Freeze-in mechanism provides robust dark matter production in the early universe. Due to its feeble interactions, freeze-in dark matter leaves signals at colliders which are often involved with long lived particle decays and consequent displaced vertices (DV). In this paper, we develop a method to read off mass spectrum of particles being involved in the DV events at the LHC. We demonstrate that our method neatly works under a limited statistics, detector resolution and smearing effects. The signature of DV at the LHC can come from either highly suppressed phase-space or a feeble coupling of particle decay processes. By measuring invisible particle mass spectrum, one can discriminate these two cases and thus extract information of dominant freeze-in processes in the early universe at the LHC.
We propose simple freeze-in models where the observed dark matter abundance is explained via the decay of an electrically charged and/or coloured parent particle into Feebly Interacting Massive Particles (FIMP). The parent particle is long-lived and yields a wide variety of LHC signatures depending on its lifetime and quantum numbers. We assess the current constraints and future high luminosity reach of these scenarios at the LHC from searches for heavy stable charged particles, disappearing tracks, displaced vertices and displaced leptons. We show that the LHC constitutes a powerful probe of …
We analyze the transverse momentum spectra of charged pions measured in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV and in Pb+Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV using the Tsallis distribution modified to include transverse flow. All the spectra are well described by the modified Tsallis distribution in an extended transverse momentum range upto 6 GeV/$c$. The kinetic freeze-out temperature ($T$), average transverse flow ($β$) and degree of non thermalization ($q$) are obtained as a function of system size for both the energies. With increasing system size $β$ shows increasing trend …
The transverse momentum spectra at RHIC and LHC for A+A and p+p collisions are studied with Tsallis distributions in different approaches i.e. with and without radial flow. The information on the freeze-out surface in terms of freeze-out volume, temperature, chemical potential and radial flow velocities for different particle species are obtained. These parameters are found to show a systematic behavior with mass dependence. It is observed that the heavier particles freeze-out early as compared to lighter particles and freeze-out surfaces are different for different particles, which is a direc…
Collider searches for long-lived particles yield a promising avenue to probe the freeze-in production of Dark Matter via the decay of a parent particle. We analyze the prospects of probing the parameter space of Dark Matter freeze-in from the decay of neutral parent particles at the LHC and beyond, taking as a case study a freeze-in Dark Matter scenario via the Standard Model Higgs. We obtain the projected sensitivity of the proposed MATHUSLA surface detector (for MATHUSLA100 and MATHUSLA200 configurations) for long-lived particle searches to the freeze-in Dark Matter parameter space, and stud…
We present calculations of the chemical freeze-out temperature (T_ch) based on particle yields from STAR and ALICE measured at collision energies ranging from sqrt{s_{NN}} = 11.5 GeV to 5.02 TeV. Employing the Grand Canonical Ensemble approach using the Thermal-FIST Hadron Resonance Gas model package, we show evidence for a flavour-dependent chemical freeze-out in the crossover region of the QCD phase diagram. At a vanishing baryochemical potential, we calculate light and strange flavour freeze-out temperatures T_L = 150.2 +- 2.6 MeV and T_S = 165.1 +- 2.7 MeV, respectively.
Estimation of the freeze-out parameters as the function of rapidity in Pb+Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=72$ GeV in the AFTER@LHC project is performed. The conventional hadron resonance gas model is used for the analysis of the events generated by the UrQMD model. The results indicate that one may obtain at least $2.5$ times increase of baryon chemical potential $μ_B$ in the forward rapidity range as compared to the mid-rapidity. The $μ_B$ values in the rapidity range of $0 < y < 4.5$ for AFTER@LHC are comparable to that covered by the RHIC Beam Energy Scan program. Thus, a rapidity scan in t…
We study the Singlet-Doublet dark matter model in the regime of feeble couplings, where the dark matter abundance is obtained via the freeze-in mechanism. As a consequence of the small couplings, the heavier particles in the model are long-lived with decay length at typical scales of collider experiments. We analyse the collider signatures of the model, characterised by displaced $h$ and $Z$ bosons plus missing momentum, employing current LHC searches for displaced vertices and missing energy to significantly constrain the parameter space of the model. We also take into account the cosmologica…
We present a class of dark matter models, in which the dark matter particle is a feebly interacting massive particle (FIMP) produced via the decay of an electrically charged and/or colored parent particle. Given the feeble interaction, dark matter is produced via the freeze-in mechanism and the parent particle is long-lived. The latter leads to interesting collider signatures. We study current LHC constrains on our models arising from searches for heavy charged particles, disappearing tracks, displaced leptons and displaced vertices. We demonstrate not only that collider searches can be a powe…
