Direct Detection Constraints Research Articles

Higgs-portal spin-1 dark matter with parity-violating interaction

We introduce the spin-1 U(1)X gauged field X with Z2 odd dark parity to evade the current strong constraints on kinetic mixing. Then, X becomes stable and a candidate for the dark matter. The lowest mass dimension of interaction is six, and the type is the Higgs portal. Two types of dim-6 operators are introduced. We consider the freeze-out dark matter scenario. With the limit of null momentum transfer, a parity odd operator is free from the direct detection constraints. Accordingly, the strong constraints on a parity even operator indicate turning on this parity odd operator to realize the dark matter relic density of the Universe. With the 1 TeV cut-off scale, our dark matter of around 400 GeV mass can explain the dark matter relic density and is allowed from the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment of the direct detection.

Dark matter from anomaly cancellation at the LHC

We discuss a class of theories that predict a fermionic dark matter candidate from gauge anomaly cancellation. As an explicit example, we study the predictions in theories where the global symmetry associated with baryon number is promoted to a local gauge symmetry. In this context, the symmetry-breaking scale has to be below the multi-TeV scale in order to be in agreement with the cosmological constraints on the dark matter relic density. The new physical “Cucuyo” Higgs boson in the theory has very interesting properties, decaying mainly into two photons in the low mass region, and mainly into dark matter in the intermediate mass region. We study the most important signatures at the Large Hadron Collider, evaluating the experimental bounds. We discuss the correlation between the dark matter relic density, direct detection, and collider constraints. We find that these theories are still viable and are susceptible to being probed in current, and future high-luminosity, running. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Matter asymmetries in the ZN dark matter-companion models

A class of ZN≥3-symmetric WIMP dark matter models that are characterized by the semi-annihilation into the companion of dark matter has been proposed in ref. [1], providing a mechanism to evade the stringent direct detection constraint. In this work, we point out that such models naturally provide the three Sakharov elements necessary for dark matter asymmetry, and moreover this asymmetry can be transferred to the visible sector with a proper link to the leptonic or quark sector. In our minimal Z3 example, the migration to the leptonic sector is via the asymmetric companion decay into neutrinos, and the lepton asymmetry can be further transferred to the quark sector. The CP violation parameter is restrained in this model. Thus, we explore the thermal motion effect of dark matter and find that it gives an enhancement to the CP violation parameter, which is studied for the first time. A preliminary numerical analysis based on the Boltzmann equations shows that both correct relic density of dark matter and baryon asymmetry can be accommodated.

Light thermal dark matter beyond p-wave annihilation in minimal Higgs portal model

This study explores a minimal renormalizable dark matter (DM) model, incorporating a sub-GeV Majorana DM and a singlet scalar particle ϕ. Using scalar and pseudo-scalar interactions (couplings cs and cp), we investigate implications for DM detection, considering s-wave, p-wave, and combined (s+p wave) contributions in DM annihilation cross-section, as well as loop-correction contributions to DM-nucleon elastic scattering. Identifying a broad parameter space (10 MeV < mχ ≲ mϕ) within the 2σ allowed region, we explore scenarios (|cs| ≫ |cp|, |cs| ≪ |cp|, and |cs| ≈ |cp|). We find that (i) a non-zero pseudo-scalar coupling alleviates direct detection constraints as a comparison with the previous pure scalar coupling case; (ii) CMB observations set stringent limits on pseudo-scalar interaction dominant cases, making s-wave annihilation viable only for mχ > 1 GeV; (iii) the preferred ϕ-resonance region can be tested in the future indirect detection experiments, such as e-ASTROGAM.

Gravitational wave effects and phenomenology of a two-component dark matter model

We study an extension of the Standard Model (SM) which could have two candidates for dark matter (DM) including a Dirac fermion and a vector dark matter (VDM) under a new U(1) gauge group in the hidden sector. The model is classically scale-invariant and the electroweak symmetry breaks because of loop effects. We investigate the parameter space allowed by current experimental constraints and phenomenological bounds. We probe the parameter space of the model in the mass range 1<MV<5000\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$1< M_V<5000$$\\end{document} GeV and 1<Mψ<5000\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$1<M_{\\psi }<5000$$\\end{document} GeV. It has been shown that there are many points in this mass range that are in agreement with all phenomenological constraints. The electroweak phase transition has been discussed and it has been shown that there is region in the parameter space of the model consistent with DM relic density and direct detection constraints that, at the same time, can lead to first-order electroweak phase transition. The gravitational waves produced during the phase transition could be probed by future space-based interferometers such as LISA and BBO.

Dark sector of a Higgs portal with Q4 symmetric matter

We describe the phenomenology of the scalar and dark matter sectors of a BSM theory with Q4 symmetry among the SM fermions. The model features a Higgs portal to a dark sector comprised of heavy right handed neutrinos. We discuss relic abundance as well as direct detection constraints on the DM candidate.

