Probing Muonphilic Force Carriers and Dark Matter at Kaon Factories

Probing New Gauge Forces with a High-Energy Muon Beam Dump

We propose a new beam-dump experiment at a future TeV-scale muon collider. A beam dump would be an economical and effective way to increase the discovery potential of the collider complex in a complementary regime. In this Letter, we consider vector models such as the dark photon and L_{μ}-L_{τ} gauge boson as new physics candidates and explore which novel regions of parameter space can be probed with a muon beam dump. We find that for the dark photon model, we gain sensitivity in the moderate mass (MeV-GeV) range at both higher and lower couplings compared to existing and proposed experiments, and gain access to previously untouched areas of parameter space of the L_{μ}-L_{τ} model.

New physics searches at kaon and hyperon factories

Rare meson decays are among the most sensitive probes of both heavy and light new physics. Among them, new physics searches using kaons benefit from their small total decay widths and the availability of very large datasets. On the other hand, useful complementary information is provided by hyperon decay measurements. We summarize the relevant phenomenological models and the status of the searches in a comprehensive list of kaon and hyperon decay channels. We identify new search strategies for under-explored signatures, and demonstrate that the improved sensitivities from current and next-generation experiments could lead to a qualitative leap in the exploration of light dark sectors.

Solutions to the MiniBooNE Anomaly from New Physics in Charged Meson Decays

We point out that production of new bosons by charged meson decays can greatly enhance the sensitivity of beam-focused accelerator-based experiments to new physics signals. This enhancement arises since the charged mesons are focused and their three-body decays do not suffer from helicity suppression in the same way as their usual two-body decays. As a realistic application, we attempt to explain the MiniBooNE low energy excess utilizing this overlooked mechanism, uniquely realizing dark-sector interpretations as plausible solutions to the excess. As proof of the principle, we consider two well-motivated classes of dark-sector models, models of vector-portal dark matter and models of long-lived (pseudo)scalar. We argue that the model parameter values to accommodate the excess are consistent with existing limits and that they can be tested at current and future accelerator-based neutrino experiments.

Simplest and Most Predictive Model of Muon g-2 and Thermal Dark Matter

The long-standing 4.2σ muon g-2 anomaly may be the result of a new particle species which could also couple to dark matter and mediate its annihilations in the early Universe. In models where both muons and dark matter carry equal charges under a U(1)_{L_{μ}-L_{τ}} gauge symmetry, the corresponding Z^{'} can both resolve the observed g-2 anomaly and yield an acceptable dark matter relic abundance, relying on annihilations which take place through the Z^{'} resonance. Once the value of (g-2)_{μ} and the dark matter abundance are each fixed, there is very little remaining freedom in this model, making it highly predictive. We provide a comprehensive analysis of this scenario, identifying a viable range of dark matter masses between approximately 10 and 100 MeV, which falls entirely within the projected sensitivity of several accelerator-based experiments, including NA62, NA64μ, M^{3}, and DUNE. Furthermore, portions of this mass range predict contributions to ΔN_{eff} which could ameliorate the tension between early and late time measurements of the Hubble constant, and which could be tested by stage 4 CMB experiments.