Plasmon phase space and millicharged particles
Katelin Schutz
McGill University
Astrophysical plasmas can be an abundant source of particles with a
small coupling to photons ('millicharged particles' or MCPs), for instance in dark
sectors with a kinetically mixed U(1). In many situations, the decay of plasmons
(photons with an in-medium effective mass) is the most efficient process for
generating MCPs. In this talk, I will discuss two distinct examples: the production of
gravitationally bound MCPs in the sun and the freeze-in of dark matter in the early
Universe. In both cases, the unique phase space imparted by the plasmon decay
process is crucial for determining observable signatures. In the former case, I will
show how gravitationally bound MCPs from the sun may be detectable with an
experimental setup that coherently deflects the solar MCP wind, generating an
oscillating electric field in a shielded detector. In the latter case, I will show that
dark matter freeze-in from plasmon decay may be detectable through its
cosmological clustering and through a drag effect imparted on the photon-baryon
fluid prior to recombination.
Date: | Thursday, 4 November 2021 |
Time: | 11:30 |
Where: | Université de Montréal |
| Campus MIL, Local A-3502.1 et Zoom |
|