Intermediate Mass Region Research Articles

Dark matter from anomaly cancellation at the LHC

We discuss a class of theories that predict a fermionic dark matter candidate from gauge anomaly cancellation. As an explicit example, we study the predictions in theories where the global symmetry associated with baryon number is promoted to a local gauge symmetry. In this context, the symmetry-breaking scale has to be below the multi-TeV scale in order to be in agreement with the cosmological constraints on the dark matter relic density. The new physical “Cucuyo” Higgs boson in the theory has very interesting properties, decaying mainly into two photons in the low mass region, and mainly into dark matter in the intermediate mass region. We study the most important signatures at the Large Hadron Collider, evaluating the experimental bounds. We discuss the correlation between the dark matter relic density, direct detection, and collider constraints. We find that these theories are still viable and are susceptible to being probed in current, and future high-luminosity, running. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

CDF-II W-boson mass anomaly in the canonical Scotogenic neutrino–dark matter model

The CDF-II collaboration’s recent high-precision measurement of [Formula: see text]-boson mass indicates new physics contribution(s) beyond the Standard Model. We investigate the possibility of the well-known canonical Scotogenic model to explain the CDF-II measurement. The Scotogenic model is a popular scenario beyond the Standard Model that induces neutrino masses at the one-loop level and includes a viable dark matter candidate, either scalar or fermionic. For both scalar and fermionic dark matter possibilities, we simultaneously examine the constraints coming from (a) neutrino mass, oscillation, neutrinoless double beta decay and lepton flavor violation experiments, (b) from LEP and LHC, (c) from dark matter relic density and direct detection experiments, (d) from the oblique [Formula: see text] parameter values consistent with CDF-II [Formula: see text]-boson measurement. We demonstrate that the new CDF-II measurement rules out the feasible parameter space of the scalar dark matter in the high mass regions ([Formula: see text]), while still allowing the intermediate mass regions [Formula: see text]. We also showed that the fermionic dark matter candidate in the canonical Scotogenic model, in the range [Formula: see text], can simultaneously explain all the aforementioned issues. Furthermore, we investigated how the recent findings from ATLAS 2023 impact this study.

A new viable mass region of dark matter and dirac neutrino mass generation in a scotogenic extension of SM

In this paper, we propose a scotogenic extension of the Standard Model (SM) which can provide a scalar dark matter (DM) candidate in the new, theoretically previously unaddressed, intermediate region ([Formula: see text][Formula: see text]GeV) and also generate light Dirac neutrino masses. In this framework, the SM is extended by three gauge singlet fermions, two singlet scalar fields and one additional scalar doublet along with a continuous global symmetry [Formula: see text] and discrete symmetries [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. These additional symmetries prevent the singlet fermions from obtaining Majorana mass terms along with providing the stability to the DM candidate. It is known that in the case of the scalar singlet DM model, the only region which is not yet excluded is a narrow region close to the Higgs resonance [Formula: see text] — others ruled out from different experimental and theoretical bounds. In the case of the inert doublet model, the mass region ([Formula: see text]–80[Formula: see text]GeV) and the high-mass region (heavier than 550[Formula: see text]GeV) are allowed. This motivates us to explore a parameter range in the intermediate-mass region [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]GeV, which we do in a scotogenic extension of SM with a scalar doublet and scalar singlets. The DM in our model is a mixture of singlet and doublet scalars, in the freeze-out scenario. We constrain the allowed parameter space of the model using the Planck bound on present DM relic abundance, neutrino mass and the latest bound on spin-independent DM-nucleon scattering cross-section from the XENON1T experiment. Further, we constrain the DM parameters from the indirect detection bounds arising from the global analysis of the Fermi-LAT observations of dwarf spheroidal satellite (dSphs) galaxies, Higgs invisible decay and Electroweak Precision Test (EWPT) as well. We find that our model findings may provide a viable DM candidate satisfying all the constraints on DM parameters in the new, previously unexplored mass range ([Formula: see text][Formula: see text]GeV). This new window for the DM candidate could be searched in future experiments along with an explanation of the Dirac mass of neutrinos since so far there is no strong evidence in support of the Majorana nature of neutrino mass.

