skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Title: Searching for dark photon dark matter in LIGO O1 data
Abstract Dark matter exists in our Universe, but its nature remains mysterious. The remarkable sensitivity of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) may be able to solve this mystery. A good dark matter candidate is the ultralight dark photon. Because of its interaction with ordinary matter, it induces displacements on LIGO mirrors that can lead to an observable signal. In a study that bridges gravitational wave science and particle physics, we perform a direct dark matter search using data from LIGO’s first (O1) data run, as opposed to an indirect search for dark matter via its production of gravitational waves. We demonstrate an achieved sensitivity on squared coupling as$$\sim\! 4\times 1{0}^{-45}$$ ~ 4 × 1 0 45 , in a$$U{(1)}_{{\rm{B}}}$$ U ( 1 ) B dark photon dark matter mass band around$${m}_{{\rm{A}}} \sim 4\,\times 1{0}^{-13}$$ m A ~ 4 × 1 0 13 eV. Substantially improved search sensitivity is expected during the coming years of continued data taking by LIGO and other gravitational wave detectors in a growing global network.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1806577
PAR ID:
10154252
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
Nature Publishing Group
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Communications Physics
Volume:
2
Issue:
1
ISSN:
2399-3650
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Abstract A search for exotic decays of the Higgs boson ($$\text {H}$$ H ) with a mass of 125$$\,\text {Ge}\hspace{-.08em}\text {V}$$ Ge V to a pair of light pseudoscalars$$\text {a}_{1} $$ a 1 is performed in final states where one pseudoscalar decays to two$${\textrm{b}}$$ b quarks and the other to a pair of muons or$$\tau $$ τ leptons. A data sample of proton–proton collisions at$$\sqrt{s}=13\,\text {Te}\hspace{-.08em}\text {V} $$ s = 13 Te V corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138$$\,\text {fb}^{-1}$$ fb - 1 recorded with the CMS detector is analyzed. No statistically significant excess is observed over the standard model backgrounds. Upper limits are set at 95% confidence level ($$\text {CL}$$ CL ) on the Higgs boson branching fraction to$$\upmu \upmu \text{ b } \text{ b } $$ μ μ b b and to$$\uptau \uptau \text{ b } \text{ b },$$ τ τ b b , via a pair of$$\text {a}_{1} $$ a 1 s. The limits depend on the pseudoscalar mass$$m_{\text {a}_{1}}$$ m a 1 and are observed to be in the range (0.17–3.3) $$\times 10^{-4}$$ × 10 - 4 and (1.7–7.7) $$\times 10^{-2}$$ × 10 - 2 in the$$\upmu \upmu \text{ b } \text{ b } $$ μ μ b b and$$\uptau \uptau \text{ b } \text{ b } $$ τ τ b b final states, respectively. In the framework of models with two Higgs doublets and a complex scalar singlet (2HDM+S), the results of the two final states are combined to determine upper limits on the branching fraction$${\mathcal {B}}(\text {H} \rightarrow \text {a}_{1} \text {a}_{1} \rightarrow \ell \ell \text{ b } \text{ b})$$ B ( H a 1 a 1 b b ) at 95%$$\text {CL}$$ CL , with$$\ell $$ being a muon or a$$\uptau $$ τ lepton. For different types of 2HDM+S, upper bounds on the branching fraction$${\mathcal {B}}(\text {H} \rightarrow \text {a}_{1} \text {a}_{1} )$$ B ( H a 1 a 1 ) are extracted from the combination of the two channels. In most of the Type II 2HDM+S parameter space,$${\mathcal {B}}(\text {H} \rightarrow \text {a}_{1} \text {a}_{1} )$$ B ( H a 1 a 1 ) values above 0.23 are excluded at 95%$$\text {CL}$$ CL for$$m_{\text {a}_{1}}$$ m a 1 values between 15 and 60$$\,\text {Ge}\hspace{-.08em}\text {V}$$ Ge V
