Search for Darkonium in e^{+}e^{-} Collisions

Area of Science:

• Particle Physics
• Cosmology
• Dark Matter Research

Background:

• Collider searches often focus on mediators, neglecting dark sector structures like darkonia.
• Darkonia, bound states of dark matter particles, are predicted in models with light dark photons.

Purpose of the Study:

• To search for a JPC=1-- darkonium state (ϒD) produced in electron-positron collisions.
• To investigate dark sector structures by analyzing ϒD decays into dark photons (A').

Main Methods:

• Utilized 514 fb⁻¹ of data from the BABAR detector.
• Searched for the ϒD resonance in the e+e-→γϒD reaction.
• Analyzed ϒD decays into three dark photons (A'), which then decay into leptons or pions.

Main Results:

• No significant signal for the ϒD darkonium state was observed.
• Established bounds on the gamma-A' kinetic mixing parameter.
• Constrained the dark sector coupling constant and masses of A' and ϒD.

Conclusions:

• The search did not yield evidence for darkonia within the explored parameter space.
• The results place constraints on dark sector models and future search strategies.