Search for a dark baryon in the $\Xi^-\rightarrow\pi^-+{\rm invisible}$ decay

TL;DR

This study searches for a hypothetical dark baryon in a rare decay process of the $\Xi^- ightarrow ext{pi}^-+ ext{invisible}$, setting upper limits on the decay probability and constraining new physics models.

Contribution

First experimental search for a dark baryon in this decay channel, providing the most stringent limits to date on related Wilson coefficients.

Findings

No significant signal observed.

Upper limits on branching fractions set at 90% and 95% confidence levels.

Constraints on Wilson coefficients surpass previous LHC limits.

Abstract

A search for a dark baryon is performed for the first time in the two-body decay $\Xi^-\rightarrow\pi^-+{\rm invisible}$ using $(10.087\pm0.044)\times10^{9}$ $J/\psi$ events collected at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}=3.097\,\mbox{GeV}$ with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider. No significant signal is observed, and the 90% (95%) confidence level upper limits on the branching fraction $B(\Xi^-\rightarrow\pi^-+{\rm invisible})$ are determined to be $4.2\times10^{-5}$ ($5.2\times10^{-5}$), $6.9\times10^{-5}$ ($8.4\times10^{-5}$), $6.5\times10^{-4}$ ($7.6\times10^{-4}$), $1.1\times10^{-4}$ ($1.3\times10^{-4}$) and $4.5\times10^{-5}$ ($5.5\times10^{-5}$), under the dark baryon mass hypotheses of 1.07$\,\mbox{GeV}/c^2$, 1.10$\,\mbox{GeV}/c^2$, $m_\Lambda$ (1.116$\,\mbox{GeV}/c^2$), 1.13$\,\mbox{GeV}/c^2$, and 1.16$\,\mbox{GeV}/c^2$, respectively. The constraints obtained on the Wilson coefficients $C_{u s, s}^L$ and $C_{u s, s}^R$ are more stringent than the previous limits derived from the LHC searches for the colored mediators.