arXiv subjects

V. A. Matveev

Publications and source records attributed to V. A. Matveev.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Probing the explanation of the muon (g-2) anomaly and thermal light dark matter with the semi-visible dark photon channel

We report the results of a search for a new vector boson ($A'$) decaying into two dark matter particles $χ_1 χ_2$ of different mass. The heavier $χ_2$ particle subsequently decays to $χ_1$ and $A' \to e^- e^+$. For a sufficiently large mass splitting, this model can explain in terms of new physics the recently confirmed discrepancy observed in the muon anomalous magnetic moment at Fermilab. Remarkably, it also predicts the observed yield of thermal dark matter relic abundance. A detailed Monte-Carlo simulation was used to determine the signal yield and detection efficiency for this channel in the NA64 setup. The results were obtained re-analyzing the previous NA64 searches for an invisible decay $A'\to χ\overlineχ$ and axion-like or pseudo-scalar particles $a \to γγ$. With this method, we exclude a significant portion of the parameter space justifying the muon g-2 anomaly and being compatible with the observed dark matter relic density for $A'$ masses from 2$m_e$ up to 390 MeV and mixing parameter $ε$ between $3\times10^{-5}$ and $2\times10^{-2}$.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2021

Constraints on New Physics in the Electron g-2 from a Search for Invisible Decays of a Scalar, Pseudoscalar, Vector, and Axial Vector

We performed a search for a new generic $X$ boson, which could be a scalar ($S$), pseudoscalar ($P$), vector ($V$) or an axial vector ($A$) particle produced in the 100 GeV electron scattering off nuclei, $e^- Z \to e^- Z X$, followed by its invisible decay in the NA64 experiment at CERN. No evidence for such process was found in the full NA64 data set of $2.84\times 10^{11}$ electrons on target. We place new bounds on the $S, P, V, A$ coupling strengths to electrons, and set constraints on their contributions to the electron anomalous magnetic moment $a_e$, $|Δa_{X}| \lesssim 10^{-15} - 10^{-13}$ for the $X$ mass region $m_X\lesssim 1$ GeV. These results are an order of magnitude more sensitive compared to the current accuracy on $a_e$ from the electron $g-2$ experiments and recent high-precision determination of the fine structure constant.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2020

Search for Axionlike and Scalar Particles with the NA64 Experiment

We carried out a model-independent search for light scalar (s) and pseudoscalar axionlike (a) particles that couple to two photons by using the high-energy CERN SPS H4 electron beam. The new particles, if they exist, could be produced through the Primakoff effect in interactions of hard bremsstrahlung photons generated by 100 GeV electrons in the NA64 active dump with virtual photons provided by the nuclei of the dump. The a(s) would penetrate the downstream HCAL module, serving as shielding, and would be observed either through their $a(s)\toγγ$ decay in the rest of the HCAL detector or as events with large missing energy if the a(s) decays downstream of the HCAL. This method allows for the probing the a(s) parameter space, including those from generic axion models, inaccessible to previous experiments. No evidence of such processes has been found from the analysis of the data corresponding to $2.84\times10^{11}$ electrons on target allowing to set new limits on the $a(s)γγ$-coupling strength for a(s) masses below 55 MeV.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2020

Search for dark sector physics with NA64

The NA64 experiment consists of two detectors which are planned to be located at the electron (NA64e) and muon (NA64$μ$) beams of the CERN SPS and start operation after the LHC long-stop 2 in 2021. Its main goals include searches for dark sector physics - particularly light dark matter (LDM), visible and invisible decays of dark photons ($A'$), and new light particles that could explain the $^8$Be and $g_μ-2$ anomalies. Here we review these physics goals, the current status of NA64 including recent results and perspectives of further searches, as well as other ongoing or planned experiments in this field. The main theoretical results on LDM, the problem of the origin of the $γ-A'$ mixing term and its connection to loop corrections, possible existence of a new light $Z'$ coupled to $L_μ-L_τ$ current are also discussed.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

Improved limits on a hypothetical X(16.7) boson and a dark photon decaying into $e^+e^-$ pairs

The improved results on a direct search for a new X(16.7 MeV) boson which could explain the anomalous excess of $e^+e^-$ pairs observed in the excited 8Be nucleus decays ("Berillium anomaly") are reported. Due to its coupling to electrons, the X boson could be produced in the bremsstrahlung reaction e-Z -> e-ZX by a high-energy beam of electrons incident on active target in the NA64 experiment at the CERN SPS and observed through its subsequent decay into $e^+e^-$ pair. No evidence for such decays was found from the combined analysis of the data samples with total statistics corresponding to 8.4\times 10^{10} electrons on target collected in 2017 and 2018. This allows to set the new limits on the $X$--$e^-$ coupling in the range 1.2 \times 10^{-4} < ε_e < 6.8 \times 10^{-4}, excluding part of the parameter space favored by the Berillium anomaly. We also set new bounds on the mixing strength of photons with dark photons (A') from non-observation of the decay $A' \to e^+e^-$ of the bremsstrahlung A' with a mass below 24 MeV.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2019