New calculation of semiexclusive axionlike particle production at the LHC

We present a new calculation of axionlike particle (ALP) production in the semiexclusive photon-initiated (PI) channel, that is either with intact outgoing protons or rapidity gaps present in the final state, and with no color flow between the colliding LHC protons. This is the first full treatment of this process, accounting for both the possibility of proton dissociation and the survival factor probability of no additional proton-proton interactions, including its kinematic and process dependence. We present the expected event yields in the case that either one or both protons are required to be registered in the forward proton detectors installed in association with ATLAS and CMS. We find that this process can be sensitive to currently unprobed regions of ALP mass and ALP-photon coupling, in particular in the intermediate mass region. Our calculation is provided in the publicly available superchic 4 Monte Carlo (MC) generator, and can be passed to a general purpose MC for showering and hadronization of the final state.

Hidden Companions Detected by Asteroseismology. II. A Long-period Noneclipsing Binary System Revealed by Kepler and TESS

The detection of long-period binary stars containing a δ Scuti variable is helpful to study the formation and evolution of binaries in the intermediate-mass region. The phase modulation and the frequency modulation caused by the light travel effect make it possible to find such systems that are hard to be detected by other methods. In this paper, we combined Kepler and TESS data to extend the observation span to more than 12 yr. Time-frequency analysis was applied on some δ Scuti variables observed by both Kepler and TESS. After careful phase modulation analysis, we succeeded in detecting a binary system with an orbital period as long as 3924 days. The 525 s light travel time along the line of sight indicates that the hidden companion of KIC 3440495 is a stellar object. To date, it is the longest-period binary confirmed by the phase modulation method. The method described in this article can be applied to more Kepler and TESS pulsating variables in the future.

Production of e+e− in proton-lead collision: Photon-photon fusion

We analyze the photon-initiated processes for production of $ e ^ + e ^- $ pairs in proton-nucleus collisions at LHC energy, taking into account both elastic processes and proton dissociations in the low-mass region (LMR) and intermediate-mass region (IMR) as defined by the ALICE collaboration. The calculations are performed within the $k_{\rm T}$-factorisation approach, including transverse momenta of intermediate photons. We discuss several differential distributions in invariant mass of both the leptons $M_{ll}$, pair rapidity $Y_{ll}$ and transverse momenta of the lepton pair $p_{t,ll}$. In addition, we present the two-dimensional distributions in $\log_{10} x_{Bj}$ and $\log_{10} Q^{2}$ and ($\log_{10} W,\log_{10} Q^{2}$) the arguments of the deep-inelastic structure functions. All presented results were obtained with modern parametrizations of proton structure functions. Limiting to small invariant masses of dielectrons one tests structure functions in the nonperturbative region of small $Q^2$ and/or small $W$. We quantify difference for different parametrizations from the literature.

Meis1, Hi1α, and GATA1 are integrated into a hierarchical regulatory network to mediate primitive erythropoiesis.

During development, erythroid cells are generated by two waves of hematopoiesis. In zebrafish, primitive erythropoiesis takes place in the intermediate cell mass region, and definitive erythropoiesis arises from the aorta-gonad mesonephros. TALE-homeoproteins Meis1 and Pbx1 function upstream of GATA1 to specify the erythroid lineage. Embryos lacking Meis1 or Pbx1 have weak gata1 expression and fail to produce primitive erythrocytes. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanism of how Meis1 and Pbx1 mediate gata1 transcription in erythrocytes remains unclear. Here we show that Hif1α acts downstream of Meis1 to mediate gata1 expression in zebrafish embryos. Inhibition of Meis1 expression resulted in suppression of hif1a expression and abrogated primitive erythropoiesis, while injection with in vitro-synthesized hif1α mRNA rescued gata1 transcription in Meis1 morphants and recovered their erythropoiesis. Ablation of Hif1α expression either by morpholino knockdown or Crispr-Cas9 knockout suppressed gata1 transcription and abrogated primitive erythropoiesis. Results of chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed that Hif1α associates with hypoxia-response elements located in the 3'-flanking region of gata1 during development, suggesting that Hif1α regulates gata1 expression in vivo. Together, our results indicate that Meis1, Hif1α, and GATA1 indeed comprise a hierarchical regulatory network in which Hif1α acts downstream of Meis1 to activate gata1 transcription through direct interactions with its cis-acting elements in primitive erythrocytes.

