Dark Matter Relic Abundance Research Articles

Schwinger dark matter production

Building on recently constructed inflationary vector dark matter production mechanisms as well as studies of magnetogenesis, we show that an inflationary dark Schwinger mechanism can generate the observed dark matter relic abundance for `dark electron' masses as light as ∼ 0.1 eV and as heavy as 1012 GeV. The dark matter can interact very weakly via the exchange of light dark photons with a power spectrum which is peaked at very small scales, thus evading isocurvature constraints. This mechanism is viable even when (purely) gravitational particle production is negligible. Thus dark matter can be produced solely via the Schwinger effect during inflation including for light masses.

A light QCD axion with hilltop misalignment

We study the cosmological evolution of a light QCD axion and identify the parameter space to obtain the correct relic dark matter abundance. The axion potential is flattened at the origin, corresponding to the only minimum, while it is unsuppressed at π. These potential features arise by assuming a mirror sector with the strong CP phase θ¯\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\overline{\ heta} $$\\end{document} shifted by π compared to the SM sector, which allows the mirror axion potential to be tuned against the usual QCD axion potential. Before the QCD phase transition, assuming the mirror sector is decoupled and much colder than the SM thermal bath, the mirror sector potential dominates, causing the axion to initially roll to a temporary minimum at π. However, after the QCD phase transition, the potential minimum changes, and the axion relaxes from the newly created “hilltop” near π to the CP-conserving minimum at the origin. As the axion adiabatically tracks this shift in the potential minimum through the QCD phase transition, with non-adiabatic evolution near π and 0, it alters the usual prediction of the dark matter abundance. Consequently, this “hilltop” misalignment mechanism opens new regions of axion parameter space, with the correct relic abundance while still solving the strong CP problem, that could be explored in future experiments.

Composite dark matter with forbidden annihilation

A dark matter model based on QCD-like SU(Nc) gauge theory with electroweakly interacting dark quarks is discussed. Assuming the dark quark mass m is smaller than the dynamical scale Λd ~ 4πfd, the main component of the dark matter is the lightest G-parity odd dark pion associated with chiral symmetry breaking in the dark sector. We show that nonzero dark quark mass induces the universal mass contribution to both G-parity odd and even pions, and their masses tend to be degenerate. As a result, dark pion annihilation into heavier G-parity even dark pion also affects the dark matter relic abundance. Thus, our setup naturally accommodates forbidden dark matter scenario and realizes heavy dark matter whose mass is O\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{O} $$\\end{document}(1–100) TeV, which is different from conventional electroweakly interacting dark matter such as minimal dark matter. We also discuss CP-violation from the θ-term in the dark gauge sector and find that the predicted size of the electron electric dipole moment can be as large as ∼ 10−32e cm.

Gravitational wave signatures of cogenesis from a burdened PBH

We explore the possibility of explaining the observed dark matter (DM) relic abundance, along with matter-antimatter asymmetry, entirely from the evaporation of primordial black holes (PBH) beyond the semi-classical approximation. We find that, depending on the timing of modification to the semi-classical approximation and the efficiency of the backreaction, it is possible to produce the correct DM abundance for PBHs with masses ≳ 𝒪 (103) g, whereas producing the right amount of baryon asymmetry requires light PBHs with masses ≲ 𝒪 (103) g, satisfying bounds on the PBH mass from the Cosmic Microwave Background and Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. However, in a simplistic scenario, achieving both simultaneously is not feasible, typically because of the stringent Lyman-α constraint on warm dark matter mass. In addition to DM and baryon asymmetry, we also investigate the impact of memory burden on dark radiation, evaporated from PBH, constrained by the effective number of relativistic degrees of freedom Δ N eff. Furthermore, we demonstrate how induced gravitational waves from PBH density fluctuations can provide a window to test the memory-burden effects, thereby placing constraints on either the DM mass scale or the scale of leptogenesis.

