Pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone dark matter model inspired by grand unification

Abstract

A pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone boson (pNGB) is an attractive candidate for dark matter (DM) due to the simple evasion of the current severe limits of DM direct detection experiments. One of the pNGB DM models has been proposed based on a {\it gauged} $U(1)_{B-L}$ symmetry. The pNGB has long enough lifetime to be a DM and thermal relic abundance of pNGB DM can be fit with the observed value against the constraints on the DM decays from the cosmic-ray observations. The pNGB DM model can be embedded into an $SO(10)$ pNGB DM model in the framework of an $SO(10)$ grand unified theory, whose $SO(10)$ is broken to the Pati-Salam gauge group at the unified scale, and further to the Standard Model gauge group at the intermediate scale. Unlike the previous pNGB DM model, the parameters such as the gauge coupling constants of $U(1)_{B-L}$, the kinetic mixing parameter of between $U(1)_Y$ and $U(1)_{B-L}$ are determined by solving the renormalization group equations for gauge coupling constants with appropriate matching conditions. From the constraints of the DM lifetime and gamma-ray observations, the pNGB DM mass must be less than $\mathcal{O}(100)$$\,$GeV. We find that the thermal relic abundance can be consistent with all the constraints when the DM mass is close to half of the CP even Higg masses.