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In this study, we demonstrate the potential of the NA64 experiment at CERN SPS to search for New Physics processes involving e → μ transitions after the collision of 100 GeV electrons with target nuclei. A new Dark Sector leptonic portal in which a scalar boson φ could be produced in the lepton-flavor-changing bremsstrahlung-like reaction, e N → μ N φ , is used as benchmark process. In this work, we develop a realistic Monte Carlo simulation of the NA64 experimental setup implementing the differential and total production cross-section computed at exact tree-level and applying the Weiszäcker–Williams phase space approximation. Using this framework, we investigate the main background sources and calculate the expected sensitivity of the experiment. The results indicate that with minor setup optimization, NA64 can probe a large fraction of the available parameter space compatible with the muon g - 2 anomaly and the Dark Matter relic predictions in the context of a new Dark Sector leptonic portal with 10 11 EOT. This result paves the way to the exploration of lepton-flavour-changing transitions in NA64.

A bstract Thermal light dark matter (LDM) with particle masses in the 1 MeV–1 GeV range could successfully explain the observed dark matter abundance as a relic from the primordial Universe. In this picture, a new feeble interaction acts as a “portal” between the Standard Model and LDM particles, allowing for the exploration of this paradigm at accelerator experiments. In the last years, the “missing energy” experiment NA64 e at CERN SPS (Super Proton Synchrotron) has set world-leading constraints in the vector-mediated LDM parameter space, by exploiting a 100 GeV electron beam impinging on an electromagnetic calorimeter, acting as an active target. In this paper, we report a detailed description of the analysis of a preliminary measurement with a 70 GeV/c positron beam at NA64 e , performed during summer 2023 with an accumulated statistics of 1 . 596 × 10 10 positrons on target (hereafter referred to as e + OT). This data set was analyzed with the primary aim of evaluating the performance of the NA64 e detector with a lower energy positron beam, towards the realization of the post-LS3 program. The analysis results, other than additionally probing unexplored regions in the LDM parameter space, provide valuable information towards the future NA64 e positron campaign.

A bstract The inclusion of an additional U(1) gauge L μ − L τ symmetry would release the tension between the measured and the predicted value of the anomalous muon magnetic moment: this paradigm assumes the existence of a new, light Z ′ vector boson, with dominant coupling to μ and τ leptons and interacting with electrons via a loop mechanism. The L μ − L τ model can also explain the Dark Matter relic abundance, by assuming that the Z ′ boson acts as a “portal” to a new Dark Sector of particles in Nature, not charged under known interactions. In this work we present the results of the Z ′ search performed by the NA64- e experiment at CERN SPS, that collected ~ 9 × 10 11 100 GeV electrons impinging on an active thick target. Despite the suppressed Z ′ production yield with an electron beam, NA64- e provides the first accelerator-based results excluding the g − 2 preferred band of the Z ′ parameter space in the 1 keV < m Z ′ ≲ 2 MeV range, in complementarity with the limits recently obtained by the NA64- μ experiment with a muon beam.

We report the results of a search for a new vector boson (A′) decaying into two dark matter particles χ1χ2 of different mass. The heavier χ2 particle subsequently decays to χ1 and an off-shell Dark Photon A′∗→e+e-. For a sufficiently large mass splitting, this model can explain in terms of new physics the recently confirmed discrepancy observed in the muon anomalous magnetic moment at Fermilab. Remarkably, it also predicts the observed yield of thermal dark matter relic abundance. A detailed Monte-Carlo simulation was used to determine the signal yield and detection efficiency for this channel in the NA64 setup. The results were obtained re-analyzing the previous NA64 searches for an invisible decay A′→χχ¯ and axion-like or pseudo-scalar particles a→γγ. With this method, we exclude a significant portion of the parameter space justifying the muon g-2 anomaly and being compatible with the observed dark matter relic density for A′ masses from 2me up to 390 MeV and mixing parameter ε between 3×10-5 and 2×10-2.

Recently, the ATOMKI experiment has reported new evidence for the excess of e + e - events with a mass ∼ 17 MeV in the nuclear transitions of 4 He, that they previously observed in measurements with 8 Be. These observations could be explained by the existence of a new vector X 17 boson. So far, the search for the decay X 17 → e + e - with the NA64 experiment at the CERN SPS gave negative results. Here, we present a new technique that could be implemented in NA64 aiming to improve the sensitivity and to cover the remaining X 17 parameter space. If a signal-like event is detected, an unambiguous observation is achieved by reconstructing the invariant mass of the X 17 decay with the proposed method. To reach this goal an optimization of the X 17 production target, as well as an efficient and accurate reconstruction of two close decay tracks, is required. A dedicated analysis of the available experimental data making use of the trackers information is presented. This method provides independent confirmation of the NA64 published results [ 1 ], validating the tracking procedure. The detailed Monte Carlo study of the proposed setup and the background estimate show that the goal of the proposed search is feasible.

