X17 discovery potential in γd → e + e − pn at MAGIX@MESA

• Published in: EPJ Web of conferences Vol. 303; p. 5004
• Main Authors: Mommers, Cornelis J.G., Vanderhaeghen, Marc
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Les Ulis EDP Sciences 2024
• Subjects: Deuterons; Photodisintegration; Plane waves
• ISSN: 2100-014X; 2101-6275; 2100-014X
• DOI: 10.1051/epjconf/202430305004

We propose a direct search experiment for X17 using deuteron photodisintegration, γ d → e + e − pn , at the MAGIX@MESA experiment. X17 is a boson conjectured by the ATOMKI collaboration to explain anomalous signals around 17 MeV in excited 8 Be, 12 C and 4 He nuclear decays. It is the subject of an intense, global research program; an experiment at an electron accelerator would complement the ongoing effort to verify X17’s existence. Using the plane-wave impulse approximation around the neutron quasi-free peak, we show that an enhanced X17 signal over the QED background is visible in γ d → e + e − pn , assuming pseudoscalar, vector and axial-vector X17 scenarios. Additionally, we discuss how our calculation may be generalized to searches for a generic dark boson in a photon-deuteron reaction.