sensitivity is enhanced with on-shell light mediators.

Abstract

Experiments aiming to detect coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering present opportunities to probe new light weakly-coupled states, such as sub-GeV mass dark matter, in several extensions of the Standard Model. These states can be produced along with neutrinos in the collisions of protons with the target, and their production rate can be enhanced if there exists a light mediator produced on-shell. We analyze the sensitivity reach of several proposed experiments to light dark matter interacting with the Standard Model via a light vector mediator coupled to the electromagnetic current. We also determine the corresponding sensitivity to massless singlet neutrino-type states with interactions mediated by the baryon number current. In both cases we observe that proposed coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering experiments, such as COHERENT at the SNS and CENNS at Fermilab, will have sensitivity well beyond the existing limits.