A common framework for fermion mass hierarchy, leptogenesis and dark matter

In this work, we explore an extension of the Standard Model designed to elucidate the fermion mass hierarchy, account for the dark matter relic abundance, and explain the observed matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe. Beyond the Standard Model particle content, our model introduces additional scalars and fermions. Notably, the light active neutrinos and the first two generations of charged fermions acquire masses at the one-loop level. The model accommodates successful low-scale leptogenesis, permitting the mass of the decaying heavy right-handed neutrino to be as low as 10 TeV. We conduct a detailed analysis of the dark matter phenomenology and explore various interesting phenomenological implications. These include charged lepton flavor violation, muon and electron anomalous magnetic moments, constraints arising from electroweak precision observables, and implications for collider experiments.

Coleman-Weinberg dynamics of ultralight scalar dark matter and GeV-scale right-handed neutrinos

We consider an extension of the Standard Model by three singlet fermions and one singlet real scalar field. The scalar is an ultralight dark matter candidate whose abundance is set by dynamically induced misalignment from the Higgs portal. We focus on parameter space where the Coleman-Weinberg potential both fixes the dark matter relic abundance, and predicts the mass scale of right-handed neutrinos. The model prefers scalar masses in the range of 10 μeV ≲ mϕ ≲ 10 meV, and can be tested via direct searches for a light scalar (e.g. fifth force tests), or by searching for right-handed neutrinos in laboratory experiments.

Composite dark matter and neutrino masses from a light hidden sector

We study a class of models in which the particle that constitutes dark matter arises as a composite state of a strongly coupled hidden sector. The hidden sector interacts with the Standard Model through the neutrino portal, allowing the relic abundance of dark matter to be set by annihilation into final states containing neutrinos. The coupling to the hidden sector also leads to the generation of neutrino masses through the inverse seesaw mechanism, with composite hidden sector states playing the role of the singlet neutrinos. We focus on the scenario in which the hidden sector is conformal in the ultraviolet, and the compositeness scale lies at or below the weak scale. We construct a holographic realization of this framework based on the Randall-Sundrum setup and explore the implications for experiments. We determine the current constraints on this scenario from direct and indirect detection, lepton flavor violation and collider experiments and explore the reach of future searches. We show that in the near future, direct detection experiments and searches for μ → e conversion will be able to probe new parameter space. At colliders, dark matter can be produced in association with composite singlet neutrinos via Drell Yan processes or in weak decays of hadrons. We show that current searches at the Large Hadron Collider have only limited sensitivity to this new production channel and we comment on how the reconstruction of the singlet neutrinos can potentially expand the reach.

First constraints on the Lμ− Lτ explanation of the muon g-2 anomaly from NA64-e at CERN

The inclusion of an additional U(1) gauge Lμ − Lτ symmetry would release the tension between the measured and the predicted value of the anomalous muon magnetic moment: this paradigm assumes the existence of a new, light Z′ vector boson, with dominant coupling to μ and τ leptons and interacting with electrons via a loop mechanism. The Lμ − Lτ model can also explain the Dark Matter relic abundance, by assuming that the Z′ boson acts as a “portal” to a new Dark Sector of particles in Nature, not charged under known interactions. In this work we present the results of the Z′ search performed by the NA64-e experiment at CERN SPS, that collected ~ 9 × 1011 100 GeV electrons impinging on an active thick target. Despite the suppressed Z′ production yield with an electron beam, NA64-e provides the first accelerator-based results excluding the g − 2 preferred band of the Z′ parameter space in the 1 keV <mZ′\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {m}_{Z^{\\prime }} $$\\end{document} ≲ 2 MeV range, in complementarity with the limits recently obtained by the NA64-μ experiment with a muon beam.