Opening windows with isospin-violating dark matter

We consider the effect of isospin-violating dark matter-nucleon interactions on direct detection constraints in the regime of small dark matter mass and large scattering cross section. Isospin-violation can lead to both reductions in sensitivity (due to a reduced cross section for scattering with nuclei in the detector) and enhancements in sensitivity (due to a reduced cross section for scattering in the overburden). Isospin-violating effects can thus open up some closed regions of parameter space, while closing off other regions.

Multicomponent scalar dark matter with an extended Gauge sector

We consider an extension of the Standard Model of particle physics with an additional SU(2) gauge sector along with an additional scalar bidoublet and a non-linear sigma field. The neutral components of the bidoublet serve as dark matter candidates by virtue of the bidoublet being odd under a Z2\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$Z_2$$\\end{document} symmetry. Generic beyond Standard Model constraints like vacuum stability, invisible decay of Higgs, Higgs alignment limit and collider constraints on heavy gauge bosons restrict the parameter space of this model. In this multicomponent dark matter scenario, we investigate the interplay between the annihilation and co-annihilation channels originating from the new gauge sector as those contribute to the relic abundance. We also inspect the direct detection constraints on scattering cross-sections of the dark matter particles with the detector nucleons and present our observations.

Dark matter interactions from an extra U(1) gauge symmetry with kinetic mixing and Higgs charge* *Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (12135014)

We investigate fermionic dark matter interactions with standard model particles from an additional gauge symmetry, assuming kinetic mixing between the and gauge fields as well as a nonzero charge of the Higgs doublet. To ensure gauge-invariant Yukawa interactions and the cancellation of gauge anomalies, standard model fermions are assigned Y-sequential charges proportional to the Higgs charge. Although the Higgs charge should be small owing to collider constraints, it is useful to decrease the effective cross section of dark matter scattering off nucleons by two orders of magnitude to easily evade direct detection bounds. After performing numerical scans in the parameter space, we find that the introduction of the Higgs charge can also enhance the dark matter relic density by at least two orders of magnitude. In the case where the resonance effect is important for dark matter freeze-out, when the observed relic density and direct detection constraints are tangled, the Higgs charge can expand physical windows to some extent by relieving the tension between the relic density and direct detection.

Interplay among gravitational waves, dark matter and collider signals in the singlet scalar extended type-II seesaw model

We study the prospect of simultaneous explanation of tiny neutrino masses, dark matter (DM), and the observed baryon asymmetry of the Universe in a Z3-symmetric complex singlet scalar extended type-II seesaw model. The complex singlet scalar plays the role of DM. Analyzing the thermal history of the model, we identify the region of the parameter space that can generate a first-order electroweak phase transition (FOEWPT) in the early Universe, and the resulting stochastic gravitational waves (GW) can be detected at future space/ground-based GW experiments. First, we find that light triplet scalars do favor an FOEWPT. In our study, we choose the type-II seesaw part of the parameter space in such a way that light triplet scalars, especially the doubly charged ones, evade the strong bounds from their canonical searches at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). However, the relevant part of the parameter space, where FOEWPT can happen only due to strong SM doublet-triplet interactions, is in tension with the SM-like Higgs decay to a pair of photons, which has already excluded the bulk of this parameter space. On the other hand, the latest spin-independent DM direct detection constraints from XENON-1T and PANDA-4T eliminate a significant amount of parameter space relevant for the dark sector assisted FOEWPT scenarios, and it is only possible when the complex scalar DM is significantly underabundant. In short, we conclude from our analysis that the absence of new physics at the HL-LHC and/or various DM experiments in the near future will severely limit the prospects of detecting a stochastic GW at future GW experiments and will exclude the possibility of electroweak baryogenesis within this model.

Reviving sub-TeV SU(2)_L lepton doublet dark matter

In this work we study the hybrid kind of dark matter (DM) production mechanism where both thermal and non-thermal contribution at two different epochs set the DM relic abundance. This hybrid set up in turn shifts the parameter space of DM in contrast to pure thermal DM scenario. We review such production mechanism in the context of the SU(2)_L lepton doublet dark matter (Psi ) augmented with an additional singlet dark scalar (S). The neutral component of the dark doublet can serve as a stable DM candidate and in pure thermal scenario, it is under-abundant as well as excluded from direct detection constraints due to its strong gauge interactions in the sub-TeV mass regime. However, in addition to the thermal contribution, the late time non-thermal DM production from the decay of the long-lived dark scalar S helps to fulfill the deficit in DM abundance. On the other hand, the strong gauge mediated direct detection constraint can be evaded with the help of a SU(2)_L triplet scalar(with Y=2), resulting a pseudo-Dirac DM. To realize our proposed scenario we impose a discrete {mathcal {Z}}_2 symmetry under which both Psi and S are odd while rest of the fields are even. We find the lepton doublet pseudo-Dirac DM with mass sim 450{-}1200 GeV, compatible with the observed relic density, direct, indirect, and existing collider search constraints.

