Novel approach to investigate ATOMKI anomaly using Coherent CAPTAIN-Mills detectors

TL;DR

This paper proposes using Coherent CAPTAIN-Mills liquid argon detectors to search for a hypothesized 17 MeV boson related to the ATOMKI anomaly, exploring new detection methods and parameter space coverage.

Contribution

It introduces a novel experimental approach utilizing CCM detectors to investigate the ATOMKI anomaly and predicts enhanced sensitivity with larger detectors.

Findings

CCM detectors can probe significant parts of the anomaly-allowed parameter space.

Predictions show increased sensitivity with 100-ton LAr and 5-ton EOS water detectors.

The approach offers a new pathway to detect the proposed BSM boson.

Abstract

ATOMKI nuclear anomaly has suggested a new BSM (Beyond the Standard Model) boson with mass $\sim17$ MeV emitted from excited nuclei and quickly decays into a pair of $e^+e^-$. In order to search for the new particle, we propose a new approach that utilizes the ongoing Coherent CAPTAIN-Mills (CCM) 10-ton LAr (liquid argon) detectors. The neutrons from the Lujan target can scatter inelastically by the PMT glass in the CCM detector can produce the new boson which solves the ATOMKI anomaly. The new boson can be detected from its decay to a $e^+e^-$ pair. We find that CCM probes a large area of the anomaly-allowable parameter space. We also show the prediction for a 100-ton LAr detector and 5-ton EOS water detector.