A large number of extensions of the Standard Model of elementary particles contain additional gauge symmetries, along with new matter charged under those symmetries but not the SM.
Such “secluded” sectors may contain particles responsible for the observed dark matter. Dark photon, a gauge boson associated with the extra gauge symmetries, may interact with SM particles, and provide a “portal” between the ordinary matter and the secluded sector.
Over the past few years, intense experimental activity has produced an impressive number of initiatives aiming at discovering the dark photon. This program is pursued in all the major high-energy and nuclear physics laboratories around the world, with a notable concentration in USA and in the Europe.
The particular focus of the workshop will be on dark photon searches utilizing the missing mass technique in electron-positron annihilations on fixed target. This approach is very promising, but has not yet been implemented in practice. The workshop will also discuss the broader context of the current searches for dark forces using beam dump experiments, meson decays, and other techniques. Complementarity of the different approaches as well as the perspectives of a joint effort on either side of the Atlantic will be discussed.
A round table bringing together some of the main actors in the field will take place during the last session.
