Dark Matter Direct Detection Limits Research Articles

Light dark matter around 100 GeV from the inert doublet model

We made global fits of the inert Higgs doublet model (IDM) in the light of collider and dark matter search limits and the requirement for a strongly first-order electroweak phase transition (EWPT). These show that there are still IDM parameter spaces compatible with the observational constraints considered. In particular, the data and theoretical requirements imposed favour the hypothesis for the existence of a scalar dark matter candidate around 100 GeV. This is mostly due to the pull towards lower masses by the EWPT constraint. The impact of electroweak precision measurements, the dark matter direct detection limits, and the condition for obtaining a strongly enough first-order EWPT, all have strong dependence, sometimes in opposing directions, on the mass splittings between the IDM scalars.

Probing sub-GeV leptophilic dark matter at Belle II and NA64

An analysis is given of the Belle II sensitivities and NA64 constraints on the sub-GeV Dirac dark matter that interacts with charged leptons. We consider two different types of interactions between sub-GeV Dirac dark matter and the charged leptons: the EFT operators and the light vector mediators. We compute the Belle II mono-photon sensitivities on sub-GeV dark matter with 50 ab−1 data which are expected to be accumulated in the full Belle II runs. Although the Belle II mono-photon sensitivities on the EFT operators are of similar size as the LEP constraints, Belle II can probe new parameter space of the light vector mediator models that are unexplored by LEP. For both the EFT operators and the light vector mediator models, the Belle II mono-photon sensitivities can be several orders of magnitude stronger than the current dark matter direct detection limits, as well as the white dwarf limits. The light vector mediator can also be directly searched for by reconstructing the invariant mass of its di-lepton decay final states at Belle II, which is found to be complementary to the mono-photon channel. We compute the NA64 constraints on the sub-GeV Dirac dark matter and provide analytic expressions of the dark matter cross section in the Weizsäcker-Williams approximation, for the EFT operators, and for the light vector mediator models. We find that the current NA64 data (with 2.84 × 1011 electron-on-target events) provide strong constraints on sub-GeV dark matter. Although the NA64 constraints are found to be about one order of magnitude smaller than the Belle II sensitivities for the EFT operators, NA64 can probe some regions of the parameter space in the light vector mediator models that are beyond the reach of Belle II. We also find that Belle II and NA64 can probe the canonical dark matter annihilation cross section in thermal freeze-out in a significant portion of the parameter space of the models considered.

The new \u201cMUON G-2\u201d result and supersymmetry

The electroweak (EW) sector of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), with the lightest neutralino as Dark Matter (DM) candidate, can account for a variety of experimental data. This includes the DM content of the universe, DM direct detection limits, EW SUSY searches at the LHC and in particular the so far persistent 3-4,sigma discrepancy between the experimental result for the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, (g-2)_mu , and its Standard Model (SM) prediction. The recently published “MUON G-2” result is within {0.8},sigma in agreement with the older BNL result on (g-2)_mu . The combination of the two results was given as a_mu ^{mathrm{exp}} = (11 659 {206.1}pm {4.1}) times 10^{-10}, yielding a new deviation from the SM prediction of Delta a_mu = ({25.1}pm {5.9}) times 10^{-10}, corresponding to {4.2},sigma . Using this improved bound we update the results presented in Chakraborti et al. (Eur Phys J C 80(10):984, 2020) and set new upper limits on the allowed parameters space of the EW sector of the MSSM. We find that with the new (g-2)_mu result the upper limits on the (next-to-) lightest SUSY particle are in the same ballpark as previously, yielding updated upper limits on these masses of sim 750 ,, mathrm {GeV}. In this way, a clear target is confirmed for future (HL-)LHC EW searches, as well as for future high-energy e^+e^- colliders, such as the ILC or CLIC.