Dark matter search in missing energy events with NA64

A search for sub-GeV dark matter production mediated by a new vector boson $A'$, called dark photon, is performed by the NA64 experiment in missing energy events from 100 GeV electron interactions in an active beam dump at the CERN SPS. From the analysis of the data collected in the years 2016, 2017, and 2018 with $2.84\times10^{11}$ electrons on target no evidence of such a process has been found. The most stringent constraints on the $A'$ mixing strength with photons and the parameter space for the scalar and fermionic dark matter in the mass range $\lesssim 0.2$ GeV are derived, thus demonstrating the power of the active beam dump approach for the dark matter search.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2018

Search for a Hypothetical 16.7 MeV Gauge Boson and Dark Photons in the NA64 Experiment at CERN

We report the first results on a direct search for a new 16.7 MeV boson (X) which could explain the anomalous excess of e+e- pairs observed in the excited Be-8 nucleus decays. Due to its coupling to electrons, the X could be produced in the bremsstrahlung reaction e- Z -> e- Z X by a 100 GeV e- beam incident on an active target in the NA64 experiment at the CERN SPS and observed through the subsequent decay into an e+e- pair. With 5.4\times 10^{10} electrons on target, no evidence for such decays was found, allowing to set first limits on the X-e^- coupling in the range 1.3\times 10^{-4} < ε_e < 4.2\times 10^{-4} excluding part of the allowed parameter space. We also set new bounds on the mixing strength of photons with dark photons (A') from non-observation of the decay A'->e+e- of the bremsstrahlung A' with a mass <~ 23 MeV.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2018

Search for vector mediator of Dark Matter production in invisible decay mode

A search is performed for a new sub-GeV vector boson ($A'$) mediated production of Dark Matter ($χ$) in the fixed-target experiment, NA64, at the CERN SPS. The $A'$, called dark photon, could be generated in the reaction $ e^- Z \to e^- Z A'$ of 100 GeV electrons dumped against an active target which is followed by the prompt invisible decay $A' \to χ\overlineχ$. The experimental signature of this process would be an event with an isolated electron and large missing energy in the detector. From the analysis of the data sample collected in 2016 corresponding to $4.3\times10^{10}$ electrons on target no evidence of such a process has been found. New stringent constraints on the $A'$ mixing strength with photons, $10^{-5}\lesssim ε\lesssim 10^{-2}$, for the $A'$ mass range $m_{A'} \lesssim 1$ GeV are derived. For models considering scalar and fermionic thermal Dark Matter interacting with the visible sector through the vector portal the 90% C.L. limits $10^{-11}\lesssim y \lesssim 10^{-6}$ on the dark-matter parameter $y = ε^2 α_D (\frac{m_χ}{m_{A'}})^4 $ are obtained for the dark coupling constant $α_D = 0.5$ and dark-matter masses $0.001 \lesssim m_χ\lesssim 0.5 $ GeV. The lower limits $α_D \gtrsim 10^{-3} $ for pseudo-Dirac Dark Matter in the mass region $m_χ\lesssim 0.05 $ GeV are more stringent than the corresponding bounds from beam dump experiments. The results are obtained by using tree level, exact calculations of the $A'$ production cross-sections, which turn out to be significantly smaller compared to the one obtained in the Weizsäcker-Williams approximation for the mass region $m_{A'} \gtrsim 0.1$ GeV.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2017

Performance of Multiplexed XY Resistive Micromegas detectors in a high intensity beam

We present the performance of multiplexed XY resistive Micromegas detectors tested in the CERN SPS 100 GeV/c electron beam at intensities up to 3.3 $\times$ 10$^5$ e$^- $/(s$\cdot$cm$^2$). So far, all studies with multiplexed Micromegas have only been reported for tests with radioactive sources and cosmic rays. The use of multiplexed modules in high intensity environments was not explored due to the effect of ambiguities in the reconstruction of the hit point caused by the multiplexing feature. At the beam intensities analysed in this work and with a multiplexing factor of 5, more than 50% level of ambiguity is introduced. Our results prove that by using the additional information of cluster size and integrated charge from the signal clusters induced on the XY strips, the ambiguities can be reduced to a level below 2%. The tested detectors are used in the CERN NA64 experiment for tracking the incoming particles bending in a magnetic field in order to reconstruct their momentum. The average hit detection efficiency of each module was found to be $\sim$ 96% at the highest beam intensities. By using four modules a tracking resolution of 1.1% was obtained with $\sim$ 85% combined tracking efficiency.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2017

