Description:

I will discuss the recently proposed dark matter interpretation of the neutron lifetime discrepancy. The difference between bottle and beam neutron lifetime measurements is explained by the existence of a neutron dark decay channel with a branching fraction 1%. Phenomenologically consistent particle physics models of this type can be constructed; they involve either a strongly self-interacting dark sector or a repulsive dark matter-baryon interaction. I will elaborate on the theoretical developments around this idea and describe the efforts undertaken to verify it experimentally. In general, the proposed neutron dark decay need not be linked to the neutron lifetime discrepancy and can occur at a smaller rate, giving rise to new theoretical and experimental avenues of investigation.

Seminar Speaker: Bartosz Fornal, University of Utah

Keywords: Physics, Astronomy, HEP