T \u2212 b \u2212 \u03c4 Yukawa unification in non-holomorphic MSSM

We show that in the CMSSM with the non-holomorphic soft SUSY breaking terms, the Yukawa coupling unification of the third family fermions at the GUT scale, called t − b − τ Yukawa unification (YU), is possible under the recent collider and Dark Matter results. The YU parameter can also be found Rtbτ≈ 1, called perfect unification. We find that the squark masses exceed 3 TeV while the stau can be considerably lighter. In the case of YU, the tan β is in the interval [46,55]. We obtain bino-like dark matter (DM) of mass in the range of 0.6 TeV ≲ {m}_{upchi_1^0} ≲ 1.3 TeV where the recent Dark Matter direct detection limits are also satisfied. We also identify A-resonance solutions which reduce the relic abundance of LSP neutralino down to the ranges compatible with the current Planck measurements.

Informing dark matter direct detection limits with the ARTEMIS simulations

Dark matter (DM) direct detection experiments aim to place constraints on the DM-nucleon scattering cross-section and the DM particle mass. These constraints depend sensitively on the assumed local DM density and velocity distribution function. While astrophysical observations can inform the former (in a model-dependent way), the latter is not directly accessible with observations. Here we use the high-resolution ARTEMIS cosmological hydrodynamical simulation suite of 42 Milky Way-mass halos to explore the spatial and kinematical distributions of the DM in the solar neighbourhood, and we examine how these quantities are influenced by substructures, baryons, the presence of dark discs, as well as general halo-to-halo scatter (cosmic variance). We also explore the accuracy of the standard Maxwellian approach for modelling the velocity distribution function. We find significant halo-to-halo scatter in the density and velocity functions which, if propagated through the standard halo model for predicting the DM detection limits, implies a significant scatter about the typically quoted limit. We also show that, in general, the Maxwellian approximation works relatively well for simulations that include the important gravitational effects of baryons, but is less accurate for collisionless (DM-only) simulations. Given the significant halo-to-halo scatter in quantities relevant for DM direct detection, we advocate propagating this source of uncertainty through in order to derive conservative DM detection limits.

Dirac dark matter in U(1)B−L with the Stueckelberg mechanism

We investigate a U(1)B−L gauge extension of the Standard Model (SM) where the gauge boson mass is generated by the Stueckelberg mechanism. Three right-handed neutrinos are added to cancel the gauge anomaly and hence the neutrino masses can be explained. A new Dirac fermion could be a WIMP dark matter whose interaction with the SM sector is mediated by the new gauge boson. Assuming the perturbativity of the gauge coupling up to the Planck scale, we find that only the resonance region is feasible for the dark matter abundance. After applying the ΔNeff constraints from the current Planck experiment, the collider search constraints as well as the dark matter direct detection limits, we observe that the B−L charge of dark matter satisfies |Qχ|>0.11. Such a scenario might be probed conclusively by the projected CMB-S4 experiment, assuming the right-handed neutrinos are thermalized with the SM sector in the early universe.

Conformal vector dark matter and strongly first-order electroweak phase transition

We study a conformal version of the Standard Model (SM), which apart from SM sector, containing a UD(1) dark sector with a vector dark matter candidate and a scalar field (scalon). In this model the dark sector couples to the SM sector via a Higgs portal. The theory is scale-invariant in lowest order, therefore the spontaneous symmetry breaking of scale invariance entails the existence of a scalar particle, scalon, with vanishing zeroth-order mass. However, one-loop corrections break scale invariance, so they give mass to the scalon. Because of the scale invariance, our model is subjected to constraints which remove many of the free parameters. We put constraints to the two remaining parameters from the Higgs searches at the LHC, dark matter relic density and dark matter direct detection limits by PandaX-II. The viable mass region for dark matter is about 1–2 TeV. We also obtain the finite temperature one-loop effective potential of the model and demonstrate that finite temperature effects, for the parameter space constrained by dark matter relic density, induce a strongly first-order electroweak phase transition.

