Neutron Dark Matter Decays

Abstract

We analyse the discrepancy between the neutron lifetimes measured in the bottle and beam experiments. Following Fornal and Grinstein (Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 191801 (2018)) we propose an explanation of such a puzzle by the dark matter channels of the neutron decay. However, unlike Fornal and Grinstein in addition to the dark matter decay channel n -> \chi + e^- + e^+, where \chi is a dark matter Dirac fermion and (e^-e^+) is an electron--positron pair, we assume the existence of the dark matter channel n -> chi + \nu_e + \bar{\nu}_e, where \nu_e \bar{\nu}_e is the electron neutrino-antineutrino pair. This allows to describe the discrepancy between the measurements of the neutron lifetime even in case of an unobservability of the dark matter decay channel n -> \chi + e^- + e^+, which may be below the reaction threshold. The existence of the coupling n -> \chi + e^- + e^+ can be observed experimentally by measuring electron-neutron scattering e^- + n -> \chi + e^- at very low electron energies, induced with the strength as of the decay n -> \chi + \nu_e + \bar{\nu}_e$. We propose a gauge invariant quantum field theory model with SU_L(2)\times U_R(1) \times U_R'(1)\times U''_L(1) symmetry for the UV completion of the effective (n\chi \ell \bar{\ell}) interaction, where \ell(\bar{\ell}) is electron (positron) or neutrino(antineutrino).