We present the system size and flavour dependence of the chemical freeze-out temperature ($T_\mathrm{ch}$) at vanishing baryo-chemical potential calculated via thermal fits to experimental yields for several multiplicity classes in pp, pPb and PbPb collisions measured by ALICE. Using the Thermal-FIST Hadron Resonance Gas model package, we compare the quality of fits across various treatments of strangeness conservation under different freeze-out conditions as a function of the charged particle multiplicity density $\big \langle dN_\mathrm{ch}/dη\big \rangle$. Additionally, we examine how the a…
In extended supersymmetric models with a hidden sector the lightest $R$-parity odd particle can reside in the hidden sector and act as dark matter. We consider the case when the hidden sector has ultraweak interactions with the visible sector. An interesting phenomenon arises if the LSP of the visible sector is charged in which case it will decay to the hidden sector dark matter. Due to the ultraweak interactions, the LSP of the visible sector will be long-lived decaying outside the detector after leaving a track inside. We investigate this possibility in the framework of a $U(1)_X$-extended M…
The thermodynamic parameters like energy density, pressure, entropy density, temperature and particle density are determined from the transverse momentum distributions of charged particles in Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC. The results show a clear increase with the centrality and the beam energy in all parameters. It is determined that in the final freeze-out stage the energy density reaches a value of about 0.039 GeV/fm$^3$ for the most central collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV. This is less than that at chemical freeze-out where the energy density is about 0.36 GeV/fm$^3$. This decrease…
Many data in the High Energy Physics are, in fact, sample means. It is shown that when this exact meaning of the data is taken into account and the most weakly bound states are removed from the hadron resonance gas, the whole spectra of pions, kaons and protons measured at midrapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 2.76$ TeV can be fitted simultaneously. The invariant distributions are predicted with the help of the single-freeze-out model in the chemical equilibrium framework. The method is applied to the measurements in centrality bins of Pb-Pb collisions and gives acceptable fits f…
Probing displaced (dark)photons from low reheating freeze-in at the LHC
Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad San Sebastián（塞巴斯蒂安大学工程学院）；Millennium Institute for Subatomic Physics at the High-Energy Frontier (SAPHIR)（高能前沿亚原子物理千年研究所（SAPHIR））；Instituto de Física, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile（智利天主教大学物理研究所）；Instituto de Física, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República（共和国大学理学院物理研究所）；Sección Física, Departamento de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú（秘鲁天主教大学科学院物理组）
The experimental data from the RHIC and LHC experiments of invariant pT spectra in A+A and p + p collisions are analysed with Tsallis distributions in different approaches. The information about the freeze-out surface in terms of freeze-out volume, temperature, chemical potential and radial flow velocity for different particle species are obtained. Further, these parameters are studied as a function of the mass of the secondary particles. A mass-dependent differential freeze-out is observed which does not seem to distinguish between particles and their antiparticles. Further a mass-hierarchy i…
Ratio of the yield of strange hadrons to pions is considered as an important observable in studying the properties of the system produced in relativistic heavy ion collisions. Production of strange hadrons $K, \bar{K}, Λ, Σ, Ξ$ and $Ω$ have been evaluated microscopically using rate equations by considering their hadronic interaction cross sections in an expanding medium. The yields obtained from rate equations are normalized with thermal pions and compared with the measurements from Pb-Pb collisions at various multiplicities at LHC energy. The calculation has been done for various initial and …
In this article, we will present a systematic analysis of transverse momentum spectra of the strange hadron in different multiplicity events produced in pp collision at $\sqrt{s}$ = 7 TeV, pPb collision at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV and PbPb collision at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV. The differential freeze out scenario of strange hadron $K^{0}_{s}$ assumed while analyzing the data using a Tsallis distribution which is modified to include transverse flow. The $p_{T}$ distributions of strange hadron in different systems are characterized in terms of the parameters namely, Tsallis temperature ($T$…
The transverse momentum distributions measured in $p-p$ collisions at the LHC determine the kinetic freeze-out stage of the collision. The parameters deduced from these distributions differ from those determined at chemical freeze-out. The present investigation focuses on the chemical potentials at kinetic freeze-out, these are not necessarily zero as they are at chemical freeze-out, the only constraint is that they should be equal for particles and antiparticles at LHC energies. The thermodynamic variables are determined in the framework of the Tsallis distribution. The chemical potentials in…
