[Triumf-seminars] TRIUMF Theory Seminar today at 13:00

[TRIUMF Seminars]

Date/Time: Tue 2013-03-05 at 13:00

Location:  Theory Room         

Speaker:   Patrick de Niverville (U Victoria)

Title:     Searching for Sub-Gev Dark Matter at Fixed Target Neutrino Experiments

Abstract: The particle nature of dark matter stands as one of the great puzzles of modern physics. There is compelling evidence for its existence, but it has thus far evaded detection by all non-gravitational searches. We consider the possibility that fixed target neutrino experiments such as MiniBooNE, T2K and MINOS could serve as a new search avenue, sensitive to sub-GeV dark matter scenarios that would be otherwise undetectable. Such low mass dark matter theories, if produced as a thermal relic in the early universe, must be accompanied by light mediators in order to obtain the dark matter abundance observed in the present day universe. These light mediators in turn provide a channel for the production of dark matter at fixed target neutrino experiments, producing a relativistic dark matter beam, which could then be detected by neutral-current-like interactions in neutrino detectors. We find that these experiments provide sensitivity to light stable states that could serve as viable candidates for particle dark matter.



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