Searching for millicharged particles at the LHC and beyond

Speaker: Matthew Citron (University of California Davis)

Date: Monday November 3, 2025

Time: 4:00 – 5:00 pm

Location: 472 Willamette Hall (IFS Seminar Room)

Abstract: Arising in hidden sector models of dark matter, millicharged particles could be produced copiously at facilities such as the LHC. However, due to their very small energy depositions, large detectors like CMS or ATLAS are blind to such particles. I will show how sensitivity can instead be achieved through the use of scintillator-based experiments that consist of several layers of long scintillator bars, paired with high-gain, low-noise photomultiplier tubes capable of measuring a single scintillation photon. In this talk I will cover results from two efforts at the LHC: the millQan experiment, and a prototype for the FORMOSA detector in the forward region. Finally, I will discuss prospects for complementary experiments at high intensity facilities.

Host: Laura Jeanty