    more » « less
  2. Abstract Let$$(h_I)$$ ( h I ) denote the standard Haar system on [0, 1], indexed by$$I\in \mathcal {D}$$ I D , the set of dyadic intervals and$$h_I\otimes h_J$$ h I h J denote the tensor product$$(s,t)\mapsto h_I(s) h_J(t)$$ ( s , t ) h I ( s ) h J ( t ) ,$$I,J\in \mathcal {D}$$ I , J D . We consider a class of two-parameter function spaces which are completions of the linear span$$\mathcal {V}(\delta ^2)$$ V ( δ 2 ) of$$h_I\otimes h_J$$ h I h J ,$$I,J\in \mathcal {D}$$ I , J D . This class contains all the spaces of the formX(Y), whereXandYare either the Lebesgue spaces$$L^p[0,1]$$ L p [ 0 , 1 ] or the Hardy spaces$$H^p[0,1]$$ H p [ 0 , 1 ] ,$$1\le p < \infty $$ 1 p < . We say that$$D:X(Y)\rightarrow X(Y)$$ D : X ( Y ) X ( Y ) is a Haar multiplier if$$D(h_I\otimes h_J) = d_{I,J} h_I\otimes h_J$$ D ( h I h J ) = d I , J h I h J , where$$d_{I,J}\in \mathbb {R}$$ d I , J R , and ask which more elementary operators factor throughD. A decisive role is played by theCapon projection$$\mathcal {C}:\mathcal {V}(\delta ^2)\rightarrow \mathcal {V}(\delta ^2)$$ C : V ( δ 2 ) V ( δ 2 ) given by$$\mathcal {C} h_I\otimes h_J = h_I\otimes h_J$$ C h I h J = h I h J if$$|I|\le |J|$$ | I | | J | , and$$\mathcal {C} h_I\otimes h_J = 0$$ C h I h J = 0 if$$|I| > |J|$$ | I | > | J | , as our main result highlights: Given any bounded Haar multiplier$$D:X(Y)\rightarrow X(Y)$$ D : X ( Y ) X ( Y ) , there exist$$\lambda ,\mu \in \mathbb {R}$$ λ , μ R such that$$\begin{aligned} \lambda \mathcal {C} + \mu ({{\,\textrm{Id}\,}}-\mathcal {C})\text { approximately 1-projectionally factors through }D, \end{aligned}$$ λ C + μ ( Id - C ) approximately 1-projectionally factors through D , i.e., for all$$\eta > 0$$ η > 0 , there exist bounded operatorsA, Bso thatABis the identity operator$${{\,\textrm{Id}\,}}$$ Id ,$$\Vert A\Vert \cdot \Vert B\Vert = 1$$ A · B = 1 and$$\Vert \lambda \mathcal {C} + \mu ({{\,\textrm{Id}\,}}-\mathcal {C}) - ADB\Vert < \eta $$ λ C + μ ( Id - C ) - A D B < η . Additionally, if$$\mathcal {C}$$ C is unbounded onX(Y), then$$\lambda = \mu $$ λ = μ and then$${{\,\textrm{Id}\,}}$$ Id either factors throughDor$${{\,\textrm{Id}\,}}-D$$ Id - D
    more » « less
  3. Abstract The search for neutrino events in correlation with gravitational wave (GW) events for three observing runs (O1, O2 and O3) from 09/2015 to 03/2020 has been performed using the Borexino data-set of the same period. We have searched for signals of neutrino-electron scattering and inverse beta-decay (IBD) within a time window of$$\pm \, 1000$$ ± 1000  s centered at the detection moment of a particular GW event. The search was done with three visible energy thresholds of 0.25, 0.8 and 3.0 MeV. Two types of incoming neutrino spectra were considered: the mono-energetic line and the supernova-like spectrum. GW candidates originated by merging binaries of black holes (BHBH), neutron stars (NSNS) and neutron star and black hole (NSBH) were analyzed separately. Additionally, the subset of most intensive BHBH mergers at closer distances and with larger radiative mass than the rest was considered. In total, follow-ups of 74 out of 93 gravitational waves reported in the GWTC-3 catalog were analyzed and no statistically significant excess over the background was observed. As a result, the strongest upper limits on GW-associated neutrino and antineutrino fluences for all flavors ($$\nu _e, \nu _\mu , \nu _\tau $$ ν e , ν μ , ν τ ) at the level$$10^9{-}10^{15}~\textrm{cm}^{-2}\,\textrm{GW}^{-1}$$ 10 9 - 10 15 cm - 2 GW - 1 have been obtained in the 0.5–5 MeV neutrino energy range. 
