https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-020-7794-0
Regular Article - Theoretical Physics
17 MeV Atomki anomaly from short-distance structure of spacetime
Phenikaa Institute for Advanced Study and Faculty of Basic Science, Phenikaa University, To Huu, Yen Nghia, Ha Dong, Hanoi, 100000, Vietnam
* e-mail: nam.caohoang@phenikaa-uni.edu.vn
Received:
2
December
2019
Accepted:
26
February
2020
Published online:
12
March
2020
An anomaly observed recently in the 
nuclear transition by the Atomki collaboration hints at a weakly-coupled, light new gauge boson with a mass of about 17 MeV. In this paper, we propose that this new gauge boson comes from a short-distance structure of the spacetime, rather than from an extension of the Standard Model through adding an extra 
gauge symmetry. The dominant contribution to the relevant matrix element of the nuclear transition is given by the axial couplings. In order to account for the anomaly and satisfy the current experimental constraints, the coupling constant of the new gauge boson should be about 
. Our theoretical model allows understanding the origin of the smallness of the coupling constant, which is still missing or being incompletely understood in the models at which the new gauge boson has the axial couplings.
© The Author(s), 2020
