Constraints on fifth forces and ultralight dark matter from OSIRIS-REx target asteroid Bennu

Abstract

Using the OSIRIS-REx mission and ground-based tracking data for the asteroid Bennu, we derive new constraints on fifth forces and ultralight dark matter. The bounds we obtain are strongest for mediator masses $m\sim 10^{-18}-10^{-17}\mathrm{eV}$, where we currently achieve the tightest bounds. Our limits can be translated to a wide class of models leading to Yukawa-type fifth forces, and we demonstrate how they apply to $U(1{)}_B$ dark photons and baryon-coupled scalars. Our results demonstrate the potential of asteroid tracking in probing well-motivated extensions of the Standard Model and ultralight dark matter satisfying the fuzzy dark matter constraints.

Comments: 1 figure, 7 pages plus references