https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202430305004
X17 discovery potential in γd → e+e−pn at MAGIX@MESA
Institut für Kernphysik and PRISMA+ Cluster of Excellence, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
* e-mail: cmommers@uni-mainz.de
Published online: 25 September 2024
We propose a direct search experiment for X17 using deuteron photodisintegration, γd → e+e−pn, at the MAGIX@MESA experiment. X17 is a boson conjectured by the ATOMKI collaboration to explain anomalous signals around 17 MeV in excited 8Be, 12C and 4He nuclear decays. It is the subject of an intense, global research program; an experiment at an electron accelerator would complement the ongoing effort to verify X17’s existence. Using the plane-wave impulse approximation around the neutron quasi-free peak, we show that an enhanced X17 signal over the QED background is visible in γd → e+e−pn, assuming pseudoscalar, vector and axial-vector X17 scenarios. Additionally, we discuss how our calculation may be generalized to searches for a generic dark boson in a photon-deuteron reaction.
© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2024
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