Blazar boosted dark matter — direct detection constraints on σeχ : role of energy dependent cross sections

Elastic collisions with relativistic electrons from the blazar's jet can accelerate dark matter (DM) particles in the DM spike surrounding the supermassive black hole at its center. This can allow one to set stringent limits on the DM-electron scattering cross section (σ̅eχ ) for DM masses less than 100 MeV. We consider DM particles boosted by energetic electrons in the jets of the blazars TXS 0506+056 and BL Lacertae. Both vector and scalar mediators for the scattering of electron and electrophilic fermionic DM are studied. We highlight that the ensuing energy dependence of the S-matrix for the corresponding Lorentz structure of the vertex significantly modifies the constraints. We find that the revised exclusion limits are orders of magnitude stronger than the equivalent results for the simple constant cross section assumption. Our limits are also assessed for the less cuspy spike.

Positivity bounds on Higgs-Portal dark matter

We consider the positivity bounds for WIMP scalar dark matter with effective Higgs-portal couplings up to dimension-8 operators. Taking the superposed states for Standard Model Higgs and scalar dark matter, we show that the part of the parameter space for the effective couplings, otherwise unconstrained by phenomenological bounds, is ruled out by the positivity bounds on the dimension-8 derivative operators. We find that dark matter relic density, direct and indirect detection and LHC constraints are complementary to the positivity bounds in constraining the effective Higgs-portal couplings. In the effective theory obtained from massive graviton or radion, there appears a correlation between dimension-8 operators and other effective Higgs-portal couplings for which the strong constraint from direct detection can be evaded. Nailing down the parameter space mainly by relic density, direct detection and positivity bounds, we find that there are observable cosmic ray signals coming from the dark matter annihilations into a pair of Higgs bosons, WW or ZZ.

Pseudo scalar dark matter in a generic U(1)X model

We consider a U(1)X extension of the Standard Model (SM), where the spontaneous breaking of U(1)X gauge group results in a pseudo scalar particle which is the proposed candidate for dark matter. In the model, we introduce three right-handed neutrinos (RHNs) NRi and two extra scalars Φ, χ, which are SM gauge singlets but charged under U(1)X gauge group. Right-handed neutrinos are required to have the model anomaly free and explain the neutrino oscillation data. The heaviest scalar breaks the U(1)X gauge symmetry and the other extra scalar gives a pseudo scalar DM candidate. A pseudo scalar dark matter (DM) is an interesting candidate as it naturally evades the stringent direct detection bounds due to its coupling structure. We study the phenomenology of this pseudo-scalar DM while considering several theoretical and experimental constraints. We find that in our model, there is a feasible parameter space, which satisfies by the DM lifetime bound, relic and direct detection constraints while respecting the colliders and other bounds.

Resonant scattering between dark matter and baryons: Revised direct detection and CMB limits

Traditional dark matter models, e.g., weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), assume dark matter (DM) is weakly coupled to the standard model so that elastic scattering between dark matter and baryons can be described perturbatively by the Born approximation; most direct detection experiments are analyzed according to that assumption. We show that when the fundamental DM-baryon interaction is attractive, dark matter-nucleus scattering is nonperturbative in much of the relevant parameter range. The cross section exhibits rich resonant behavior with a highly nontrivial dependence on atomic mass; furthermore, the extended rather than pointlike nature of nuclei significantly impacts the cross sections and must therefore be properly taken into account. The repulsive case also shows significant departures from perturbative predictions and also requires full numerical calculation. These nonperturbative effects change the boundaries of exclusion regions from existing direct detection, astrophysical and CMB constraints. Near a resonance value of the parameters the typical velocity-independent Yukawa behavior, $\ensuremath{\sigma}\ensuremath{\sim}{v}^{0}$, does not apply. We take the nontrivial velocity dependence into account in our analysis, however it turns out that this more accurate treatment has little impact on limits given current constraints. Correctly treating the extended size of the nucleus and doing an exact integration of the Schr\"odinger equation does have a major impact relative to past analyses based on the Born approximation and naive form factors, so those improvements are essential for interpreting observational constraints. We report the corrected exclusion regions superseding previous limits from XQC, CRESST Surface Run, CMB power spectrum and extensions with Lyman-$\ensuremath{\alpha}$ and Milky Way satellites, and Milky Way gas clouds. Some limits become weaker, by an order of magnitude or more, than previous bounds in the literature which were based on perturbation theory and pointlike sources, while others become stronger. Gaps which open by correct treatment of some particular constraint can sometimes be closed using a different constraint. We also discuss the dependence on mediator mass and give approximate expressions for the velocity dependence near a resonance. Sexaquark ($uuddss$) DM with mass around 2 GeV, which exchanges QCD mesons with baryons, remains unconstrained for most of the parameter space of interest. A statement in the literature that a DM-nucleus cross section larger than ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}25}\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$ implies dark matter is composite, is corrected.

