tehoton

Tehoton is a term used in speculative physics and science fiction to denote a hypothetical elementary particle proposed as a mediator of a hidden or dark-sector interaction that couples weakly to the Standard Model. The concept is not part of established physics, and there is no experimental evidence for tehotons. The name is a coined term, sometimes described as a portmanteau related to photons, or as a generic particle suffix used in theoretical discussions.

In typical speculative frameworks, a tehoton is treated as a spin-1 vector boson, akin to other beyond-Standard-Model gauge bosons such as dark photons or Z' bosons. It is envisaged to acquire mass through a symmetry-breaking mechanism and to interact with ordinary matter via a small coupling, often through kinetic mixing with the hypercharge gauge field or through a hidden-sector current. Depending on the model, tehoton couplings can be vector or axial-vector, and its mass can span a wide range from light to heavy scales. Its primary role is to act as a mediator between visible matter and a hidden sector, or to provide a portal to novel physics beyond the Standard Model.

Phenomenologically, the existence of tehotons would imply new resonant signals, altered meson decays, or events with missing energy in collider, fixed-target, or astrophysical observations. Experimental searches typically constrain such particles through precision measurements, collider experiments, and astrophysical energy-loss arguments. As a speculative construct, tehotons illustrate how new neutral gauge bosons could participate in hidden-sector dynamics and motivate targeted experimental tests.

See also: dark photon, hidden sector, Z' boson, kinetically mixed U(1).