    more » « less
  4. Abstract LetXbe a compact normal complex space of dimensionnandLbe a holomorphic line bundle onX. Suppose that$$\Sigma =(\Sigma _1,\ldots ,\Sigma _\ell )$$ Σ = ( Σ 1 , , Σ ) is an$$\ell $$ -tuple of distinct irreducible proper analytic subsets ofX,$$\tau =(\tau _1,\ldots ,\tau _\ell )$$ τ = ( τ 1 , , τ ) is an$$\ell $$ -tuple of positive real numbers, and let$$H^0_0(X,L^p)$$ H 0 0 ( X , L p ) be the space of holomorphic sections of$$L^p:=L^{\otimes p}$$ L p : = L p that vanish to order at least$$\tau _jp$$ τ j p along$$\Sigma _j$$ Σ j ,$$1\le j\le \ell $$ 1 j . If$$Y\subset X$$ Y X is an irreducible analytic subset of dimensionm, we consider the space$$H^0_0 (X|Y, L^p)$$ H 0 0 ( X | Y , L p ) of holomorphic sections of$$L^p|_Y$$ L p | Y that extend to global holomorphic sections in$$H^0_0(X,L^p)$$ H 0 0 ( X , L p ) . Assuming that the triplet$$(L,\Sigma ,\tau )$$ ( L , Σ , τ ) is big in the sense that$$\dim H^0_0(X,L^p)\sim p^n$$ dim H 0 0 ( X , L p ) p n , we give a general condition onYto ensure that$$\dim H^0_0(X|Y,L^p)\sim p^m$$ dim H 0 0 ( X | Y , L p ) p m . WhenLis endowed with a continuous Hermitian metric, we show that the Fubini-Study currents of the spaces$$H^0_0(X|Y,L^p)$$ H 0 0 ( X | Y , L p ) converge to a certain equilibrium current onY. We apply this to the study of the equidistribution of zeros inYof random holomorphic sections in$$H^0_0(X|Y,L^p)$$ H 0 0 ( X | Y , L p ) as$$p\rightarrow \infty $$ p
    more » « less
  5. Abstract The elliptic flow$$(v_2)$$ ( v 2 ) of$${\textrm{D}}^{0}$$ D 0 mesons from beauty-hadron decays (non-prompt$${\textrm{D}}^{0})$$ D 0 ) was measured in midcentral (30–50%) Pb–Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair$$\sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}} = 5.02$$ s NN = 5.02  TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The$${\textrm{D}}^{0}$$ D 0 mesons were reconstructed at midrapidity$$(|y|<0.8)$$ ( | y | < 0.8 ) from their hadronic decay$$\mathrm {D^0 \rightarrow K^-\uppi ^+}$$ D 0 K - π + , in the transverse momentum interval$$2< p_{\textrm{T}} < 12$$ 2 < p T < 12  GeV/c. The result indicates a positive$$v_2$$ v 2 for non-prompt$${{\textrm{D}}^{0}}$$ D 0 mesons with a significance of 2.7$$\sigma $$ σ . The non-prompt$${{\textrm{D}}^{0}}$$ D 0 -meson$$v_2$$ v 2 is lower than that of prompt non-strange D mesons with 3.2$$\sigma $$ σ significance in$$2< p_\textrm{T} < 8~\textrm{GeV}/c$$ 2 < p T < 8 GeV / c , and compatible with the$$v_2$$ v 2 of beauty-decay electrons. Theoretical calculations of beauty-quark transport in a hydrodynamically expanding medium describe the measurement within uncertainties. 
    more » « less