Abstract
Dark photons are hypothetical massive vector particles that could mix with ordinary photons. The simplest theoretical model is fully characterised by only two parameters: the mass of the dark photon m_{gamma ^{mathrm {D}}} and its mixing parameter with the photon, varepsilon . The sensitivity of the SHiP detector is reviewed for dark photons in the mass range between 0.002 and 10 GeV. Different production mechanisms are simulated, with the dark photons decaying to pairs of visible fermions, including both leptons and quarks. Exclusion contours are presented and compared with those of past experiments. The SHiP detector is expected to have a unique sensitivity for m_{gamma ^{mathrm {D}}} ranging between 0.8 and 3.3^{+0.2}_{-0.5} GeV, and varepsilon ^2 ranging between 10^{-11} and 10^{-17}.
Highlights
The CERN beam facility located near Geneva, Switzerland, comprises several particle accelerators among which the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) [1]
The sensitivity of the SHiP detector in the minimal dark photon model with decays to charged particles is given in Sect. 4 for the three production modes studied
The simulation is done within FairShip, which is based on the FairRoot framework [30]
Summary
The CERN beam facility located near Geneva, Switzerland, comprises several particle accelerators among which the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) [1]. The SPS is an essential part of the accelerator chain delivering 400 GeV proton beams to the LHC and to fixed-target experiments. The BDF foresees the full exploitation of the SPS accelerator, which with its present performance could allow the delivery of up to 4×1019 protons on target per year, while respecting the beam requirements of the HL-LHC and maintaining the operation of the existing SPS beam facilities. After describing briefly the SHiP detector and its simulation, the model considered for the dark photon production and decay is reviewed in Sect. 3. The sensitivity of the SHiP detector in the minimal dark photon model with decays to charged particles is given in Sect.
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