Searching for long-lived particles in free neutron experiments

Abstract

We explore the decay of free neutrons into exotic long-lived particles, whose decays could be detected in the next-generation free neutron experiments. We show that such a possibility is viable as long as the exotic particle is highly mass-degenerate with the neutron, avoiding exclusion by large-volume detectors. We estimate the number of observable events and identify the most promising final states from both theoretical and experimental perspectives. Our analysis highlights the unique capability of the HIBEAM-NNBAR experiment at the European spallation source to probe this unexplored region of parameter space, opening a new avenue for exploring physics beyond the Standard Model. We estimate that several events per year could be observed in the NNBAR experiment.