Testing GeV-Scale Dark Matter with Fixed-Target Missing Momentum Experiments

Abstract

We describe an approach to detect dark matter and other invisible particles with mass below a GeV, exploiting missing energy-momentum measurements and other kinematic features of fixed-target production. In the case of an invisibly decaying MeV-GeV-scale dark photon, this approach can improve on present constraints by 2-6 orders of magnitude over the entire mass range, reaching sensitivity as low as ${\epsilon }^2\sim 10^{-14}$. Moreover, the approach can explore essentially all of the viable parameter space for thermal or asymmetric dark matter annihilating through the vector portal.

17 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables. Typos in Figs 2 and 6 corrected, conclusions unchanged, matches PRD version

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