Quantum effects on the evaporation of PBHs: contributions to dark matter

We compute the relic abundance of dark matter in the presence of Primordial Black Holes (PBHs) beyond the semiclassical approximation. We take into account the quantum corrections due to the memory burden effect, which is assumed to suppress the black hole evaporation rate by the inverse power of its own entropy. Such quantum effect significantly enhances the lifetime, rendering the possibility of PBH mass ≲ 109 g being the sole dark matter (DM) candidate. However, Nature can not rule out the existence of fundamental particles such as DM. We, therefore, include the possibility of populating the dark sector by the decay of PBHs to those fundamental particles, adding the contribution to stable PBH whose lifetime is extended due to the quantum corrections. Depending on the strength of the burden effect, we show that a wide range of parameter space opens up in the initial PBH mass and fundamental dark matter mass plane that respects the correct relic abundance.

Gravitational wave signatures of a chiral fermion dark matter model

Theories in which the dark matter (DM) candidate is a fermion transforming chirally under a gauge symmetry are attractive, as the gauge symmetry would protect the DM mass. In such theories, the universe would have undergone a phase transition at early times that generated the DM mass upon spontaneous breaking of the gauge symmetry. In this paper, we explore the gravitational wave signals of a simple such theory based on an SU(2)D dark sector with a dark isospin-3/2 fermion serving as the DM candidate. This is arguably the simplest chiral theory possible. The scalar sector consists of a dark isospin-3 multiple, which breaks the SU(2)D gauge symmetry and also generates the DM mass. We construct the full thermal potential of the model and identify regions of parameter space which lead to detectable gravitational wave signals, arising from a strong first-order SU(2)D phase transition, in various planned space-based interferometers, while also being consistent with dark matter relic abundance. The bulk of the parameter space exhibiting detectable gravitational wave signals in the model also has large WIMP-nucleon scattering cross sections, ℴSI, which could be probed in upcoming direct detection experiments.

New mechanism for primordial black hole formation from the QCD axion

We present a new mechanism for the primordial black hole (PBH) production within the QCD axion framework. We take the case where the Peccei-Quinn symmetry breaks during inflation, resulting in a NDW=1 string-wall network that reenters the horizon sufficiently late. Therefore, closed axion domain walls naturally arising in the network are sufficiently large to collapse into PBHs. Our numerical simulation shows that ∼0.3% of the total wall area is in the form of closed walls. In addition, the relic abundance of dark matter is dominantly accounted for by free axions from the collapse of open walls bounded by strings. In this framework, the abundance of PBH within dark matter is calculated to be ∼0.9%. This fraction remains unaffected by axion parameters or the reentering horizon temperature, as it is determined by the fixed proportion of closed walls in the network, governed by the principles of percolation theory. The resultant PBHs uniformly share the same mass, which spans from about 10−9 to 1 solar mass, corresponding to the classical QCD axion mass window 10−5–10−2 eV and the reentering horizon temperature 300−1 MeV. Intriguingly, PBHs in this mechanism can naturally account for the ultrashort-timescale gravitational microlensing events observed by the OGLE collaboration. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

First Results in the Search for Dark Sectors at NA64 with the CERN SPS High Energy Muon Beam

We report the first search for dark sectors performed at the NA64 experiment employing a high energy muon beam and a missing energy-momentum technique. Muons from the M2 beamline at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron with a momentum of 160 GeV/c are directed to an active target. The signal signature consists of a single scattered muon with momentum &lt;80 GeV/c in the final state, accompanied by missing energy, i.e., no detectable activity in the downstream calorimeters. For a total dataset of (1.98±0.02)×1010 muons on target, no event is observed in the expected signal region. This allows us to set new limits on the remaining (mZ′,gZ′) parameter space of a new Z′ (Lμ−Lτ) vector boson which could explain the muon (g−2)μ anomaly. Additionally, our study excludes part of the parameter space suggested by the thermal dark matter relic abundance. Our results pave the way to explore dark sectors and light dark matter with muon beams in a unique and complementary way to other experiments. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

ATLAS Run 2 searches for electroweak production of supersymmetric particles interpreted within the pMSSM