Extended Higgs-portal dark matter and the Fermi-LAT Galactic Center Excess

In the present work, we show that the Galactic Center Excess (GCE) emission, as recently updated by the Fermi-LAT Collaboration, could be explained by a mixture of Fermi-bubbles-like emission plus dark matter (DM) annihilation, in the context of a scalar-singlet Higgs portal scenario (SHP). In fact, the standard SHP, where the DM particle, S, only has renormalizable interactions with the Higgs, is non-operational due to strong constraints, especially from DM direct detection limits. Thus we consider the most economical extension, called ESHP (for extended SHP), which consists solely in the addition of a second (more massive) scalar singlet in the dark sector. The second scalar can be integrated-out, leaving a standard SHP plus a dimension-6 operator. Mainly, this model has only two relevant parameters (the DM mass and the coupling of the dim-6 operator). DM annihilation occurs mainly into two Higgs bosons, SS→ hh. We demonstrate that, despite its economy, the ESHP model provides an excellent fit to the GCE (with p-value ∼ 0.6−0.7) for very reasonable values of the parameters, in particular, mS ≃ 130 GeV. This agreement of the DM candidate to the GCE properties does not clash with other observables and keep the S−particle relic density at the accepted value for the DM content in the universe.

Dilatonlike Higgs boson with scalar singlet dark matter

We study a model with a Higgs-like dilaton and a Standard Model gauge-singlet scalar dark matter candidate. We begin by updating the status of identifying the observed 125 GeV Higgs-like boson with the pseudo Nambu-Goldstone boson that arises from the spontaneous breaking of scale invariance using recent Higgs boson signal strength measurements by the ATLAS and CMS collaborations. We then constrain the extended model with recent constraints on the Higgs invisible width, the observed dark matter relic abundance and the latest dark matter direct detection limits. We found that the magnitude of the dilaton-$\gamma\gamma$ and dilaton-glue-glue coupling is constrained to be close to the standard model values. The mass of the dark matter candidate is contrained to be greater than half the dilaton mass by relic abundance limits and Higgs invisible width limits. Dark matter direct detection limits allow only small mass regions which will be further constrained by upcoming DEAP measurements.

Majorana dark matter in a classically scale invariant model

We analyze a classically scale invariant extension of the Standard Model with a dark gauge U(1) X broken by a doubly charge scalar Φ leaving a remnant Z 2 symmetry. Dark fermions are introduced as dark matter candidates and for anomaly reasons we introduce two chiral fermions. Due to classical scale invariance, bare mass term that would mix these two states is absent and they end up as stable Majorana fermions N 1 and N 2. We calculate cross sections for N a N a → ϕϕ, N a N a → X μ ϕ and N 2 N 2 → N 1 N 1 annihilation channels. We put constraints to the model from the Higgs searches at the LHC, dark matter relic abundance and dark matter direct detection limits by LUX. The dark gauge boson plays a crucial role in the Coleman-Weinberg mechanism and has to be heavier than 680 GeV. The viable mass region for dark matter is from 470 GeV up to a few TeV. In the case when the two Majorana fermions have different masses, two dark matter signals at direct detection experiments could provide a distinctive signature of this model.

Status of the inert doublet model and the role of multileptons at the LHC

A possible feature of the inert doublet model (IDM) is to provide a dark matter candidate together with an alteration of both direct and indirect collider constraints that allow for a heavy Higgs boson. We study the IDM in light of recent results from Higgs searches at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in combination with dark matter direct detection limits from the XENON experiment. We ask under what conditions the IDM can still accommodate a heavy Higgs boson. We find that IDM scenarios with a Higgs boson in the mass range 160-600 GeV are ruled out only when all experimental constraints are combined. For models explaining only a fraction of the dark matter the limits are weakened, and IDMs with a heavy Higgs are allowed. We discuss the prospects for future detection of such IDM scenarios in the four-lepton plus missing energy channel at the LHC. This signal can show up in the first year of running at \sqrt{s} = 14 TeV, and we present detector-level studies for a few benchmark models.