From an assumed signal in a Dark Matter (DM) direct detection experiment a lower bound on the product of the DM--nucleon scattering cross section and the local DM density is derived, which is independent of the local DM velocity distribution. This can be combined with astrophysical determinations of the local DM density. Within a given particle physics model the bound also allows a robust comparison of a direct detection signal with limits from the LHC. Furthermore, the bound can be used to formulate a condition which has to be fulfilled if the particle responsible for the direct detection sig…
We investigate the freeze-out conditions of a particle in an expanding system of interacting particles in order to understand the productions of resonances, hadronic molecules and light nuclei in heavy ion collisions. Applying the kinetic freeze-out condition with explicit hydrodynamic calculations for the expanding hadronic phase to the daughter particles of $K^*$ mesons, we find that the larger suppression of the yield ratio of $K^*/K$ at LHC than at RHIC compared to the expectations from the statistical hadronization model based on chemical freeze-out parameters reflects the lower kinetic f…
We have estimated centrality variation of chemical freeze-out parameters from yield data at mid-rapidity of $π^\pm$, $K^\pm$ and $p$, $\bar{p}$ for collision energies of RHIC (Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider), Beam Energy Scan (RHIC-BES) program, and LHC (Large Hadron Collider). We have considered a simple hadron resonance gas model and employed a formalism involving conserved charges ($B, Q, S$) of QCD for parameterization. Along with temperature and three chemical potentials ($T,μ_B,μ_Q,μ_S$), a strangeness under-saturation factor ($γ_S$) has been used to incorporate the partial equilibratio…
We discuss the relevance of higher order moments of net baryon number fluctuations for the analysis of freeze-out and critical conditions in heavy ion collisions at LHC and RHIC. Using properties of O(4) scaling functions, we discuss the generic structure of these higher moments at vanishing baryon chemical potential and apply chiral model calculations to explore their properties at non-zero baryon chemical potential. We show that the ratios of the sixth to second and eighth to second order moments of the net baryon number fluctuations change rapidly in the transition region of the QCD phase d…
The transverse momentum spectra of final-state light flavor particles produced in proton-proton (p-p), copper-copper (Cu-Cu), gold-gold (Au-Au), lead-lead (Pb-Pb), and proton-lead (p-Pb) collisions for different centralities at relativistic heavy ion collider (RHIC) and large hadron collider (LHC) energies are studied in the framework of a multisource thermal model. The experimental data measured by the STAR, CMS, and ALICE Collaborations are consistent with the results calculated by the multi-component Erlang distribution and Tsallis Statistics. The effective temperature and real temperature …
We present a novel framework capable of addressing the dark matter problem through freeze-in and freeze-out mechanisms, separately or together, depending on the region of the parameter space considered. In the dark matter dynamics, the model features an interplay of thermal production along with sizeable contribution through feeble decay of associated dark fermionic partner, which finally freezes out to the right relic density for a wide range of masses and couplings. Apart from the fermionic dark matter candidate, the model introduces two charged partners, one fermionic and another scalar, wh…
We determine the decoupling surfaces for the hydrodynamic description of heavy ion collisions at RHIC and LHC by comparing the local hydrodynamic expansion rate with the microscopic pion-pion scattering rate. The pion $p_T$ spectra for nuclear collisions at RHIC and LHC are computed by applying the Cooper-Frye procedure on the dynamical-decoupling surfaces, and compared with those obtained from the constant-temperature freeze-out surfaces. Comparison with RHIC data shows that the system indeed decouples when the expansion rate becomes comparable with the pion scattering rate. The dynamical dec…
We study the centrality dependence of the mid-rapidity (|y|<0.5) yield (dN/dy) and transverse momentum distributions of K*(892)0 and ϕ(1020) resonances produced in Pb+Pb collisions at root(sNN) = 2.76 TeV. The mid-rapidity density (dN/dy) and the shape of the transverse momentum spectra are well reproduced by our earlier proposed Unified Statistical Thermal Freeze-out Model (USTFM) which incorporates the effects of both longitudinal as well as transverse hydrodynamic flow. The freeze-out properties in terms of kinetic freeze-out temperature and transverse flow velocity parameter are extracted …
While the paradigm of a weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) has guided our search strategies for dark matter in the past decades, their null-results have stimulated growing interest in alternative explanations pointing towards non-standard signatures. In this article we discuss the phenomenology of dark matter models that predict long-lived particle at the LHC. We focus on models with a $Z_2$-odd dark sector where - in decreasing order of the dark matter coupling - a coannihilation, conversion-driven freeze-out or superWIMP/freeze-in scenario could be realized.
