Constraints on the Dark Matter Interpretation n→χ+e⁺e⁻ of the Neutron Decay Anomaly with the PERKEO II Experiment

Abstract

Discrepancies from in-beam- and in-bottle-type experiments measuring the neutron lifetime are on the 4σ standard deviation level. In a recent publication Fornal and Grinstein proposed that the puzzle could be solved if the neutron would decay on the one percent level via a dark decay mode, one possible branch being n→χ+e⁺e⁻. With data from the Perkeo II experiment we set limits on the branching fraction and exclude a one percent contribution for 95% of the allowed mass range for the dark matter particle.