EPJ Web of Conferences 96, 01017 (2015)
https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/20159601017

Search for the dark photon in π⁰ decays by the NA48/2 experiment at CERN

School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom

^a For the NA48/2 Collaboration: G. Anzivino, R. Arcidiacono, W. Baldini, S. Balev, J.R. Batley, M. Behler, S. Bifani, C. Biino, A. Bizzeti, B. Bloch-Devaux, G. Bocquet, N. Cabibbo, M. Calvetti, N. Cartiglia, A. Ceccucci, P. Cenci, C. Cerri, C. Cheshkov, J.B. Chèze, M. Clemencic, G. Collazuol, F. Costantini, A. Cotta Ramusino, D. Coward, D. Cundy, A. Dabrowski, P. Dalpiaz, C. Damiani, M. De Beer, J. Derré, H. Dibon, L. DiLella, N. Doble, K. Eppard, V. Falaleev, R. Fantechi, M. Fidecaro, L. Fiorini, M. Fiorini, T. Fonseca Martin, P.L. Frabetti, L. Gatignon, E. Gersabeck, A. Gianoli, S. Giudici, A. Gonidec, E. Goudzovski, S. Goy Lopez, M. Holder, P. Hristov, E. Iacopini, E. Imbergamo, M. Jeitler, G. Kalmus, V. Kekelidze, K. Kleinknecht, V. Kozhuharov, W. Kubischta, G. Lamanna, C. Lazzeroni, M. Lenti, L. Litov, D. Madigozhin, A. Maier, I. Mannelli, F. Marchetto, G. Marel, M. Markytan, P. Marouelli, M. Martini, L. Masetti, E. Mazzucato, A. Michetti, I. Mikulec, N. Molokanova, E. Monnier, U. Moosbrugger, C. Morales Morales, D.J. Munday, A. Nappi, G. Neuhofer, A. Norton, M. Patel, M. Pepe, A. Peters, F. Petrucci, M.C. Petrucci, B. Peyaud, M. Piccini, G. Pierazzini, I. Polenkevich, Yu. Potrebenikov, M. Raggi, B. Renk, P. Rubin, G. Ruggiero, M. Savrié, M. Scarpa, M. Shieh, M.W. Slater, M. Sozzi, S. Stoynev, E. Swallow, M. Szleper, M. Valdata-Nappi, B. Vallage, M. Velasco, M. Veltri, S. Venditti, M. Wache, H. Wahl, A. Walker, R. Wanke, L. Widhalm, A. Winhart, R. Winston, M.D. Wood, S.A. Wotton, A. Zinchenko, M. Ziolkowski. Email: eg@hep.ph.bham.ac.uk

Published online: 2 June 2015

Abstract

A sample of 4.687 × 10⁶ fully reconstructed K^± → π^±π⁰_D, π⁰_D → γe⁺e^- decay candidates in the kinematic range m_ee > 10 MeV/c² with a negligible background contamination collected by the NA48/2 experiment at CERN in 2003–04 is analysed to search for the dark photon (A′) via the decay chain K^± → π^±π⁰, π⁰ → γA′, A′ → e⁺e^-. No signal is observed, and preliminary exclusion limits on space of dark photon mass m′_A and mixing parameter ε² are reported.