Dineutron decay into sterile antineutrinos in neutron stars and its observable consequences

Abstract

In some extensions of the Standard Model (SM), two neutrons are allowed to decay into two sterile antineutrinos ($nn\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\overline{\ensuremath{\chi}}\overline{\ensuremath{\chi}}$) via new scalar bosons. This process violates both the baryon number ($\mathcal{B}$) and the lepton number ($\mathcal{L}$) by two units but conserves their difference $(\mathcal{B}\ensuremath{-}\mathcal{L})$. Neutron stars contain a large number of neutrons, and thus the $nn\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\overline{\ensuremath{\chi}}\overline{\ensuremath{\chi}}$ process can be greatly enhanced inside a neutron star. This process could result in nontrivial effects that are different from the SM predictions and can be explored through astrophysical and laboratory observations. Furthermore, a large number of sterile antineutrinos, which may be dark matter candidates, can be emitted from the interior of the neutron star. The properties of the emitted particles show a particular pattern that can be uniquely determined by the mass and radius of the neutron star. In addition, the dineutron decay may contribute to the orbital-period change of the binary systems containing neutron stars. We analyze the possibility of constraining the mass of the new scalar bosons using the observations of the binary's orbital-period changes. It is found that the mass of the new scalar bosons is roughly restricted in the range from 1 TeV to several TeV, which is possibly within the reach of direct searches at the LHC or future high-energy experiments. The joint analysis which combines the astrophysics and particle phenomenology could provide an excellent opportunity for the study of the new physical effects beyond the SM.