A summary of the constraints from searches performed by the ATLAS collaboration for the electroweak production of charginos and neutralinos is presented. Results from eight separate ATLAS searches are considered, each using 140 fb−1 of proton-proton data at a centre-of-mass energy of s\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\sqrt{s} $$\\end{document} = 13 TeV collected at the Large Hadron Collider during its second data-taking run. The results are interpreted in the context of the 19-parameter phenomenological minimal supersymmetric standard model, where R-parity conservation is assumed and the lightest supersymmetric particle is assumed to be the lightest neutralino. Constraints from previous electroweak, flavour and dark matter related measurements are also considered. The results are presented in terms of constraints on supersymmetric particle masses and are compared with limits from simplified models. Also shown is the impact of ATLAS searches on parameters such as the dark matter relic density and the spin-dependent and spin-independent scattering cross-sections targeted by direct dark matter detection experiments. The Higgs boson and Z boson ‘funnel regions’, where a low-mass neutralino would not oversaturate the dark matter relic abundance, are almost completely excluded by the considered constraints. Example spectra for non-excluded supersymmetric models with light charginos and neutralinos are also presented.

Hunting WIMPs with LISA: correlating dark matter and gravitational wave signals

The thermal freeze-out mechanism in its classical form is tightly connected to physics beyond the Standard Model around the electroweak scale, which has been the target of enormous experimental efforts. In this work we study a dark matter model in which freeze-out is triggered by a strong first-order phase transition in a dark sector, and show that this phase transition must also happen close to the electroweak scale, i.e. in the temperature range relevant for gravitational wave searches with the LISA mission. Specifically, we consider the spontaneous breaking of a U(1)′ gauge symmetry through the vacuum expectation value of a scalar field, which generates the mass of a fermionic dark matter candidate that subsequently annihilates into dark Higgs and gauge bosons. In this set-up the peak frequency of the gravitational wave background is tightly correlated with the dark matter relic abundance, and imposing the observed value for the latter implies that the former must lie in the milli-Hertz range. A peculiar feature of our set-up is that the dark sector is not necessarily in thermal equilibrium with the Standard Model during the phase transition, and hence the temperatures of the two sectors evolve independently. Nevertheless, the requirement that the universe does not enter an extended period of matter domination after the phase transition, which would strongly dilute any gravitational wave signal, places a lower bound on the portal coupling that governs the entropy transfer between the two sectors. As a result, the predictions for the peak frequency of gravitational waves in the LISA band are robust, while the amplitude can change depending on the initial dark sector temperature.

95 GeV diphoton and bb¯ excesses in the general next-to-minimal supersymmetric standard model

The CMS and ATLAS Collaborations recently published their results searching for light Higgs bosons, using the complete Run 2 data of the LHC. Both reported an excess in the diphoton invariant mass distribution at mγγ≃95.4 GeV with compatible signal strengths. The combined result corresponded to a local significance of 3.1σ. Besides, the mass of the diphoton signal coincided with that of the bb¯ excess observed at the Large Electron Positron. Given the remarkable theoretical advantages of the general next-to-minimal supersymmetric Standard Model, we interpret these excesses by the resonant productions of the singlet-dominated CP-even Higgs boson predicted by the theory. Using both analytic formulas and numerical results, we show that the idea can interpret the excesses by broad parameter space without contradicting current experimental restrictions, including those from the 125 GeV Higgs data, the dark matter relic abundance and direct detection experiments, and the collider searches for supersymmetry and extra Higgs bosons. Although the explanations are scarcely affected by present Higgs data and the LHC search for supersymmetry, the dark matter physics may leave footprints on them. We also survey the other signals of the light Higgs boson at the LHC. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Leptonic ALP portal to the dark sector

We discuss the leptonic axionlike particle (ALP) portal as a simple scenario that connects observed discrepancies in anomalous magnetic moments to the dark matter relic abundance. In this framework an axionlike particle in the multi-MeV range couples to SM leptons and a dark matter (DM) fermion, with mass above the ALP mass but below 1 GeV. The ALP contributes to (g−2)μ and (g−2)e dominantly through two-loop Barr-Zee diagrams, while the DM abundance is generated by p-wave annihilation to ALP pairs. Constraints from beam-dump experiments, colliders, and cosmic microwave background probes are very stringent, and restrict the viable parameter space to a rather narrow region that will be tested in the near future. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Gravitational dark matter from minimal preheating