We study the chemical freeze-out dynamics of strange particles ($K,\, Λ,\, Σ$) from a homogeneous and isotropically expanding hadronic system of $π, K, ρ, N, Λ$ and $Σ$ with zero net baryon density. We use the momentum integrated Boltzmann equation and study their evolution over the bulk hadronic matter, a condition being similar to the one created at top RHIC and LHC energies. The cross-sections, which are input to the equations, are taken either from phenomenological models or parameterized by comparing against experimental data. From this microscopic calculation we find that these strange p…
The transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) spectra in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 7 TeV, measured by the ALICE experiment at the LHC are analyzed with a thermodynamically consistent Tsallis distribution. The information about the freeze-out surface in terms of freeze-out volume, temperature and the non-extenisivity parameter, $q$, for $K^{0}_{S}$, $Λ+\barΛ$, $Ξ^{-}+\barΞ^{+}$ and $Ω^{-}+\barΩ^{+}$ are extracted by fitting the $p_{\rm T}$ spectra with Tsallis distribution function. The freeze-out parameters of these particles are studied as a function of charged particle multiplicity de…
We analyse the transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$)-spectra as a function of charged-particle multiplicity at midrapidity ($|y| < 0.5$) for various identified particles such as $π^{\pm}$, $K^{\pm}$, $K_S^0$, $p+\overline{p}$, $ϕ$, $K^{*0} + \overline {K^{*0}}$, and $Λ$ + $\barΛ$ in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 7 TeV using Boltzmann-Gibbs Blast Wave (BGBW) model and thermodynamically consistent Tsallis distribution function. We obtain the multiplicity dependent kinetic freeze-out temperature ($T_{\rm kin}$) and radial flow ($β$) of various particles after fitting the $p_{\rm T}$-distri…
Non-thermalized dark matter is a cosmologically valid alternative to the paradigm of weakly interacting massive particles. For dark matter belonging to a $Z_2$-odd sector that contains in addition a thermalized mediator particle, dark matter production proceeds in general via both the freeze-in and superWIMP mechanism. We highlight their interplay and emphasize the connection to long-lived particles at colliders. For the explicit example of a colored t-channel mediator model we map out the entire accessible parameter space, cornered by bounds from the LHC, big bang nucleosynthesis and Lyman-al…
The transverse momentum spectra of identified particles at midrapidity in Pb + Pb collisions at Root(sNN) = 2.76 TeV have been studied as a function of collision centrality by using a unified statistical thermal freeze-out model. The calculated results are found to be in good agreement with the experimental data measured by the ALICE experiment at LHC. The model calculations provide the thermal freeze-out conditions in terms of the temperature and collective flow parameters for different particle species. We observe a rise in the thermal freeze-out temperature but a mild decrease in the collec…
The LHC data on event-by-event harmonic flow coefficients measured in PbPb collisions at center-of-mass energy 2.76 TeV per nucleon pair are analyzed and interpreted within the HYDJET++ model. To compare the model results with the experimental data the unfolding procedure is employed. The essentially dynamical origin of the flow fluctuations in hydro-inspired freeze-out approach has been established. It is shown that the simple modification of the model via introducing the distribution over spatial anisotropy parameters permits HYDJET++ to reproduce both elliptic and triangular flow fluctuatio…
The transverse momentum distributions of the identified particles produced in small collision systems at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) and Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have been analyzed by four models. The first two models utilize the blast-wave model with different statistics. The last two models employ certain linear correspondences based on different distributions. The four models describe the experimental data measured by the Pioneering High Energy Nuclear Interaction eXperiment (PHENIX), Solenoidal Tracker at RHIC (STAR), and A Large Ion Collider Experiment (ALICE) cCollabora…
We used the modified Hagedron function and analyzed the experimental data measured by the BRAHMS, STAR, PHENIX and ALICE Collaborations in Copper-Copper, Gold-Gold, deuteron-Gold, Lead-Lead, proton-Lead and proton-proton collisions, and extracted the related parameters (kinetic freeze-out temperature, transverse flow velocity, kinetic freeze-out volume, mean transverse momentum and initial temperature) from the transverse momentum spectra of the particles (non-strange and strange particles). We observed that all the above parameters decrease from central to peripheral collisions, except transv…
We study the sensitivity of the higher-order moments of produced particle multiplicity distributions to the chemical freeze-out parameters in relativistic heavy ion collisions using the Hadron Resonance Gas (HRG) model. We compare the obtained sensitivity level to the one extracted from the ratios of particle yields. We find that, for certain final state hadrons, the fluctuation measurements add significant information to the determination of the hadro-chemical freeze-out properties of the deconfined phase of matter obtained at RHIC and the LHC.
