Ab-initio calculation of the proton and the neutron's scalar couplings for new physics searches

TL;DR

This paper presents ab-initio lattice QCD calculations of proton and neutron scalar couplings to quarks, crucial for interpreting low-energy experiments searching for new physics like dark matter.

Contribution

It provides the first precise ab-initio determination of scalar couplings of protons and neutrons to all six quark flavors, improving accuracy for new physics searches.

Findings

Scalar couplings determined with better than 15% accuracy

Results inform dark matter detection experiments

Provides comprehensive quark contribution analysis

Abstract

Many low-energy, particle-physics experiments seek to reveal new fundamental physics by searching for very rare scattering events on atomic nuclei. The interpretation of their results requires quantifying the non-linear effects of the strong interaction on the spin-independent couplings of this new physics to protons and neutrons. Here we present a fully-controlled, ab-initio calculation of these couplings to the quarks within those constituents of nuclei. We use lattice quantum chromodynamics computations for the four lightest species of quarks and heavy-quark expansions for the remaining two. We determine each of the six quark contributions with an accuracy better than 15%. Our results are especially important for guiding and interpreting experimental searches for our universe's dark matter.