Identification of optimal production channels for a dark photon search at CMS

Production of dark photons with GeV-scale mass is predicted in many dark sector models. A distinctive signature is the presence of two pairs of oppositely charged leptons (muons only, in this study) where the angle between the leptons in a pair is small but detectable. We performed a literature survey of dark photon production mechanisms and implemented them in PYTHIA, then evaluated the results in terms of the separation and transverse momentum of the decay products of the dark photons. The results allow us to set useful cuts for a Run III analysis at CMS.