High purity 100 GeV electron identification with synchrotron radiation

In high energy experiments such as active beam dump searches for rare decays and missing energy events, the beam purity is a crucial parameter. In this paper we present a technique to reject heavy charged particle contamination in the 100 GeV electron beam of the H4 beam line at CERN SPS. The method is based on the detection with BGO scintillators of the synchrotron radiation emitted by the electrons passing through a bending dipole magnet. A 100 GeV $π^-$ beam is used to test the method in the NA64 experiment resulting in a suppression factor of $10^{-5}$ while the efficiency for electron detection is $\sim$95%. The spectra and the rejection factors are in very good agreement with the Monte Carlo simulation. The reported suppression factors are significantly better than previously achieved.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2016

Search for invisible decays of sub-GeV dark photons in missing-energy events at the CERN SPS

We report on a direct search for sub-GeV dark photons (A') which might be produced in the reaction e^- Z \to e^- Z A' via kinetic mixing with photons by 100 GeV electrons incident on an active target in the NA64 experiment at the CERN SPS. The A's would decay invisibly into dark matter particles resulting in events with large missing energy. No evidence for such decays was found with 2.75\cdot 10^{9} electrons on target. We set new limits on the γ-A' mixing strength and exclude the invisible A' with a mass < 100 MeV as an explanation of the muon g_μ-2 anomaly.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2016

Search for $Θ^+(1540)$ emission in hadron--nucleus collisions at 400--700 GeV

The data on hadron--nucleus collisions at 400--700 GeV, collected by the SELEX experiment at Fermilab, are analyzed for formation of the exotic pentaquark baryon $Θ^+(1540)$. A narrow enhancement near 1539 MeV is observed in the mass spectrum of the $pK^0_S$ system emitted at small $x_F$ from hadron collisions with copper nuclei. The statistical significance of the peak is near 9 standard deviations. Fitted width of the observed $pK^0_S$ resonance is consistent with being entirely due to experimental resolution, and its intrinsic width is restricted to $Γ< 3$ MeV at 90\% CL. The data favor positive rather than negative strangeness for the $pK^0_S$ resonance observed in $h$Cu collisions. At the same time, the $pK^0_S$ mass spectrum for collisions in carbon is featureless. The yield of $Θ^+$ baryons per $h$C collision is restricted to be $< 24$\% of the yield per $h$Cu collision.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2016

Angular distribution in s-channel formation of the pentaquark $Θ^+$ baryon

Using the DIANA data on the charge-exchange reaction $K^+n \rightarrow pK^0$ on a bound neutron, in which the s-channel formation of the pentaquark baryon $Θ^+(1538)$ has been observed, we analyze the dependence of the background-subtracted $Θ^+ \rightarrow pK^0$ signal on the $K^0$ emission angle in the $pK^0$ rest frame. In order to describe the observed $\cosΘ_K^\mathrm{cms}$ distribution, invoking the interference between the nonresonant s-wave and the $Θ^+$-mediated higher-wave contributions to the amplitude of the charge-exchange reaction is required at a 2.8$σ$ level. The spin--parity assignment of 1/2$^-$ for the $Θ^+$ baryon is ruled out at a statistical level of 2.9 standard deviations. A physically-meaningful selection in $\cosΘ_K^\mathrm{cms}$ based on the observed angular dependence of the $Θ^+ \rightarrow pK^0$ signal allows to boost the statistical significance of the signal up to 7.1 standard deviations. This is far in excess of previously reported signals and renders the $Θ^+$ existence more credible.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2015

Muon g-2 and searches for a new leptophobic sub-GeV dark boson in a missing-energy experiment at CERN

The 3.6 σdiscrepancy between the predicted and measured values of the anomalous magnetic moment of positive muons can be explained by the existence of a new dark boson Z_μwith a mass in the sub-GeV range, which is coupled predominantly to the second and third lepton generations through the L_μ- L_τcurrent . After a discussion of the present phenomenological bounds on the Z_μcoupling, we show that if the Z_μexists, it could be observed in the reaction μ+Z \to μ+Z+Z_μof a muon scattering off nuclei by looking for an excess of events with large missing muon beam energy in a detector due to the prompt bremsstrahlung Z_μdecay Z_μ\to ννinto a couple of neutrinos. We describe the experimental technique and the preliminary study of the feasibility for the proposed search. We show that this specific signal allows for a the search for the Z_μwith a sensitivity in the coupling constant α_μ> 10^{-11}, which is 3 orders of magnitude higher than the value required to explain the discrepancy. We point out that the availability of high-energy and -intensity muon beams at CERN SPS provides a unique opportunity to either discover or rule out the Z_μin the proposed search in the near future. The experiment is based on the missing-energy approach developed for the searches for invisible decays of dark photons and (pseudo)scalar mesons at CERN and is complementary to these experiments.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2015

