DarkQuest: A dark sector upgrade to SpinQuest at the 120 GeV Fermilab Main Injector

Abstract

Expanding the mass range and techniques by which we search for dark matter is an important part of the worldwide particle physics program. Accelerator-based searches for dark matter and dark sector particles are a uniquely compelling part of this program as a way to both create and detect dark matter in the laboratory and explore the dark sector by searching for mediators and excited dark matter particles. This paper focuses on developing the DarkQuest experimental concept and gives an outlook on related enhancements collectively referred to as LongQuest. DarkQuest is a proton fixed-target experiment with leading sensitivity to an array of visible dark sector signatures in the MeV-GeV mass range. Because it builds off of existing accelerator and detector infrastructure, it offers a powerful but modest-cost experimental initiative that can be realized on a short timescale.

Complete EFT operator bases for dark matter and weakly-interacting light particle

“…Significant progress in searching for such kind of particles and testing these models can be achieved by the undergoing or proposed intensity-frontier experiments at the LHC, e.g. ANUBIS [30][31][32], CODEX-b [33][34][35][36], FASER [37][38][39][40][41][42], MATHUSLA [43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54], fixedtarget experiments such as NA62/64 [55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62], Sea/Spin/Darkquest [63][64][65][66][67][68][69], or SHiP [70][71][72], and new search strategies at the LHC main dectectors ATLAS and CMS [50,54,. Therefore a more general model-independent framework for phenomenology studies on WILPs is demanded from both theoretical and experimental perspectives.…”

Challenges of Future Accelerators for Particle Physics Research

“…A similar study is underway in the US as part of the Snowmass process. It considers a variety of potentially available beams ranging from 800 MeV to 120 GeV protons [32][33][34] to multi-GeV electrons [35].…”

“Snowmass’21” Accelerator Frontier

“…A similar study has been undertaken in the US as part of the Snowmass process. It considers a variety of potentially available beams ranging from 800 MeV to 120 GeV protons [15,16,17] to multi-GeV electrons [18]. Modifications of existing accelerator complexes and future dedicated scientific infrastructure should be considered for the next two decades through projects complementary to main stream applications of existing facilities.…”