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Kinetic Mixing of the Photon with Hidden U(1)s in String Phenomenology

5 Pith papers cite this work. Polarity classification is still indexing.

5 Pith papers citing it
abstract

Embeddings of the standard model in type II string theory typically contain a variety of U(1) gauge factors arising from D-branes in the bulk. In general, there is no reason why only one of these - the one corresponding to weak hypercharge - should be massless. Observations require that standard model particles must be neutral (or have an extremely small charge) under additional massless U(1)s, i.e. the latter have to belong to a so called hidden sector. The exchange of heavy messengers, however, can lead to a kinetic mixing between the hypercharge and the hidden-sector U(1)s, that is testable with near future experiments. This provides a powerful probe of the hidden sectors and, as a consequence, of the string theory realisation itself. In the present paper, we show, using a variety of methods, how the kinetic mixing can be derived from the underlying type II string compactification, involving supersymmetric and nonsupersymmetric configurations of D-branes, both in large volumes and in warped backgrounds with fluxes. We first demonstrate by explicit example that kinetic mixing occurs in a completely supersymmetric set-up where we can use conformal field theory techniques. We then develop a supergravity approach which allows us to examine the phenomenon in more general backgrounds, where we find that kinetic mixing is natural in the context of flux compactifications. We discuss the phenomenological consequences for experiments at the low-energy frontier, searching for signatures of light, sub-electronvolt or even massless hidden-sector U(1) gauge bosons and minicharged particles.

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UNVERDICTED 5

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representative citing papers

No-go theorem for spontaneous vectorization

gr-qc · 2026-05-13 · unverdicted · novelty 8.0

A no-go theorem shows that negative effective mass squared for the vector field in vector-tensor gravity always accompanies ghost or gradient instabilities, blocking spontaneous vectorization in stationary axisymmetric black holes.

String Axiverse

hep-th · 2009-05-28 · unverdicted · novelty 7.0

String theory predicts an axiverse of ultralight axions whose effects on CMB polarization, matter power spectrum, and black hole superradiance can be probed by future astrophysical experiments.

Stellar Superradiance and Low-Energy Absorption in Dense Nuclear Media

hep-ph · 2025-12-15 · unverdicted · novelty 6.0

Collective nucleon scattering in neutron-star matter suppresses the effective absorption of ultralight bosons at the long wavelengths relevant for superradiance, weakening the link between stellar cooling bounds and superradiant instability rates.

citing papers explorer

Showing 5 of 5 citing papers.

  • No-go theorem for spontaneous vectorization gr-qc · 2026-05-13 · unverdicted · none · ref 11 · internal anchor

    A no-go theorem shows that negative effective mass squared for the vector field in vector-tensor gravity always accompanies ghost or gradient instabilities, blocking spontaneous vectorization in stationary axisymmetric black holes.

  • String Axiverse hep-th · 2009-05-28 · unverdicted · none · ref 75 · internal anchor

    String theory predicts an axiverse of ultralight axions whose effects on CMB polarization, matter power spectrum, and black hole superradiance can be probed by future astrophysical experiments.

  • Stellar Superradiance and Low-Energy Absorption in Dense Nuclear Media hep-ph · 2025-12-15 · unverdicted · none · ref 12 · internal anchor

    Collective nucleon scattering in neutron-star matter suppresses the effective absorption of ultralight bosons at the long wavelengths relevant for superradiance, weakening the link between stellar cooling bounds and superradiant instability rates.

  • Resonant production of millicharged scalars in $k^2>0$ electromagnetic wave background hep-ph · 2025-10-29 · unverdicted · none · ref 25 · internal anchor

    Resonant exponential growth of millicharged scalars in k²>0 electromagnetic waves is obtained by mapping the Klein-Gordon equation to the Mathieu equation, yielding new constraints on such particles.

  • Constraints on millicharged particles from thunderstorms on the Solar system planets hep-ph · 2026-03-05 · unverdicted · none · ref 29 · internal anchor

    Planetary thunderstorms yield constraints on millicharged particles with the strongest bound q > 10^{-24} for bosonic mCPs from Saturn's layered clouds.