Speaker
Description
In this talk, I will discuss the possibility of producing $\mathcal{O}(10)$ MeV photons from dark matter (DM) scattering off nuclei at stopped-pion experiments. The final-state photon can arise from two processes: (i) $ \text{DM} + N \rightarrow \text{DM} + N + \gamma$, corresponding to $2 \to 3$ inelastic nuclear scattering, and (ii) inelastic nuclear excitation, $ \text{DM} + N \rightarrow \text{DM} + N^* \rightarrow \text{DM} + N + \gamma$. Similar signatures can also appear in neutrino–nucleus scattering within both Standard Model and beyond-the-Standard-Model scenarios. These processes are relevant not only for stopped-pion experiments, but also for the near and far detectors of DUNE, as well as ongoing SBND analyses.
This talk will be based on a couple of ongoing projects, 2602.02817, Phys.Rev.D 113 (2026) 1, 015029, Phys.Rev.Lett. 133 (2024) 16, 161801, Phys.Rev.Lett. 131 (2023) 11, 111801.