Two-particle femtoscopy reveals the space-time substructure of the freeze-out configuration from heavy ion collisions. Detailed fingerprints of bulk collectivity are evident in space-momentum correlations, which have been systematically measured as a function of particle type, three-momentum, and collision conditions. A clear scenario, dominated by hydrodynamic-type flow emerges. Reproducing the strength and features of the femtoscopic signals in models involves important physical quantities like the Equation of State, as well as less fundamental technical details. An interesting approximate "…
We study the possibility that, after inflation, the inflaton reaches thermal equilibrium with the Standard Model thermal bath and eventually freezes-out in the non-relativistic regime. When the inflaton decay is the sole source of (non-thermal) dark matter, its relic density is automatically suppressed. We delineate parameter space leading to the correct dark matter abundance. The model allows for a significant Higgs-inflaton coupling which may lead to invisible Higgs decay into inflaton pairs at the LHC.
We analyse in detail the possibility of Bose-Einstein condensation of pions produced in heavy-ion collisions at the beam energy $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV. Our approach is based on the chemical non-equilibrium thermal model of hadron production which has been generalised to include separately the contribution from the local zero-momentum state. In order to study both the hadronic multiplicities and the transverse-momentum spectra, we use the Cracow freeze-out model which parameterises the flow and space-time geometry of the system at freeze-out in a very economic way. Our analysis indicate…
The transverse momentum distributions of various hadrons produced in most central Pb+Pb collisions at LHC energy Root(s_NN) = 2.76 TeV have been studied using our earlier proposed unified statistical thermal freeze-out model. The calculated results are found to be in good agreement with the experimental data measured by the ALICE experiment. The model calculation fits provide the thermal freeze-out conditions in terms of the temperature and collective flow effect parameters for different particle species. Interestingly the model parameter fits reveal a strong collective flow in the system whic…
The transverse momentum spectra of different types of particles produced in central and peripheral gold-gold (Au-Au) and (inelastic) proton-proton ($pp$) collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), as well as in central and peripheral lead-lead (Pb-Pb) and $pp$ collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are analyzed by the standard distribution in terms of multi-component. The obtained results from the standard distribution give an approximate agreement with the measured experimental data by the STAR, PHENIX and ALICE Collaborations. The methodical behavior of the effective (k…
Models incorporating flavoured dark matter provide an elegant solution to the dark matter problem, evading the tight LHC and direct direction constraints on simple WIMP models. In Dark Minimal Flavour Violation, a simple framework of flavoured dark matter with new sources of flavour violation, the constraints from thermal freeze-out, direct detection experiments, and flavour physics create well-defined benchmark scenarios for these models. We study the LHC phenomenology of four such scenarios, focusing on final states where a single top quark is produced accompanied by no jets, one jet from th…
Soft displaced leptons are representative collider signatures of compressed dark sectors with feeble couplings to the standard model. Prime targets are dark matter scenarios where co-scattering or co-annihilation sets the relic abundance upon freeze-out. At the LHC, searches for soft displaced leptons are challenged by a large background from hadron or tau lepton decays. In this article, we present an analysis tailored for displaced leptons with a low transverse momentum threshold at 20 GeV. Using a neural network, we perform a comprehensive analysis of the event kinematics, including a study …
We propose an alternate, calculable mechanism of dark matter genesis, "thermal freeze-in," involving a Feebly Interacting Massive Particle (FIMP) interacting so feebly with the thermal bath that it never attains thermal equilibrium. As with the conventional "thermal freeze-out" production mechanism, the relic abundance reflects a combination of initial thermal distributions together with particle masses and couplings that can be measured in the laboratory or astrophysically. The freeze-in yield is IR dominated by low temperatures near the FIMP mass and is independent of unknown UV physics, suc…
We explore the simplest viable dark matter model with a real singlet scalar, vector-like singlet and doublet fermions. The Yukawa couplings associated with the fermion sector play a crucial role in getting the current relic density through Freeze-in and Freeze-out mechanism. We discuss the constraints from the recent muon anomalous magnetic moment experimental data and relic density. We also perform the collider analysis for the FIMP dark matter in the context of 14 TeV LHC experiments with the MATHUSLA100/200 detector. Our analysis shows that one can get enough events $>3$ for heavy charged f…
An approach, based on Tsallis non-extensive statistics, has been employed, here, to analyse, systematically, the $p_T$-spectra of various identified secondary hadrons like pions, kaons, protons and antiprotons, produced in different central $Pb+Pb$ interactions at LHC energy 2.76 TeV in terms of multiplicity and temperature fluctuations. The results, thus obtained, have been utilized to understand the various stages of different types of hadron production during evolution of the fireball produced in such collisions.
