Abstract
We calculate the rate of production of dark photons from electron-positron pair annihilation in hot and dense matter characteristic of supernova progenitors. Given the non-linear dependence of the emission rate on the dark photon mass and current astrophysical constraints on the dark photon parameter space, we focus on the mass range of 1--10 MeV. For the conditions under consideration both mixing with the in-medium photon and plasma effects on the electron dispersion relation are non-negligible and are explored in detail. We perform our calculations to the leading order in the fine-structure constant. Transverse and longitudinal photon modes are treated separately given their different dispersion relations. We consider the implications for the evolution of massive stars when dark photons decay either into particles of the standard model or of the dark sector.
Highlights
Observations of galaxy rotation curves, the motion of galaxies in clusters, the ΛCDM model of the Universe, and empirical evidence from the bullet cluster are among the many indicators of the existence of dark matter (DM) that interacts with ordinary matter through gravitational interactions [1,2,3]
Given that the dark photon is thermally produced, we focus on the mass range 1–10 MeV, which is relevant for the temperatures inside massive stars, and is unconstrained by supernova considerations [11,12]
II B we focus on dark photon emission from electron positron pair annihilation
Summary
Observations of galaxy rotation curves, the motion of galaxies in clusters, the ΛCDM model of the Universe, and empirical evidence from the bullet cluster are among the many indicators of the existence of dark matter (DM) that interacts with ordinary matter through gravitational interactions [1,2,3]. Both transverse and longitudinal photon modes exist and both mix with the dark photon. Because they have different dispersion relations, they behave differently and we study both. The purpose of this work is to revisit the emission rates and mean-free path for the dark photon for density and temperature ranges relevant for the evolution of massive stars (≳8 M⊙) and study possible implications for the unconstrained parameter space. We systematically include medium effects in calculating dark photon emission from electron positron pair annihilation in massive stars and compare the rates with those of neutrino emission. We intend to employ the rates provided here in stellar evolution calculations in subsequent works to quantify the effects of the dark photon
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