arXiv subjects

A. Cheek

Publications and source records attributed to A. Cheek.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Neutrino NSI in archaeological Pb

Dark matter direct detection experiments can observe solar neutrinos via coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering, making it possible to test new physics in the neutrino sector. In this article, we study the sensitivity of RES-NOVA, a novel cryogenic calorimetric experiment employing PbWO$_4$ crystals grown from archaeological lead, to neutrino non-standard interactions (NSI). We perform a sensitivity study for a benchmark setup with a nominal energy threshold of 1 keV and an exposure of 1 ton$\cdot$y, both for a conservative (only heat readout) and ideal (heat and scintillation) background rejection scenario. We find that, in its nominal configuration, while not being sensitive to Standard Model solar $\nu$ interactions, RES-NOVA can reach sensitivities to NSI at the level of current global fits. With moderate or significant improvements of the threshold down to $0.5$ keV and $0.2$ keV, RES-NOVA will be able to achieve sensitivities beyond NSI global fit results, testing new areas of the parameter space in the electron and tau sectors, $\varepsilon_{ee}$, $\varepsilon_{\tau\tau}$, and $\varepsilon_{e\tau}$. A similar improvement in sensitivities is expected when instead increasing the exposure to 10 ton$\cdot$y.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

Towards detecting super-GeV dark matter via annihilation to neutrinos

The next generation of neutrino telescopes will feature unprecedented sensitivities in the detection of neutrinos. Here we study the capabilities of a large-scale neutrino telescope, like the fully-operating KM3NeT experiment in the near future, for detecting dark matter annihilation signals from the Galactic Centre. We consider both ORCA and ARCA detectors, covering dark matter masses from a few GeV to 100 TeV. We obtain the sensitivities with a maximum-likelihood analysis method and present them as upper limits in the thermally averaged annihilation cross-section into Standard Model fermions. Our projections show that the sensitivity of such a neutrino telescope can reach the thermal relic line for $m_{\chi}\gtrsim 1\,{\rm TeV}$ and for $m_\chi \simeq$ few GeV, for the NFW dark matter density profile. This demonstrates that ORCA- and ARCA-like detectors will be able to perform competitive dark matter searches in a wide range of masses. The implications of these striking projections are investigated in a few selected dark matter particle models, where we show that neutrino telescopes are able to probe new parameter space.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

Confirming $U(1)_{L_\mu-L_{\tau}}$ as a solution for $(g-2)_\mu$ with neutrinos

The recent measurement of the muon anomalous magnetic moment by the Fermilab E989 experiment, when combined with the previous result at BNL, has confirmed the tension with the SM prediction at $4.2\,\sigma$ CL, strengthening the motivation for new physics in the leptonic sector. Among the different particle physics models that could account for such an excess, a gauged $U(1)_{L_\mu-L_{\tau}}$ stands out for its simplicity. In this article, we explore how the combination of data from different future probes can help identify the nature of the new physics behind the muon anomalous magnetic moment. In particular, we contrast $U(1)_{L_\mu-L_{\tau}}$ with an effective $U(1)_{L_\mu}$-type model. We first show that muon fixed target experiments (such as NA64$\mu$) will be able to measure the coupling of the hidden photon to the muon sector in the region compatible with $(g-2)_\mu$, and will have some sensitivity to the hidden photon's mass. We then study how experiments looking for coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CE$\nu$NS) at spallation sources will provide crucial additional information on the kinetic mixing of the hidden photon. When combined with NA64$\mu$ results, the exclusion limits (or reconstructed regions) of future CE$\nu$NS detectors will also allow for a better measurement of the mediator mass. Finally, the observation of nuclear recoils from solar neutrinos in dark matter direct detection experiments will provide unique information about the coupling of the hidden photon to the tau sector. The signal expected for $U(1)_{L_\mu-L_{\tau}}$ is larger than for $U(1)_{L_\mu}$ with the same kinetic mixing, and future multi-ton liquid xenon proposals (such as DARWIN) have the potential to confirm the former over the latter.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

Robust Limits from Upcoming Neutrino Telescopes and Implications on Minimal Dark Matter Models

Experimental developments in neutrino telescopes are drastically improving their ability to constrain the annihilation cross-section of dark matter. In this paper, we employ an angular power spectrum analysis method to probe the galactic and extra-galactic dark matter signals with neutrino telescopes. We first derive projections for a next generation of neutrino telescope that is inspired by KM3NeT. We emphasise that such analysis is much less sensitive to the choice of dark matter density profile. Remarkably, the projected sensitivity is improved by more than an order of magnitude with respect to the existing limits obtained by assuming the Burkert dark matter density profile describing the galactic halo. Second, we analyse minimal extensions to the Standard Model that will be maximally probed by the next generation of neutrino telescopes. As benchmark scenarios, we consider Dirac dark matter in $s$- and $t$-channel models with vector and scalar mediators. We follow a global approach by examining all relevant complementary experimental constraints. We find that neutrino telescopes will be able to competitively probe significant portions of parameter space. Interestingly, the anomaly-free $L_{\mu}-L_{\tau}$ model can potentially be explored in regions where the relic abundance is achieved through freeze-out mechanism.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

B anomalies and dark matter: a complex connection

We study an extension of the Standard Model that addresses the hints of lepton flavour universality violation observed in $B\to K^{(*)} l^+l^-$ decays at LHCb, while providing a viable candidate for dark matter. The model incorporates two new scalar fields and a Majorana fermion that induce one-loop contributions to $B$ meson decays. We show that agreement with observational data requires the new couplings to be complex and that the Majorana fermion can reproduce the observed dark matter relic density. This combination of cosmological and flavour constraints sets an upper limit on the dark matter and mediator masses. We have studied LHC dijet and dilepton searches, finding that they rule out large regions of parameter space by setting lower bounds on the dark matter and mediator masses. In particular, dilepton bounds are much more constraining in a future high-luminosity phase. Finally, we have computed the scattering cross section of dark matter off nuclei and compared it to the sensitivity of current and future direct detection experiments, showing that parts of the parameter space could be accessible in the future to multi-ton experiments. Future collider and direct DM searches complement each other to probe large areas of the parameter space of this model.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2018

Surrogate Models for Direct Dark Matter Detection

In this work we introduce RAPIDD, a surrogate model that speeds up the computation of the expected spectrum of dark matter particles in direct detection experiments. RAPIDD replaces the exact calculation of the dark matter differential rate (which in general involves up to three nested integrals) with a much faster parametrization in terms of ordinary polynomials of the dark matter mass and couplings, obtained in an initial training phase. In this article, we validate our surrogate model on the multi-dimensional parameter space resulting from the effective field theory description of dark matter interactions with nuclei, including also astrophysical uncertainties in the description of the dark matter halo. As a concrete example, we use this tool to study the complementarity of different targets to discriminate simplified dark matter models. We demonstrate that RAPIDD is fast and accurate, and particularly well-suited to explore a multi-dimensional parameter space, such as the one in effective field theory approach, and scans with a large number of evaluations.

hep-ph↗