The search for long-lived heavy neutral leptons (HNLs), also known as sterile neutrinos, has recently garnered attention in the particle physics community. In a recent study, the CMS collaboration presented new results on the detection of these hypothetical particles. HNLs have the potential to solve several mysteries in the field, including the smallness of neutrino masses, the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the universe, and the existence of dark matter. However, detecting HNLs is challenging due to their weak interaction with known particles and their long lifetimes. In this article, we will critically analyze the approaches and findings of the CMS study, highlighting the significance of their work.
Unlike most particles studied in large-scale experiments like the LHC, HNLs are not unstable and decay immediately. Instead, they have comparatively long lifetimes, allowing them to travel significant distances within detectors before decaying. This poses a unique challenge as traditional particle detectors were not specifically designed to measure the decay products of HNLs. The CMS collaboration had to employ creative methods and adapt existing detector systems to detect these elusive particles.
Focus on the Muon System
In the CMS detector, the muon system plays a critical role in detecting HNLs. The muon system was originally designed to identify and measure the properties of muons produced in proton-proton collisions. Muons travel through the entire detector, leaving a trace in the inner tracking system and then in the muon system. To search for HNLs, the analysis focuses on cases where an HNL appears after the decay of a W boson and subsequently decays within the muon system.
Unlike muons, HNLs do not leave a trace in the inner tracking detector or exhibit any activity in the muon system until they decay. When an HNL decays within the muon system, it produces a shower of particles that are easily visible in the muon detectors. However, the challenge lies in identifying these particles as indicators of the presence of an HNL. The analysis presented in the CMS study involves looking for clusters of tracks in the muon detectors that seemingly appear “out of nowhere.”
The Analysis Process
The CMS collaboration started their analysis by selecting collision events that exhibited a reconstructed electron or muon from the decay of a W boson, along with an isolated cluster of traces in the muon system. This initial selection aimed to capture potential signals of HNLs. However, to ensure the reliability of their findings, the analysis also included the removal of cases where standard processes could mimic the HNL signal.
Results and Implications
After the comprehensive analysis, the CMS collaboration did not observe any excess signal above their expectations. This means that the current study did not provide direct evidence for the existence of HNLs within the studied mass range of 2-3 GeV. However, the exclusion of certain HNL parameters based on the observed data sets the most stringent limits to date for these hypothetical particles.
The search for long-lived heavy neutral leptons represents an exciting and challenging area of research in particle physics. The CMS collaboration’s recent study presented new results and insights into the detection of these elusive particles. Despite not observing a significant excess signal, their efforts have contributed to narrowing down the possible HNL parameter space and setting crucial limits for future studies. The search for sterile neutrinos continues, and with each new analysis, we come closer to unraveling the mysteries of particle physics.
Leave a Reply