Asymmetric Dark Matter Models Research Articles

Explaining the cosmological dark matter coincidence in asymmetric dark QCD

To properly solve the coincidence problem (ΩDM≃5ΩVM) in a model of asymmetric dark matter, one cannot simply relate the number densities of visible and dark matter without also relating their particle masses. Following previous work, we consider a framework where the dark matter is a confined state of a dark QCD gauge group whose confinement scale is dynamically related to the QCD confinement scale by a mechanism utilizing infrared fixed points of the two gauge couplings. In this work we present a new, “zero-coupling infrared fixed point” approach, which allows a larger proportion of models in this framework to generically relate the masses of the visible and dark matter particles. Due to the heavy mass scale required for the new field content, we introduce supersymmetry to the theory. We consider how these models may be incorporated in a full theory of asymmetric dark matter, presenting some example leptogenesis-like models. We also discuss the phenomenology of these models; in particular, there are gravitational wave signals which, while weak, may be measurable at future mHz and μHz detectors. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Baryogenesis and dark matter in the mirror twin Higgs

We consider a natural asymmetric dark matter (ADM) model in the mirror twin Higgs (MTH). We show that it is possible to obtain the correct dark matter (DM) abundance when a twin baryon is the DM without the need of explicit breaking of the MTH ℤ2 symmetry in the dimensionless couplings (i.e. without hard ℤ2 breaking). We illustrate how this is possible in a specific baryogenesis setup, which also leads to ADM. In the simplest scenario we obtain mDM ~ O(1) GeV, just above the proton mass. We show estimates for direct detection rates at present and future experiments.

Asymmetric dark matter with a spontaneously broken U(1)′ : Self-interaction and gravitational waves

Motivated by the collisionless cold dark matter small scale structure problem, we propose an asymmetric dark matter model where dark matter particle interact with each other via a massive dark gauge boson. This model easily avoid the strong limits from cosmic microwave background (CMB) observation, and have a large parameter space to be consistent with small scale structure data. We focus on a special scenario where portals between dark sector and visible sector are too weak to be detected by traditional methods. We find that this scenario can increase the effective number of neutrinos ($N_{\text{eff}}$).In addition, the spontaneous $U(1)'$ symmetry breaking process, which makes dark gauge boson massive, can generate stochastic gravitational waves with peak frequency around $10^{-6} - 10^{-7} \text{ Hz}$.

Fitting a self-interacting dark matter model to data ranging from satellite galaxies to galaxy clusters

We present a fit to observational data in an asymmetric self-interacting dark matter model using our recently calculated cross sections that incorporate both $t$-channel and $u$-channel exchanges in the scattering of identical particles. We find good fits to the data ranging from dwarf galaxies to galaxy clusters, and equivalent relative velocities from $\sim 20$ km/sec to $\gtrsim 10^3$ km/s. We compare our results with previous fits that used only $t$-channel exchange contributions to the scattering.

Exploring the cosmological dark matter coincidence using infrared fixed points

The asymmetric dark matter (ADM) paradigm is motivated by the apparent coincidence between the cosmological mass densities of visible and dark matter, $\Omega_\mathrm{DM} \simeq 5\Omega_\mathrm{VM}$. However, most ADM models only relate the number densities of visible and dark matter, and do not motivate the similarity in their particle masses. One exception is a framework introduced by Bai and Schwaller, where the dark matter is a confined state of a dark QCD-like gauge group, and the confinement scales of visible and dark QCD are related by a dynamical mechanism utilising infrared fixed points of the two gauge couplings. We build upon this framework by properly implementing the dependence of the results on the initial conditions for the gauge couplings in the UV. We then reassess the ability of this framework to naturally explain the cosmological mass density coincidence, and find a reduced number of viable models. We identify features of the viable models that allow them to naturally relate the masses of the dark baryon and the proton while also avoiding collider constraints on the new particle content introduced.

Asymmetric dark matter from gravitational waves

We investigate the prospects for probing asymmetric dark matter models through their gravitational wave signatures. We concentrate on a theory extending the Standard Model gauge symmetry by a non-Abelian group, under which leptons form doublets with new fermionic partners, one of them being a dark matter candidate. The breaking of this new symmetry occurs at a high scale and results in a strong first order phase transition in the early universe. The model accommodates baryogenesis in an asymmetric dark matter setting and predicts a gravitational wave signal within the reach of near-future experiments.