Isospin effects of projectile fragmentation in a Boltzmann-Langevin approach * *Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (11635003, 11025524, 11161130520), National Basic Research Program of China (2010CB832903) and the European Commissions 7th Framework Programme (FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IRSES) under Grant Agreement Project (269131)

The isospin effects of projectile fragmentation at intermediate energies are investigated using an isospin-dependent Boltzmann-Langevin model. The collisions of mass-symmetric reactions including 58Fe, 58Ni + 58Fe, and 58Ni at intermediate energies, in the 30 to 100 MeV/A range, are studied for different symmetry energies. Yield ratios of the isotopic, isobaric, and isotonic pairs of fragments from the intermediate-mass region using three symmetry energies are extracted as functions of the N/Z ratio of the composite systems in the entrance channel and the incident energies. It is found that the yield ratios are sensitive to symmetry energies, especially for neutron-rich systems, and the calculations using soft symmetry energy are closer to the experimental data. The isospin effect is stronger for the soft symmetry energy, owing to the competition of the repulsive Coulomb force and the symmetry energy attractive force on the proton. For the first time, the splits are presented, revealing a transition from the isospin equilibrium at lower energies to translucency at intermediate energies. The results show a degree of transparency in that intermediate mass fragments undergo a transition from dependence on the composite systems in the entrance channel to reliance on the projectile and target nuclei.

A Simple Model Approach to Dilepton Production Rate in Relativistic Heavy Ion Collisions

We compute the dilepton production rate from deconfined phase of quark-gluon plasma using the quasi-particle model (QPM). The computation is based on an extension of our previous work. In this model, the finite quark mass is replaced by the effective quark mass which is considered as the sum of square of current mass, coupling of thermal and current mass and square of thermal mass. This leads to the modest enhancement in the dilepton production rate. The results indicate that the emission rate is also an increasing function of chemical potential. The study implies that the model results are significantly enhanced with the effective quark mass as compared to thermal quark mass in the low mass region and not altered in the intermediate mass region. So the model using the effective quark mass fits well in the production of dilepton rates.

Scalar dark matter and leptogenesis in the minimal scotogenic model

We study the minimal scotogenic model constituting an additional inert Higgs doublet and three sets of right-handed neutrinos. The scotogenic model connects dark matter, baryon asymmetry of the Universe and neutrino oscillation data. In our work, we obtain baryogenesis by the decay of TeV scale heavy neutral singlet fermion (N2). We primarily focus on the intermediate-mass region of dark matter within MW<MDM≤550 GeV, where observed relic density is suppressed due to co-annihilation processes. We consider thermal as well as the non-thermal approach of dark matter production and explore the possibility of the lightest stable candidate being a dark matter candidate. Within the inert Higgs doublet (IHD) desert, we explore a new allowed region of dark matter masses for the non-thermal generation of dark matter with a mass splitting of 10 GeV among the inert scalars. We also see the variation of relic abundance for unequal mass splitting among the scalars. The KamLand-Zen bound on the effective mass of the active neutrinos is also verified in this study.

Gravitational production of scalar dark matter

We investigate the gravitational production of scalar dark matter particles during the inflationary and reheating epochs. The oscillatory behavior of the curvature scalar R during the reheating phase generates two different enhancement mechanisms in the particle production. On the one hand, as it has been already discussed in previous works, it induces tachyonic instabilities in the field which are the dominant enhancement mechanism for light masses. On the other hand, we have found that it also provokes a resonant effect in the ultraviolet region of the spectrum which becomes dominant for masses in the range 109 GeV to 1013 GeV. We have developed an analytical approximation to describe this resonance effect and its consequences on the ultraviolet regime. Once we have calculated the theoretical gravitational production, we constrain the possible values of the phenomenological field parameters to be considered as a dark matter candidate. We do so by comparing the theoretically predicted abundance with the observed one and ensuring that the theoretical prediction does not lead to overproduction. In particular, we find that there is a region of intermediate masses that is forbidden as they would lead to overproduction.

Effects of symmetry energy on the radius and tidal deformability of neutron stars in the relativistic mean-field model

Abstract The radii and tidal deformabilities of neutron stars are investigated in the framework of the relativistic mean-field (RMF) model with different density-dependent behaviors of symmetry energy. To study the effects of symmetry energy on the properties of neutron stars, $\omega$ meson and $\rho$ meson coupling terms are included in a popular RMF Lagrangian, i.e., the TM1 parameter set, which is adopted for the widely used supernova equation of state (EoS) table. The coupling constants relevant to the vector–isovector meson, $\rho$, are refitted by a fixed symmetry energy at subsaturation density and its slope at saturation density, while other coupling constants remain the same as the original ones in TM1 so as to update the supernova EoS table. The radius and mass of maximum neutron stars are not so sensitive to the symmetry energy in these family TM1 parameterizations. However, the radii in the intermediate-mass region are strongly correlated with the slope of symmetry energy. Furthermore, the dimensionless tidal deformabilities of neutron stars are also calculated within the associated Love number, which is related to the quadrupole deformation of the star in a static external tidal field and can be extracted from the observation of a gravitational wave generated by a binary star merger. We find that its value at $1.4 \mathrm{M}_\odot$ has a linear correlation to the slope of symmetry energy, unlike that previously studied. With the latest constraints of tidal deformabilities from the GW170817 event, the slope of symmetry energy at nuclear saturation density should be smaller than $60$ MeV in the family TM1 parameterizations. This fact supports the usage of a lower symmetry energy slope for the updated supernova EoS, which is applicable to simulations of neutron star mergers. Furthermore, an analogous analysis is also done within the family IUFSU parameter sets. It is found that the correlations between the symmetry energy slope with the radius and tidal deformability at $1.4 \mathrm{M}_\odot$ have very similar linear relations in these RMF models.

