Search for invisible decays of $\pi^0, \eta, \eta', K_S$ and $K_L$: A probe of new physics and tests using the Bell-Steinberger relation

Abstract

In the standard model the rate of the $\pi^0, \eta, \eta', K_S, K_L\to \nu \overline{\nu}$ decays is predicted to be extremely small. Therefore, observation of any of these mesons ($M^0$) decaying into an invisible final state would signal the presence of new physics. The Bell-Steinberger relation connects CP and CPT violation in the mass matrix to CP and CPT violation in all decay channels of neutral kaons. It is a powerful tool for testing CPT invariance in the $K^0-\overline{K}^0$ system, assuming that there are no significant undiscovered decay modes of either $K_S$ or $K_L$ which could contribute to the precision of the results. The $K_S,K_L\to invisible$ decays have never been tested and the question of how much these decays can influence the Bell-Steinberger analysis of the kaon system still remains open. In the present work we propose a new experiment to search for the $M^0\to invisible$ decays which aims at probing new physics and answering this question. The experiment utilizes high energy hadronic beams from the CERN SPS and the charge exchange reactions of pion or kaon on nucleons of an active target, e.g. $\pi^- (K^-) + p\to M^0 + n $, as a source of the well-tagged $M^0$s emitted with the beam energy. If the decay $M^0\to invisible$ exists, it could be observed by looking for an excess of events with a specific signature: the complete disappearance of the beam energy in the detector. This unique signal of $M^0\to invisible$ decays allows for searches of the decays $K_S,K_L\to invisible$ with a sensitivity in branching ratio Br$(K_S (K_L)\to invisible) \lesssim 10^{-8} (10^{-6})$, and $\pi^0,\eta, \eta' \to invisible$ decays with a sensitivity a few orders of magnitude beyond the present experimental limits. This experiment is complementary to the one recently proposed for the search for invisible decays of dark photons and fits well with the present kaon program at CERN.