Neutron Stars with Baryon Number Violation, Probing Dark Sectors

TL;DR

This paper reviews how neutron stars can be used to constrain theories involving baryon number violation and dark sectors, motivated by the neutron lifetime anomaly, highlighting the potential of neutron star observations to probe new physics.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive review of the interplay between baryon number violation, dark sectors, and neutron star observables, expanding beyond the neutron lifetime anomaly.

Findings

Neutron star observations can constrain baryon number violating processes.

Dark sector interactions can influence neutron star properties.

Future observations may further limit or detect new physics related to baryon number violation.

Abstract

The neutron lifetime anomaly has been used to motivate the introduction of new physics with hidden-sector particles coupled to baryon number, and on which neutron stars provide powerful constraints. Although the neutron lifetime anomaly may eventually prove to be of mundane origin, we use it as motivation for a broader review of the ways that baryon number violation, be it real or apparent, and dark sectors can intertwine and how neutron star observables, both present and future, can constrain them.