# Dark-Matter-Induced Nuclear Deexcitation at the Short-Baseline Near Detector with Ab Initio Nuclear Theory

Source: [feeds.aps.org](http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/pppb-9sm1) · 2026-11-09 · Physics
Page: https://themorning.science/story/dark-matter-induced-nuclear-deexcitation-at-the-short-baseline-near-detector-wit-34362aeda78f13c6
Kind: research · Impact: low

## In brief

- The paper explores how sensitive the Short-Baseline Near Detector (SBND) experiment is to light dark matter, using MeV-scale electromagnetic activity as the signal.
- It studies inelastic scattering of dark matter off argon nuclei, using ab initio nuclear theory.
- The work is a theoretical sensitivity study and reports no experimental detection.

## Why it matters

It tests whether a neutrino detector already under construction at Fermilab could probe light dark matter through a specific nuclear signature, which could guide how the experiment is analysed.

## Coverage

- [Dark-Matter-Induced Nuclear Deexcitation at the Short-Baseline Near Detector with Ab Initio Nuclear Theory](http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/pppb-9sm1) — feeds.aps.org, 2026-11-09

Tags: dark matter, neutrino detectors, nuclear physics, argon, short-baseline experiments

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Brief generated by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the reporting listed under Coverage. Headlines belong to their publishers. The Morning Science – https://themorning.science