Dark phase transition from WIMP: complementary tests from gravitational waves and colliders

Abstract

Abstract A dark sector is an interesting place where a strong first-order phase transition, observable gravitational waves and/or a dark matter candidate could arise. However, the experimental tests for such a dark sector could be ambiguous due to the dark content, largely unconstrained parameter space and the connection to the visible world. We consider a minimal dark scalar-vector boson plasma to realize the three mentioned phenomena, with a unique connection to the Standard Model via the Higgs portal coupling. We discuss the important features of the Higgs portal in such a minimal dark sector, namely the dark thermalization, collider tests, and direct detection of dark matter. We perform numerical analyses of the dark phase transition associated with stochastic gravitational waves and dark matter, discussing the complementarity of collider detection, dark matter direct detection and space-based/terrestrial interferometers as a promising avenue to hear and see the minimal dark sector.