On detection of narrow angle e+e- pairs from dark photon decays

A class of models of dark sectors consider new very weak interaction between the ordinary and dark matter transmitted by U'(1) gauge bosons A' (dark photons) mixing with our photons. If such A's exist, they could be searched for in a light-shining-through-a-wall experiment with a high energy electron beam from the CERN SPS. The proposed search scheme suggests detection of the e+e- pairs produced in the A' -> e+e- decay with a very small opening angle. Coordinate chambers based on the thin-wall drift tubes with a minimal material budget and a two-hit resolution for e+ and e- tracks separated by more than 0.5 mm are considered as an option for detecting such pairs.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2014

Observation of a narrow baryon resonance with positive strangeness formed in $K^+$Xe collisions

The charge-exchange reaction K^+ Xe --> K^0 p Xe' is investigated using the data of the DIANA experiment. The distribution of the pK^0 effective mass shows a prominent enhancement near 1538 MeV formed by \sim 80 events above the background, whose width is consistent with being entirely due to the experimental resolution. Under the selections based on a simulation of K^+Xe collisions, the statistical significance of the signal reaches 5.5σ. We interpret this observation as strong evidence for formation of a pentaquark baryon with positive strangeness, Θ^+(uudd\bar{s}), in the charge-exchange reaction K^+ n --> K^0 p on a bound neutron. The mass of the Θ^+ baryon is measured as m(Θ^+) = 1538+-2 MeV. Using the ratio between the numbers of resonant and non-resonant charge-exchange events in the peak region, the intrinsic width of this baryon resonance is determined as Γ(Θ^+) = 0.34+-0.10 MeV.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2014

Annihilation of low energy antiprotons in silicon

The goal of the AE$\mathrm{\bar{g}}$IS experiment at the Antiproton Decelerator (AD) at CERN, is to measure directly the Earth's gravitational acceleration on antimatter. To achieve this goal, the AE$\mathrm{\bar{g}}$IS collaboration will produce a pulsed, cold (100 mK) antihydrogen beam with a velocity of a few 100 m/s and measure the magnitude of the vertical deflection of the beam from a straight path. The final position of the falling antihydrogen will be detected by a position sensitive detector. This detector will consist of an active silicon part, where the annihilations take place, followed by an emulsion part. Together, they allow to achieve 1$%$ precision on the measurement of $\bar{g}$ with about 600 reconstructed and time tagged annihilations. We present here, to the best of our knowledge, the first direct measurement of antiproton annihilation in a segmented silicon sensor, the first step towards designing a position sensitive silicon detector for the AE$\mathrm{\bar{g}}$IS experiment. We also present a first comparison with Monte Carlo simulations (GEANT4) for antiproton energies below 5 MeV

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2013

Proposal for an Experiment to Search for Light Dark Matter at the SPS

Several models of dark matter suggest the existence of dark sectors consisting of SU(3)_C x SU(2)_L x U(1)_Y singlet fields. These sectors of particles do not interact with the ordinary matter directly but could couple to it via gravity. In addition to gravity, there might be another very weak interaction between the ordinary and dark matter mediated by U'(1) gauge bosons A' (dark photons) mixing with our photons. In a class of models the corresponding dark gauge bosons could be light and have the $γ$-A' coupling strength laying in the experimentally accessible and theoretically interesting region. If such A' mediators exist, their di-electron decays A' -> e+e- could be searched for in a light-shining-through-a-wall experiment looking for an excess of events with the two-shower signature generated by a single high energy electron in the detector. A proposal to perform such an experiment aiming to probe the still unexplored area of the mixing strength 10^-5 < $ε$ < 10^-3 and masses M_A' < 100 MeV by using 10-300 GeV electron beams from the CERN SPS is presented. The experiment can provide complementary coverage of the parameter space, which is intended to be probed by other searches. It has also a capability for a sensitive search for A's decaying invisibly to dark-sector particles, such as dark matter, which could cover a significant part of the still allowed parameter space. The full running time of the proposed measurements is requested to be up to several months, and it could be taken at different SPS secondary beams.

hep-ex↗