Neutron Star Bounds on Muonic Fifth Forces from Picometer to Meter Scales

Abstract

Testing muonic fifth forces is difficult because muons are scarce in ordinary matter. However, they are abundant in neutron stars. We show that this population responds coherently to electromagnetic fluctuations induced by proton and electron collisions, emitting the fifth-force mediator and cooling the star. This energy loss constrains $g_{X\mu }\lesssim 10^{-13}$ for scalars with $m_{\varphi }\lesssim 100$ keV and vectors with $10^{-5}\mathrm{eV}\lesssim m_V\lesssim 100$ keV, far more strongly than SN 1987A cooling. Vector forces at smaller $m_V$ deplete muons, suppressing the coherent response. Cooling from incoherent muon scattering still constrains $g_{V\mu }\lesssim 2.5\times 10^{-12}$ for $1.3\times 10^{-7}\mathrm{eV}\lesssim m_V\lesssim 10^{-5}$ eV. Together, these bounds provide the most sensitive probes of muonic interactions across a broad range of parameters.

arXiv comment5 pages, 2 figures, 1 table (Main text) + 1 page, 1 figure (End Matter) + 5 pages, 1 figure (Supplemental Material). V2: Implemented new boson production channels, removed pressure bounds from hydrostatic equilibrium and replaced them with an analysis of muonic-force backreaction on the muon population