A Closer Look at Dark Vector Splitting Functions in Proton Bremsstrahlung

TL;DR

This paper improves the calculation of dark vector boson production via bremsstrahlung in proton collisions, using refined splitting functions and form factors, and validates the approach with experimental data.

Contribution

It introduces an enhanced method for calculating dark vector production, incorporating better splitting functions and electromagnetic form factors, and benchmarks it against experimental data.

Findings

Consistent with NA27 data for $ ho$-meson production

Improved treatment of splitting functions and form factors

Enhanced accuracy in dark vector production estimates

Abstract

High luminosity colliders and fixed target facilities using proton beams are sensitive to new weakly coupled degrees of freedom across a broad mass range. Among the various production modes, bremsstrahlung is particularly important for dark sector degrees of freedom with masses between 0.5 and 2.0 GeV, due to mixing with hadronic resonances. In this paper, we revisit the calculation of dark vector production via initial state radiation in non-single diffractive scattering, using an improved treatment of the splitting functions and timelike electromagnetic form-factors. The approach is benchmarked by applying an analogous calculation to model inclusive $\rho$-meson production, indicating consistency with data from NA27 in the relevant kinematic range.