Searching for Hidden Neutrons with a Reactor Neutrino Experiment: Constraints from the STEREO Experiment.
/ Authors
H. Almaz'an, L. Bernard, A. Blanchet, A. Bonhomme, C. Buck, P. Sanchez, I. E. Atmani, L. Labit, J. Lamblin, A. Letourneau
and 18 more authors
D. Lhuillier, M. Licciardi, M. Lindner, T. Materna, O. M'eplan, H. Pessard, G. Pignol, J.-S. R'eal, J. Ricol, C. Roca, R. Rogly, T. Salagnac, M. Sarrazin, V. Savu, Stefan Schoppmann, T. Soldner, A. Stutz, M. Vialat
/ Abstract
Different extensions of the standard model of particle physics, such as braneworld or mirror matter models, predict the existence of a neutron sterile state, possibly as a dark matter candidate. This Letter reports a new experimental constraint on the probability p for neutron conversion into a hidden neutron, set by the STEREO experiment at the high flux reactor of the Institut Laue-Langevin. The limit is p<3.1×10^{-11} at 95% C.L. improving the previous limit by a factor of 13. This result demonstrates that short-baseline neutrino experiments can be used as competitive passing-through-walls neutron experiments to search for hidden neutrons.
Journal: Physical review letters