In this study, we demonstrate the potential of the NA64 experiment at CERN SPS to search for New Physics processes involving \\(e\\rightarrow\\mu\\) transitions after the collision of 100 GeV electrons with target nuclei. A new Dark Sector leptonic portal in which a scalar boson \\(\\varphi\\) could be produced in the lepton-flavor-changing bremsstrahlung-like reaction, \\(eN\\rightarrow \\mu N\\varphi\\), is used as benchmark process. In this work, we develop a realistic Monte Carlo simulation of the NA64 experimental setup implementing the differential and total production cross-section computed at exact tree-level and applying the Weisz\"{a}cker-Williams phase space approximation. Using this framework, we investigate the main background sources and calculate the expected sensitivity of the experiment. The results indicate that with minor setup optimization, NA64 can probe a large fraction of the available parameter space compatible with the muon \\(g-2\\) anomaly and the Dark Matter relic predictions in the context of a new Dark Sector leptonic portal with \\(10^{11}\\) EOT. This result paves the way to the exploration of lepton-flavour-changing transitions in NA64.

Thermal light dark matter (LDM) with particle masses in the 1 MeV - 1 GeV range could successfully explain the observed dark matter abundance as a relic from the primordial Universe. In this picture, a new feeble interaction acts as a \"portal\" between the Standard Model and LDM particles, allowing for the exploration of this paradigm at accelerator experiments. In the last years, the \"missing energy\" experiment NA64e at CERN SPS (Super Proton Synchrotron) has set world-leading constraints in the vector-mediated LDM parameter space, by exploiting a 100 GeV electron beam impinging on an electromagnetic calorimeter, acting as an active target. In this paper, we report a detailed description of the analysis of a preliminary measurement with a 70 GeV positron beam at NA64e, performed during summer 2023 with an accumulated statistic of 1.6 x 10^10 positrons on target. This data set was analyzed with the primary aim of evaluating the performance of the NA64e detector with a lower energy positron beam, towards the realization of the post-LS3 program. The analysis results, other than additionally probing unexplored regions in the LDM parameter space, provide valuable information towards the future NA64e positron campaign.

NA64 is a fixed-target experiment at the CERN SPS designed to search for Light particle Dark Matter (LDM) candidates with masses in the sub-GeV range. During the 2016-2022 runs, the experiment obtained the world-leading constraints, leaving however part of the well-motivated region of parameter space suggested by benchmark LDM models still unexplored. To further improve sensitivity, as part of the upgrades to the setup of NA64 at the CERN SPS H4 beamline, a prototype veto hadron calorimeter (VHCAL) was installed in the downstream region of the experiment during the 2023 run. The VHCAL, made of Cu-Sc layers, was expected to be an efficient veto against upstream electroproduction of large-angle hadrons or photon-nuclear interactions, reducing the background from secondary particles escaping the detector acceptance. With the collected statistics of \\(4.4\\times10^{11}\\) electrons on target (EOT), we demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach by rejecting this background by more than an order of magnitude. This result provides an essential input for designing a full-scale optimized VHCAL to continue running background-free during LHC Run 4, when we expect to collect \\(10^{13}\\) EOT. Furthermore, this technique combined with improvements in the analysis enables us to decrease our missing energy threshold from 50 GeV to 40 GeV thereby enhancing the signal sensitivity of NA64.

We report the results of a search for a new vector boson (\\(A'\\)) decaying into two dark matter particles \\(_1 _2\\) of different mass. The heavier \\(_2\\) particle subsequently decays to \\(_1\\) and \\(A' e^- e^+\\). For a sufficiently large mass splitting, this model can explain in terms of new physics the recently confirmed discrepancy observed in the muon anomalous magnetic moment at Fermilab. Remarkably, it also predicts the observed yield of thermal dark matter relic abundance. A detailed Monte-Carlo simulation was used to determine the signal yield and detection efficiency for this channel in the NA64 setup. The results were obtained re-analyzing the previous NA64 searches for an invisible decay \\(A' \\) and axion-like or pseudo-scalar particles \\(a \\). With this method, we exclude a significant portion of the parameter space justifying the muon g-2 anomaly and being compatible with the observed dark matter relic density for \\(A'\\) masses from 2\\(m_e\\) up to 390 MeV and mixing parameter \\(\\) between \\(310^-5\\) and \\(210^-2\\).

A search for Dark Sectors is performed using the unique M2 beam line at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron. New particles (\\(X\\)) could be produced in the bremsstrahlung-like reaction of high energy 160 GeV muons impinging on an active target, \\( N NX\\), followed by their decays, \\(X\\). The experimental signature would be a scattered single muon from the target, with about less than half of its initial energy and no activity in the sub-detectors located downstream the interaction point. The full sample of the 2022 run is analyzed through the missing energy/momentum channel, with a total statistics of \\((1.980.02)10^10\\) muons on target. We demonstrate that various muon-philic scenarios involving different types of mediators, such as scalar or vector particles, can be probed simultaneously with such a technique. For the vector-case, besides a \\(L_-L_\\) \\(Z'\\) vector boson, we also consider an invisibly decaying dark photon (\\(A'\\)). This search is complementary to NA64 running with electrons and positrons, thus, opening the possibility to expand the exploration of the thermal light dark matter parameter space by combining the results obtained with the three beams.