Dineutron decay into sterile anti-neutrinos in neutron stars and its observable consequences

Abstract

In some extensions of the Standard Model (SM), two neutrons are allowed to decay into two sterile anti-neutrinos ($nn \rightarrow \bar{\chi}\bar{\chi}$) via new scalar bosons. This process violates both the baryon number ($\mathcal{B}$) and the lepton number ($\mathcal{L}$) by two units but conserves their difference $(\mathcal{B}-\mathcal{L})$. Neutron stars contain a large number of neutrons and thus the $nn \rightarrow \bar{\chi}\bar{\chi}$ process can be greatly enhanced inside a neutron star. This process could result in non-trivial effects that are different from the SM predictions and can be explored through astrophysical and laboratory observations. Furthermore, a large number of sterile antineutrinos, which may be dark matter candidates, can be emitted from the interior of the neutron star. The properties of the emitted particles show a particular pattern that can be uniquely determined by the mass and radius of the neutron star. In addition, the dineutron decay may contribute to the orbital-period change of the binary systems containing neutron stars. We analyze the possibility to constrain the mass of the new scalar bosons using the observations of the binary's orbital-period changes. It is found that the mass of the new scalar bosons is roughly restricted in the range from 1 TeV to several TeV, which is possibly within the reach of direct searches at the LHC or future high-energy experiments. The joint analysis which combines the astrophysics and particle phenomenology could provide an excellent opportunity for the study of the new physical effects beyond the SM.