Cross section calculations in theories of self-interacting dark matter

We study an asymmetric dark matter model with self-interacting dark matter consisting of a Dirac fermion $\chi$ coupled to a scalar or vector mediator, such that the reaction $\chi + \chi \to \chi + \chi$ is well described by perturbation theory. We compute the scattering cross section $\sigma$, the transfer cross section $\sigma_T$, and the viscosity cross section $\sigma_V$ for this reaction. As one part of our study, we give analytic and numerical comparisons of results obtained with the inclusion of both $t$-channel and $u$-channel exchanges and results obtained in an approximation that has often been used in the literature that includes only the $t$-channel contribution. The velocity dependences of these cross sections are studied in detail and shown to be in accord with observational data.

LHC lifetime frontier and visible decay searches in composite asymmetric dark matter models

The LHC lifetime frontier will probe dark sector in near future, and the visible decay searches at fixed-target experiments have been exploring dark sector. Composite asymmetric dark matter with dark photon portal is a promising framework explaining the coincidence problem between dark matter and visible matter. Dark strong dynamics provides rich structure in the dark sector: the lightest dark nucleon is the dark matter, while strong annihilation into dark pions depletes the symmetric components of the dark matter. Dark photons alleviate cosmological problems. Meanwhile, dark photons make dark hadrons long-lived in terrestrial experiments. Moreover, the dark hadrons are produced through the very same dark photon. In this study, we discuss the visible decay searches for composite asymmetric dark matter models. For a few GeV dark nucleons, the LHC lifetime frontier, MATHUSLA and FASER, has a potential to discover their decay when kinetic mixing angle of dark photon is ϵ ≳ 10−4. On the other hand, fixed-target experiments, in particular SeaQuest, will have a great sensitivity to dark pions with a mass below GeV and with kinetic mixing ϵ ≳ 10−4 in addition to the LHC lifetime frontier. These projected sensitivities to dark hadrons in dark photon parameter space are comparable with the future sensitivities of dark photon searches, such as Belle-II and LHCb.

Implementing asymmetric dark matter and dark electroweak baryogenesis in a mirror two-Higgs-doublet model

Models of asymmetric dark matter (ADM) seek to explain the apparent coincidence between the present-day mass densities of visible and dark matter, $\Omega_{\mathrm{DM}} \simeq 5\Omega_{\mathrm{VM}}$. However, most ADM models only relate the number densities of visible and dark matter without motivating the similar particle masses. We expand upon a recent work that obtained a natural mass relationship in a mirror matter ADM model with two Higgs doublets in each sector, by looking to implement dark electroweak baryogenesis as the means of asymmetry generation. We explore two aspects of the mechanism: the nature of the dark electroweak phase transition, and the transfer of particle asymmetries between the sectors by the use of portal interactions. We find that both aspects can be implemented successfully for various regions of the parameter space. We also analyse one portal interaction -- the neutron portal -- in greater detail, in order to satisfy the observational constraints on dark radiation.

Chiral composite asymmetric dark matter

The asymmetric dark matter (ADM) scenario solves the baryon-dark matter coincidence problem when the dark matter (DM) mass is of mathcal{O}(1) GeV. Composite ADM models based on QCD-like strong dynamics are particularly motivated since the strong dynamics naturally provides the DM mass of mathcal{O}(1) GeV and the large annihilation cross-section simultaneously. In those models, the sub-GeV dark photon often plays an essential role in transferring the excessive entropy in the dark sector into the visible sector, i.e., the Standard Model sector. This paper constructs a chiral composite ADM model where the U(1)D gauge symmetry is embedded into the chiral flavor symmetry. Due to the dynamical breaking of the chiral flavor symmetry, the model naturally provides the masses of the dark photon and the dark pions in the sub-GeV range, both of which play crucial roles for a successful ADM model.

Decoupling of asymmetric dark matter during an early matter dominated era

In models of Asymmetric Dark Matter (ADM) the relic density is set by a particle asymmetry in an analogous manner to the baryons. Here we explore the scenario in which ADM decouples from the Standard Model thermal bath during an early period of matter domination. We first present a model independent analysis for a generic ADM candidate with s-wave annihilation cross section with fairly general assumptions regarding the origin of the early matter dominated period. We contrast our results to those from conventional ADM models which assume radiation domination during decoupling. Subsequently, we examine an explicit example of this scenario in the context of an elegant SO(10) implementation of ADM in which the matter dominated era is due to a long lived heavy right-handed neutrino. In the concluding remarks we discuss the prospects for superheavy ADM in this setting.