Probing multicomponent extension of inert doublet model with a vector dark matter

Although theoretically well-motivated as a minimal consistent dark matter (DM) model, the inert doublet model (IDM) fell short in explaining the existence of DM in the intermediate mass region (100–500 GeV). We try to address this problem by introducing an additional vector dark matter. We show that the relic density of inert dark matter candidate can be enhanced significantly with new interactions in the intermediate mass region 100–500 GeV in the multicomponent dark matter model when compared with the usual single component inert doublet model. We also show that we can get a reasonable excess in the distribution if we do not apply a very hard cut on it as is customary in any dark matter search at the LHC.

Search for kilogram-scale dark matter with precision displacement sensors

The search for dark matter has been performed mainly for weakly interacting massive particles and massive compact halo objects, and the intermediate mass region has not been investigated experimentally. A method to search dark matter with precision displacement sensors is suggested for this mass range. The search is performed by detecting a characteristic motion of a test mass when it is attracted by a dark matter particle through gravity. Two different types of displacement sensors are examined: optically levitated microspheres and laser interferometers for gravitational wave detection. The state-of-the-art detectors' sensitivity is several orders of magnitude lower to put constraints on dark matter particles. Among the two types of detectors, gravitational wave detectors have higher sensitivities, and a sensitivity 10 times more than the next generation detector can potentially address the existence of dark matter particles of a few kilograms.

Shells in a toroidal nucleus in the intermediate-mass region

Attention is fixed on shells in toroidal nuclei in the intermediate mass region using a toroidal single-particle potential. We find that there are toroidal shells in the intermediate mass region with large single-particle energy gaps at various nucleon numbers located at different toroidal deformations characterized by the aspect ratios of toroidal major to minor radius. These toroidal shells provide extra stability at various toroidal deformations. Relative to a toroidal core, Bohr-Mottelson spin-aligning particle-hole excitations may be constructed to occupy the lowest single-particle Routhian energies to lead to toroidal high-spin isomers with different spins. Furthermore, as a nucleon in a toroidal nucleus possesses a vorticity quantum number, toroidal vortex nuclei may be constructed by making particle-hole excitations in which nucleons of one type of vorticity are promoted to populate un-occupied single-particle orbitals of the opposite vorticity. Methods for producing toroidal high-spin isomers and toroidal vortex nuclei are discussed.

Dielectron production in proton-proton collisions at sqrt{s}=7 TeV

The first measurement of e+e− pair production at mid-rapidity (|ηe| < 0.8) in pp collisions at sqrt{s}=7 TeV with ALICE at the LHC is presented. The dielectron production is studied as a function of the invariant mass (mee < 3.3 GeV/c2), the pair transverse momentum (pT,ee < 8 GeV/c), and the pair transverse impact parameter (DCAee), i.e., the average distance of closest approach of the reconstructed electron and positron tracks to the collision vertex, normalised to its resolution. The results are compared with the expectations from a cocktail of known hadronic sources and are well described when PYTHIA is used to generate the heavy-flavour contributions. In the low-mass region (0.14 < mee < 1.1 GeV/c2), prompt and non-prompt e+e− sources can be separated via the DCAee. In the intermediate-mass region (1.1 < mee < 2.7 GeV/c2), a double-differential fit to the data in mee and pT,ee and a fit of the DCAee distribution allow the total mathrm{c}overline{mathrm{c}} and mathrm{b}overline{mathrm{b}} cross sections to be extracted. Two different event generators, PYTHIA and POWHEG, can reproduce the shape of the two-dimensional mee and pT,ee spectra, as well as the shape of the DCAee distribution, reasonably well. However, differences in the mathrm{c}overline{mathrm{c}} and mathrm{b}overline{mathrm{b}} cross sections are observed when using the generators to extrapolate to full phase space. Finally, the ratio of inclusive to decay photons is studied via the measurement of virtual direct photons in the transverse-momentum range 1 < pT < 8 GeV/c. This is found to be unity within the statistical and systematic uncertainties and consistent with expectations from next-to-leading order perturbative quantum chromodynamic calculations.

