Speaker
Description
Accelerator-based experiments provide a versatile platform for probing dark matter models that interact feebly with Standard Model particles. The DUNE Near Detector (ND), designed primarily for precision neutrino property measurements, is also poised to play a pivotal role in exploring sub-GeV scale dark matter via multiple search strategies. Leveraging the high-intensity proton beam, DUNE ND can investigate dark matter signatures through both standard operational mode and potentially a dedicated beam dump configuration in which neutrino flux is greatly reduced while retaining and increasing dark sector particle flux, thanks to the shortened baseline. The DUNE-PRISM capability further enriches this program by enabling off-axis measurements that help disentangle dark matter signals from neutrino-induced backgrounds, thanks to its rapidly falling flux.
Complementary to DUNE’s program, short-baseline experiments such as DAMSA (DArk Messenger Searches at Accelerator) are being developed, leveraging an extremely short, tabletop-scale baseline that enhances sensitivity to dark sector particles with relatively short lifetimes. We discuss the synergy between these experiments, the anticipated sensitivity reaches in the dark sector particle parameter space, and the potential to illuminate the nature of dark matter.
