Search for a hypothetical gauge boson and dark photons in charmonium transitions

The BESIII collaboration

doi:10.1103/76JS-7S9F

Search for a hypothetical gauge boson and dark photons in charmonium transitions

The BESIII collaboration

Institute of Higher Research

CAS - Institute of High Energy Physics
Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Siberian Branch of the RAS
Novosibirsk State University
Uppsala University
Zhengzhou University
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
University of Turin
University of Science and Technology of China
Deceased
Southeast University, Nanjing
Joint Institute for Nuclear Research
Peking University
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
National Centre for Nuclear Research
Mongolian Academy of Sciences
National Institute for Nuclear Physics
Carnegie Mellon University
University of Münster
Wuhan University
Lanzhou University
Istinye University
Nankai University
China University of Geosciences, Wuhan
Soochow University
Henan University
Nanjing University
Tsinghua University
CAS - Institute of Modern Physics
Fudan University
Guangxi University of Technology
Sun Yat-Sen University
North China Electric Power University
Chung-Ang University
University of Bristol
Yunnan University
Helmholtz Institute Mainz
Ruhr University Bochum
University of South China
Liaoning University
Inner Mongolia University
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology
Henan Normal University
University of Eastern Piedmont
University of Ferrara
University of Manchester
University of Oxford
GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research
Jilin University
Nanjing Normal University
Shandong University
Shandong Normal University
Indiana University Bloomington
University of Hawai'i at Mānoa
Suranaree University of Technology
South China Normal University
University of the Punjab
Huangshan College
University of Jinan
University of Groningen
Indian Institute of Technology Madras
Justus Liebig University Giessen
Qufu Normal University
Renmin University of China
Hebei University
Hunan University
China Center of Advanced Science and Technology World Laboratory
Sichuan University
Guangxi Normal University
Liaoning Normal University
Shanxi University
Central China Normal University
Guangxi University
Henan University of Science and Technology
Henan University of Technology
Central South University
Zhejiang University
Goethe University Frankfurt
COMSATS University Islamabad
IBA
University of Perugia
University of Silesia in Katowice
Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute (PNPI)
Hunan Normal University
Hangzhou Normal University
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne
Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China
Near East University
Beihang University
Yantai University
Hengyang Normal University
Shanxi Normal University
University of Science and Technology Liaoning

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

We report a direct search for a new gauge boson, X, with a mass of 17 MeV=c², which could explain the anomalous excess of e^þe⁻ pairs observed in the ⁸Be nuclear transitions. The search is conducted in the charmonium decays χ_cJ → XJ=ψðJ ¼ 0; 1; 2Þ via the radiative transition ψð3686Þ → γχ_cJ using ð2712.4 ± 14.3Þ × 10⁶ ψð3686Þ events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider. No significant signal is observed, and the updated upper limit on the coupling strength of charm quark and the new gauge boson, ϵ_c, is set to be jϵ_cj < 1.2 × 10⁻² at 90% confidence level. We also report new constraints on the mixing strength ϵ between the Standard Model photon and dark photon γ⁰ in the mass range from 5 to 300 MeV=c². The upper limits at 90% confidence level vary within ð2.5–17.5Þ × 10⁻³ depending on the γ⁰ mass.

Original language	English
Article number	032009
Journal	Physical Review D
Volume	113
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1103/76JS-7S9F
State	Published - Jan 2026

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@article{81d7a3eabddb42f2be2af18dd1f817e7,

title = "Search for a hypothetical gauge boson and dark photons in charmonium transitions",

abstract = "We report a direct search for a new gauge boson, X, with a mass of 17 MeV=c2, which could explain the anomalous excess of e{\th}e− pairs observed in the 8Be nuclear transitions. The search is conducted in the charmonium decays χcJ → XJ=ψ{\dh}J ¼ 0; 1; 2{\TH} via the radiative transition ψ{\dh}3686{\TH} → γχcJ using {\dh}2712.4 ± 14.3{\TH} × 106 ψ{\dh}3686{\TH} events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider. No significant signal is observed, and the updated upper limit on the coupling strength of charm quark and the new gauge boson, ϵc, is set to be jϵcj < 1.2 × 10−2 at 90\% confidence level. We also report new constraints on the mixing strength ϵ between the Standard Model photon and dark photon γ0 in the mass range from 5 to 300 MeV=c2. The upper limits at 90\% confidence level vary within {\dh}2.5–17.5{\TH} × 10−3 depending on the γ0 mass.",

author = "M. Ablikim and Achasov, \{M. N.\} and P. Adlarson and Ai, \{X. C.\} and S. Kabana and \{The BESIII collaboration\}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article{\textquoteright}s title, journal citation, and DOI. Funded by SCOAP3.",

year = "2026",

month = jan,

doi = "10.1103/76JS-7S9F",

language = "English",

volume = "113",

journal = "Physical Review D",

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T1 - Search for a hypothetical gauge boson and dark photons in charmonium transitions

AU - Ablikim, M.

AU - Achasov, M. N.

AU - Adlarson, P.

AU - Ai, X. C.

AU - Kabana, S.

AU - The BESIII collaboration

N1 - Publisher Copyright: Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI. Funded by SCOAP3.

PY - 2026/1

Y1 - 2026/1

N2 - We report a direct search for a new gauge boson, X, with a mass of 17 MeV=c2, which could explain the anomalous excess of eþe− pairs observed in the 8Be nuclear transitions. The search is conducted in the charmonium decays χcJ → XJ=ψðJ ¼ 0; 1; 2Þ via the radiative transition ψð3686Þ → γχcJ using ð2712.4 ± 14.3Þ × 106 ψð3686Þ events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider. No significant signal is observed, and the updated upper limit on the coupling strength of charm quark and the new gauge boson, ϵc, is set to be jϵcj < 1.2 × 10−2 at 90% confidence level. We also report new constraints on the mixing strength ϵ between the Standard Model photon and dark photon γ0 in the mass range from 5 to 300 MeV=c2. The upper limits at 90% confidence level vary within ð2.5–17.5Þ × 10−3 depending on the γ0 mass.

AB - We report a direct search for a new gauge boson, X, with a mass of 17 MeV=c2, which could explain the anomalous excess of eþe− pairs observed in the 8Be nuclear transitions. The search is conducted in the charmonium decays χcJ → XJ=ψðJ ¼ 0; 1; 2Þ via the radiative transition ψð3686Þ → γχcJ using ð2712.4 ± 14.3Þ × 106 ψð3686Þ events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider. No significant signal is observed, and the updated upper limit on the coupling strength of charm quark and the new gauge boson, ϵc, is set to be jϵcj < 1.2 × 10−2 at 90% confidence level. We also report new constraints on the mixing strength ϵ between the Standard Model photon and dark photon γ0 in the mass range from 5 to 300 MeV=c2. The upper limits at 90% confidence level vary within ð2.5–17.5Þ × 10−3 depending on the γ0 mass.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105038761687

U2 - 10.1103/76JS-7S9F

DO - 10.1103/76JS-7S9F

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:105038761687

SN - 2470-0010

VL - 113

JO - Physical Review D

JF - Physical Review D

IS - 3

M1 - 032009

ER -

Search for a hypothetical gauge boson and dark photons in charmonium transitions

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