Search for Neutron-to-Hidden-Neutron Oscillations in an Ultracold Neutron Beam

Abstract

Models that postulate the existence of hidden sectors address contemporary questions, such as the source of baryogenesis and the nature of dark matter. Neutron-to-hidden-neutron oscillations are among the possible mixing processes and have been tested with ultracold neutron storage and passing-through-wall experiments to set constraints on the oscillation period τnn′. These searches probe the oscillations as a function of the mass splitting due to the neutron-hidden-neutron energy degeneracy. In this work, we present a new limit derived from neutron disappearance in ultracold neutron beam experiments. The overall limit, given by τnn′>1 s for |δm|∈[2,69] peV(95.45% C.L.), covers the yet unexplored intermediate mass-splitting range and contributes to the ongoing research on hidden sectors.