Search for hidden sector and dark matter particles produced at fermilab's NuMI Target

Abstract

In the long tradition of exotic searches at fixed-target experiments, we plan to use the NuMI beam-target and the NOvA Near Detector to observe potential signatures of Hidden Sector or Dark Matter particles, either directly produced within the target or through theoretically postulated mediators. Expecting mostly scattering events on electrons or nucleons as their signatures, an example of a mediator generated scalar dark matter particles is used to discuss the target production profile of a dark matter beam. This channel explores the capabilities of the detector to observe neutral-current events from electron-neutrino scattering interactions.