Late-time dark matter oscillations and the core-cusp problem

The core-cusp problem persists as an unresolved tension between the pre- dictions of ΛCDM cosmology and observations of dark matter (DM) profiles in dwarf spheroidal and other galaxies. We present a novel scenario for converting cusps into cores through reactivation of DM annihilation in galaxies at late times. This can happen in asymmetric DM models when there is a very small DM-number violating mass term that causes oscillations between DM and its antiparticle. Using analytic methods as well as gravitational N-body simulations, we show that this mechanism can robustly eliminate cusps from galactic DM profiles for light fermionic DM of mass mχ ∼ (0.1 − 1) GeV and a lighter mediator into which the DM can annihilate. We identify regions of parameter space where annihilation of DM particles is more efficient than elastic scattering at reducing the inner density of the DM profile. Dark matter annihilation is therefore a qualitatively distinct alternative to the mechanism of elastic self-interacting dark matter for addressing the cusp-core problem.

Sommerfeld enhancements for asymmetric dark matter

We extend the analysis of asymmetric Dark Matter relic density with the Sommerfeld enhancement to the case where the mediator is massive. In asymmetric Dark Matter models, asymmetric Dark Matter is assumed to couple to the light scalar or vector boson. Asymmetric Dark Matter annihilation cross section is enhanced by the Sommerfeld effect which exists due to the distortion of the wavefunction of asymmetric Dark Matter particle and anti–particle by long–range interactions. The impacts of the Sommerfeld enhancement on the relic densities of asymmetric Dark Matter particle and anti–particle are discussed. The effect of kinetic decoupling on the relic density is also probed when the annihilation cross section is boosted by the Sommerfeld enhancement. Finally, the constraints on the parameter space are given using the observational data of the relic density of Dark Matter.

Maximally self-interacting dark matter: models and predictions

We study self-interacting dark matter (SIDM) scenarios, where the s-wave self-scattering cross section almost saturates the Unitarity bound. Such self-scattering cross sections are singly parameterized by the dark matter mass, and are featured by strong velocity dependence in a wide range of velocities. They may be indicated by observations of dark matter halos in a wide range of masses, from Milky Way’s dwarf spheroidal galaxies to galaxy clusters. We pin down the model parameters that saturates the Unitarity bound in well-motivated SIDM models: the gauged Lμ− Lτ model and composite asymmetric dark matter model. We discuss implications and predictions of such model parameters for cosmology like the H0 tension and dark-matter direct-detection experiments, and particle phenomenology like the beam-dump experiments.

Solitosynthesis and gravitational waves

We study the gravitational wave phenomenology in models of solitosynthesis. In such models, a first order phase transition is precipitated by a period in which non-topological solitons with a conserved global charge (Q-balls) accumulate charge. As such, the nucleation rate of critical bubbles differs significantly from thermal phase transitions. In general we find that the peak amplitude of the gravitational wave spectrum resulting from solitosynthesis is stronger than that of a thermal phase transition and the timescale of the onset of nonlinear plasma dynamics is comparable to Hubble. We demonstrate this explicitly in an asymmetric dark matter model, and discuss current and future constraints in this scenario.

Oscillating composite asymmetric dark matter

The asymmetric dark matter (ADM) scenario can solve the coincidence problem between the baryon and the dark matter (DM) abundance when the DM mass is of mathcal{O} (1) GeV. In the ADM scenarios, composite dark matter is particularly motivated, as it can naturally provide the DM mass in the mathcal{O} (1) GeV range and a large annihilation cross section simultaneously. In this paper, we discuss the indirect detection constraints on the composite ADM model. The portal operators connecting the B − L asymmetries in the dark and the Standard Model(SM) sectors are assumed to be generated in association with the seesaw mechanism. In this model, composite dark matter inevitably obtains a tiny Majorana mass which induces a pair-annihilation of ADM at late times. We show that the model can be efficiently tested by the searches for the γ-ray from the dwarf spheroidal galaxies and the interstellar electron/positron flux.

