Photons and Dark Photons Through Breit-Wheeler Processes

TL;DR

This paper investigates the potential for detecting dark photons via Breit-Wheeler processes in high-energy collider environments, estimating cross sections that could be comparable to neutrino interactions.

Contribution

It introduces a novel analysis of dark photon interactions through Breit-Wheeler processes and provides estimated cross sections relevant for high-energy experiments.

Findings

Estimated differential cross section for dark photon conversion is around 10^{-50} m^2.

High-energy beams like those at LHC could measure these processes.

Dark photon interactions could be comparable in magnitude to neutrino cross sections.

Abstract

A variant of quantum electrodynamics coupled to a dark photon through a kinetic mixing is studied. The analogous of the light-light diagram becomes the conversion process $\gamma'\gamma' \to \gamma \gamma$ and an expression for the differential cross section is estimated. For high energies beams, as in LHC, this differential cross section could be measurable and its magnitude would be typically similar to the total cross section of neutrinos, {\it i.e.} $\sim 10^{-50}\,{\text{m}}^2$.