Abstract
keV-scale gauge-singlet fermions, when allowed to mix with the active neutrinos, are elegant dark matter (DM) candidates. They are produced in the early Universe via the Dodelson-Widrow mechanism and can be detected as they decay very slowly, emitting x-rays. In the absence of new physics, this hypothesis is virtually ruled out by astrophysical observations. Here, we show that new interactions among the active neutrinos allow these sterile neutrinos to make up all the DM while safely evading all current experimental bounds. The existence of these new neutrino interactions may manifest itself in next-generation experiments, including DUNE.
Highlights
A fourth neutrino ν4 with mass around the keV scale is an attractive dark matter (DM) candidate
These new interactions enable the efficient production of sterile neutrinos in the early Universe via the DW mechanism and allow one to resolve all the tensions in a straightforward way
We identify the points in the parameter space where ν4 account for all of the DM
Summary
A fourth neutrino ν4 with mass around the keV scale is an attractive dark matter (DM) candidate. Even in the case where the new interaction eigenstate νs has no standard model (SM) quantum numbers and the mixing angle is tiny, nonzero values of θ allow for the nonthermal production of ν4 via neutrino oscillations in the early Universe.
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