Dark matter in NMSSM with small [formula omitted] and [formula omitted

The NMSSM provides an excellent dark matter candidate, usually the lightest neutralino (χ̃10) being the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP), in the universe. It is a mixture of the bino, the neutral wino, the neutral higgsinos, and the singlino. In this work, we investigate the features of the lightest neutralino by concentrating on a specific region of the NMSSM parameter space with small values of both λ and κ, taking into account theoretical and experimental constraints, including relic density, direct and indirect detection constraints. We have found that the LSP dark matter is a singlino-dominated neutralino for most of the sample points of the chosen scenario. Thus, contrary to expectations, the NMSSM is not comparable to the MSSM in terms of dark matter properties as λ and κ are very small. The LSP can also be either higgsino-dominated or bino-dominated in some parameter space. The most important parameters affecting the mass and properties of the LSP are κ, λ/κ, and μeff. Further, we notice that σpSI≈1.02σnSI and σpSD≈0.76σnSD for all the surviving sample points.

Search for leptophilic dark matter at the LHeC

The Large Hadron electron Collider (LHeC) has been designed to push the field of deep inelastic scattering to the high energy and intensity frontier using an intense electron beam with a proton beam from the High Luminosity–Large Hadron Collider. However, LHeC is also a great laboratory for new physics. In this work, we propose a search for dark matter that couples with leptons. This may yield and signals that can be potentially observed through simple missing-energy cuts that suppress the Standard Model background. Considering direct dark matter detection and LHC constraints, we show that LHeC offers a complementary probe for a weak scale dark matter fermion for masses up to 350 GeV, which reproduces the correct relic density, and has interesting implications for lepton flavor violation.

XQC and CSR constraints on strongly interacting dark matter with spin and velocity dependent cross sections

Dark matter that interacts strongly with baryons can avoid the stringent dark matter direct detection constraints, because, like baryons, they are likely to be absorbed when traversing the rocks, leading to a suppressed flux in deep underground labs. Such strongly interacting dark matter, however, can be probed by dark matter experiments or other experiments operated on the ground level or in the atmosphere. In this paper we carry out systematic analysis of two of these experiments, XQC and CSR, to compute the experimental constraints on the strongly interacting dark matter in the following three scenarios: (1) spin-independent and spin-dependent interactions; (2) different velocity dependent cross sections; (3) different dark matter mass fractions. Some of the scenarios are first analyzed in the literature. We find that the XQC exclusion region has some non-trivial dependencies on the various parameters and the limits in the spin-dependent case is quite different from the spin-independent case. A peculiar region in the parameter space, where the XQC constraint disappears, is also found in our Monte Carlo simulations. This occurs in the case where the interaction cross section is proportional to the square of the velocity. We further compare our XQC and CSR limits to other experimental constraints, and find that a large parameter space is allowed by various experiments if the dark matter mass fraction is sufficiently small, fχ ≲ 10-4.

Search for Dark Matter Particle Interactions with Electron Final States with DarkSide-50.

We present a search for dark matter particles with sub-GeV/c^{2} masses whose interactions have final state electrons using the DarkSide-50 experiment's (12 306±184) kg d low-radioactivity liquid argon exposure. By analyzing the ionization signals, we exclude new parameter space for the dark matter-electron cross section σ[over ¯]_{e}, the axioelectric coupling constant g_{Ae}, and the dark photon kinetic mixing parameter κ. We also set the first dark matter direct-detection constraints on the mixing angle |U_{e4}|^{2} for keV/c^{2} sterile neutrinos.

Ultraviolet completion of pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone dark matter with a hidden U(1) gauge symmetry

We propose an ultraviolet completion model for pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone dark matter with a hidden U(1) gauge symmetry. Compared to previous studies, this setup is simpler, introducing less interactions. Dark matter scattering off nucleons is highly suppressed by the ultraviolet scale and direct detection constraints can be easily evaded. The kinetic mixing between the hidden U(1) and the U(1)Y gauge fields would lead to dark matter decays. We find that the current bound on the dark matter lifetime implies that the ultraviolet scale should be higher than 1010 GeV. The phenomenological constraints from the 125 GeV Higgs measurements, the dark matter relic density, and indirect detection of dark matter annihilation are also investigated.