Tests of the Electromagnetic Calorimeter for HADES Experiment at GSI

Measurements of mass spectra of dilepton pairs in the HADES experiment in the energy domain of SIS18 and SIS100 (FAIR, Darmstadt, Germany) are very important for studing the excitation function of the virtual photon radiation from dense nuclear matter. A detail study of this phenomenon in the intermediate mass region (0.14 &lt; M &lt; 0.6 GeV/c2) demands precise measurements of inclusive cross sections of

Scaling Invariance and Characteristics of the Cloud of Spherical Projectile Fragmentation Products upon High-Velocity Impact on a Thin Mesh Shield

In the present paper we consider the problem of the fragmentation of an aluminum projectile on a thin steel mesh shield at high-velocity impact in a three-dimensional (3D) setting. The numerical simulations are carried out by smoothed particle hydrodynamics method applied to the equations of mechanics of deformable solids. Quantitative characteristics of the projectile fragmentation are obtained by studying statistics of the cloud of fragments. The considerable attention is given to scaling laws accompanying the fragmentation of the projectile. Scaling is carried out using the parameter K which defines the number of the mesh cells falling within the projectile diameter. It is found that the dependence of the critical velocity Vc of fragmentation on the parameter K consists of two branches that correspond to two modes of the projectile fragmentation associated with the "small" and "large" aperture of the mesh cell. We obtain the dependences of the critical velocity Vc on the projectile diameter and the mesh parameters for the both modes of the fragmentation. It is shown that the average cumulative mass distributions constructed at Vc exhibit the property of scale invariance, splitting into two groups of distributions exactly corresponding to the modes of the projectile fragmentation. In each group, the average cumulative distributions show good coincidence in the entire mass region, moreover in the intermediate mass region the each group of distributions has a power-law distribution with an exponent tau different from that in the other group. The conclusion about the dependence of the exponent of the power-law distribution tau on the fragmentation mode is made.

PHENIX results on low-mass dileptons in Au + Au collisions with the Hadron Blind Detector

We present e+e− continuum measurement in Au+Au collisions at sNN=200 GeV from the RHIC 2010 run with the Hadron Blind Detector upgrade of PHENIX. The measurement reaches a high purity of the electron sample of ≥ 95% at all centralities and provides an excellent qualitative and quantitative understanding of the background. The e+e− invariant yields show an enhancement in the low-mass region (mee=0.30−0.76 GeV/c2) compared to the expectations from hadronic sources, but not as large as the one previously reported by PHENIX. The observed excess is well reproduced by models incorporating the broadening of the ρ meson due to scattering off baryons in the hot hadronic gas. The measured invariant yields in the intermediate-mass region (mee=1.2−2.8 GeV/c2) leave room for additional sources when compared to the cocktail dominated by the semileptonic decays of heavy flavor mesons.

Thermal electromagnetic radiation in heavy-ion collisions

We review the potential of precise measurements of electromagnetic probes in relativistic heavy-ion collisions for the theoretical understanding of strongly interacting matter. The penetrating nature of photons and dileptons implies that they can carry undistorted information about the hot and dense regions of the fireballs formed in these reactions and thus provide a unique opportunity to measure the electromagnetic spectral function of QCD matter as a function of both invariant mass and momentum. In particular we report on recent progress on how the medium modifications of the (dominant) isovector part of the vector current correlator ($\rho$ channel) can shed light on the mechanism of chiral symmetry restoration in the hot and/or dense environment. In addition, thermal dilepton radiation enables novel access to (a) the fireball lifetime through the dilepton yield in the low invariant-mass window $0.3 \; \mathrm{GeV} \leq M \leq 0.7 \; \mathrm{GeV}$, and (b) the early temperatures of the fireball through the slope of the invariant-mass spectrum in the intermediate-mass region ($1.5 \; \mathrm{GeV} <M< 2.5 \; \mathrm{GeV}$). The investigation of the pertinent excitation function suggests that the beam energies provided by the NICA and FAIR projects are in a promising range for a potential discovery of the onset of a first order phase transition, as signaled by a non-monotonous behavior of both low-mass yields and temperature slopes.