Fate of a neutron star with an endoparasitic black hole and implications for dark matter

We study the dynamics and observational signatures of a neutron star being consumed by a much less massive black hole residing inside the star. This phenomenon could arise in a variety of scenarios, including after the capture of a primordial black hole, or in some models of asymmetric dark matter where the dark matter particles collect at the center of a neutron star and eventually collapse to form a black hole. However, the details of how the neutron star implodes are not well known, which is crucial to determining the observational implications of such events. We utilize fully general relativistic simulations to follow the evolution of such a black hole as it grows by several orders of magnitude, and ultimately consumes the neutron star. We consider a range of spin values for the neutron star, from non-rotating stars, to those with millisecond periods, as well as different equations of state. We find that as the black hole grows, it obtains a non-negligible spin and induces differential rotation in the core of the neutron star. In contrast to previous studies, we find that the amount of dynamical ejecta is very small, even for rapidly rotating stars, dampening the prospects for producing a kilonova-type electromagnetic signal from such events. We comment on other possible electromagnetic and gravitational signals.

A model of neutrino mass, baryon asymmetry, and asymmetric dark matter with [formula omitted] dark sector

I suggest a new extension of the standard model of particle physics, which introduces a dark sector with the SU(2)D⊗U(1)D′ symmetry besides the SM sector. The new particles of the model all inhabit in the dark sector. The dark gauge symmetry breaking will bring about fruitful physics beyond the SM. The tiny neutrino mass is generated through the Dirac-type seesaw mechanism. The inflaton decay can not only provide the universe inflation and reheating, but also lead to the baryon asymmetry and the asymmetric cold dark matter. In short, the model provides an unification of the neutrino mass, the baryon asymmetry, the asymmetric CDM and the inflation, and it can account for their common origin. Finally, it is very possible to test the model predictions and probe the dark sector physics in near future experiments.

Dark quark nuggets

"Dark quark nuggets", a lump of dark quark matter, can be produced in the early universe for a wide range of confining gauge theories and serve as a macroscopic dark matter candidate. The two necessary conditions, a nonzero dark baryon number asymmetry and a first-order phase transition, can be easily satisfied for many asymmetric dark matter models and QCD-like gauge theories with a few massless flavors. For confinement scales from 10 keV to 100 TeV, these dark quark nuggets with a huge dark baryon number have their masses vary from $10^{23}~\mathrm{g}$ to $10^{-7}~\mathrm{g}$ and their radii from $10^{8}~\mathrm{cm}$ to $10^{-15}~\mathrm{cm}$. Such macroscopic dark matter candidates can be searched for by a broad scope of experiments and even new detection strategies. Specifically, we have found that the gravitational microlensing experiments can probe heavier dark quark nuggets or smaller confinement scales around 10 keV; collision of dark quark nuggets can generate detectable and transient electromagnetic radiation signals; the stochastic gravitational wave signals from the first order phase transition can be probed by the pulsar timing array observations and other space-based interferometry experiments; the approximately massless dark mesons can behave as dark radiation to be tested by the next-generation CMB experiments; the free dark baryons, as a subcomponent of dark matter, can have direct detection signals for a sufficiently strong interaction strength with the visible sector.

Ultraviolet completion of a composite asymmetric dark matter model with a dark photon portal

Composite asymmetric dark matter scenarios naturally explain why the dark matter mass density is comparable with the visible matter mass density. Such scenarios generically require some entropy transfer mechanism below the composite scale; otherwise, their late-time cosmology is incompatible with observations. A tiny kinetic mixing between a dark photon and the visible photon is a promising example of the low-energy portal. In this paper, we demonstrate that grand unifications in the dark and the visible sectors explain the origin of the tiny kinetic mixing. We particularly consider an ultraviolet completion of a simple composite asymmetric dark matter model, where asymmetric dark matter carries a B − L charge. In this setup, the longevity of asymmetric dark matter is explained by the B − L symmetry, while the dark matter asymmetry originates from the B−L asymmetry generated by thermal leptogenesis. In our minimal setup, the Standard Model sector and the dark sector are unified into SU(5)GUT × SU(4)DGUT gauge theories, respectively. This model generates required B − L portal operators while suppressing unwanted higher-dimensional operators that could wash out the generated B − L asymmetry.