Following our previous work, we continue to explore gravitational dark matter production during the minimal preheating caused by inflaton self-resonance. In this situation there is only one dimensionless index parameter n characterizing the inflation potential after the end of inflation, which leads to a robust prediction on the gravitational dark matter relic abundance. Using lattice method to handle the non-perturbative evolutions of relevant quantities during the inflaton self-resonance, we derive the gravitational dark matter relic abundance arising from both the inflaton condensate and fluctuation annihilation. While being absent in the large gravitational dark matter mass range for n = 2, the former one can instead dominate over the later one for n = 4, 6. Our results show that gravitational dark matter mass of 1.04 (2.66) × 1014 GeV accommodates the observed value of dark matter relic abundance for n = 4 (6).

Cosmological consequences of Brans–Dicke theory in 4D from 5D scalar-vacuum

We study 5D Brans–Dicke theory in the framework of (gravitational) baryogenesis and primordial light element formation. Such a model is able to explain the present cosmic accelerated expansion without recurring to matter fields in 5D or dark energy in 4D. In fact, the 5D to 4D reduction arises a space-matter tensor of geometrical origin that plays the role of a new ingredient on-shell. For an isotropic and homogeneous Universe, the cosmological equations admit a power-law solution of the scale factor, a(t)∼tα\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$a(t)\\sim t^\\alpha$$\\end{document}, we constrain the exponential factor α\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\alpha$$\\end{document} by using the present bounds on the matter–antimatter asymmetry in the Universe and Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. A possible connection with dark matter relic abundance is also discussed.

Diraxiogenesis

The family of Dirac Seesaw models offers an intriguing alternative explanation for the smallness of neutrino masses without necessarily requiring microscopic lepton number violation, when compared to the more familiar class of Majorana Seesaws. A global U(1)D symmetry, that is explicitly broken by a higher dimensional scalar operator, ensures that the right handed neutrino does not couple directly to the Standard Model like Higgs and an exact gauged or residual lepton number symmetry prohibits all Majorana masses. We demonstrate that all three Dirac Seesaws possess a Pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone boson associated with the U(1)D symmetry, that we call the Diraxion, whose cosmological dynamics have so far been left unexplored. Furthermore we illustrate that a Dirac-Leptogenesis version of the recently proposed Lepto-Axiogenesis scenario can be realized in this class of models, leading to a unified origin of the observed baryon asymmetry and dark matter relic abundance. Explaining only the baryon asymmetry can lead to potentially observable amounts of right handed neutrino dark radiation with ∆Neff. ≲ 0.028. On the other hand, if we only fix the dark matter abundance via the kinetic misalignment mechanism, this set-up could lead to detectable signatures in proposed cosmic neutrino background experiments via decays of eV-scale Diraxions to neutrinos. Here there is no domain wall problem, since topological defects decay to a subleading fraction of relic Diraxions. A key ingredient of all Axiogenesis scenarios is the dynamics of relatively light scalar called the Saxion, that in our case has a mass at the GeV-scale and which might reveal itself in heavy meson decays or collider searches. Our setup predicts isocurvature perturbations in baryons, dark matter and dark radiation sourced by fluctuations of the Saxion.

Pseudo-Goldstone dark matter in a radiative inverse seesaw scenario

We consider a scale-invariant inverse seesaw model with dynamical breaking of gauge symmetry and lepton number. In some regions of the parameter space, the Majoron — the pseudo-Goldstone of lepton number breaking — is a viable dark matter candidate. The bound on the Majoron decay rate implies a very large dilaton vacuum expectation value, which also results in a suppression of other dark matter couplings. Because of that, the observed dark matter relic abundance can only be matched via the freeze-in mechanism. The scalar field which gives mass to heavy neutrinos can play the role of the inflaton, resulting in a tensor-to-scalar ratio r ≲ 0.01 for metric inflation and r ≲ 0.21 for Palatini gravity.