DM Particles Research Articles

Evolution of primordial dark matter planets in the early Universe

In a recent paper we had discussed possibility of DM at high redshifts forming primordial planets composed entirely of DM to be one of the reasons for not detecting DM (as the flux of ambient DM particles would be consequently reduced). In this paper we discuss the evolution of these DM objects as the Universe expands. As Universe expands there will be accretion of DM, helium and hydrogen layers (discussed in detail) on these objects. As they accumulate more and more mass, the layers get heated up leading to nuclear reactions which burn H and He when a critical thickness is reached. In the case of heavier masses of these DM objects, matter can be ejected explosively. It is found that the time scale of ejection is smaller than those from other compact objects like neutron stars (that lead to x-ray bursts). These flashes of energy could be a possible observational signature for these dense DM objects.

Numerical simulations of dark matter haloes produce polytropic central cores when reaching thermodynamic equilibrium

ABSTRACT Self-gravitating astronomical objects often show a central plateau in the density profile (core) whose physical origin is hotly debated. Cores are theoretically expected in N-body systems of maximum entropy, however, they are not present in the canonical N-body numerical simulations of cold dark matter (CDM). Our work shows that despite this apparent contradiction between theory and numerical simulations, they are fully consistent. Simply put, cores are characteristic of systems in thermodynamic equilibrium, but thermalizing collisions are purposely suppressed in CDM simulations. When collisions are allowed, N-body numerical simulations develop cored density profiles, in perfect agreement with the theoretical expectation. We compare theory and two types of numerical simulations: (1) when DM particles are self-interacting (SIDM) with enough cross-section, then the effective two-body relaxation time-scale becomes shorter than the Hubble time resulting in cored DM haloes. The haloes thus obtained, with masses from dwarf galaxies to galaxy clusters, collapse to a single shape after normalization, and this shape agrees with the polytropic density profile theoretically expected. (2) The inner radii in canonical N-body numerical simulations are always discarded because the use of finite-mass DM particles artificially increases the two-body collision rate. We show that the discarded radii develop cores which are larger than the employed numerical softening and have polytropic shape independently of halo mass. Our work suggests that the presence of cores in simulated (or observed) density profiles can used as evidence for systems in thermodynamic equilibrium.

Dark matter and the XENON1T electron recoil excess

We show that the electron recoil excess around 2 keV claimed by the Xenon collaboration can be fitted by DM or DM-like particles having a fast component with velocity of order $\sim 0.1$. Those particles cannot be part of the cold DM halo of our Galaxy, so we speculate about their possible nature and origin, such as fast moving DM sub-haloes, semi-annihilations of DM and relativistic axions produced by a nearby axion star. Feasible new physics scenarios must accommodate exotic DM dynamics and unusual DM properties.

Primordial magnetic fields during the cosmic dawn in light of EDGES 21-cm signal

ABSTRACT We study prospects of constraining the primordial magnetic field (PMF) and its evolution during the dark ages and cosmic dawn in light of EDGES 21-cm signal. Our analysis has been carried out on a ‘colder IGM’ background which is one of the promising avenues to interpret the EDGES signal. We consider the dark matter-baryon interactions for the excess cooling. We find that the colder IGM suppresses both the residual free electron fraction and the coupling coefficient between the ionized and neutral components. The Compton heating also gets affected in colder IGM background. Consequently, the IGM heating rate due to the PMF enhances compared to the standard scenario. Thus, a significant fraction of the magnetic energy, for $B_0 \lesssim 0.5 \, {\rm nG}$, gets transferred to the IGM and the magnetic field decays at much faster rate compared to the simple (1 + z)2 scaling during the dark ages and cosmic dawn. This low PMF is an unlikely candidate for explaining the rise of the EDGES absorption signal at lower redshift. We also see that the PMF and DM-baryon interaction together introduces a plateau like feature in the redshift evolution of the IGM temperature. We find that the upper limit on the PMF depends on the underlying DM-baryon interaction. Higher PMF can be allowed when the interaction cross-section is higher and/or the DM particle mass is lower. Our study shows that the PMF with B0 up to ${\sim}0.4 \, {\rm nG}$, which is ruled out in the standard model, can be allowed if DM-baryon interaction with suitable cross-section and DM mass are considered.

Searching for light dark matter at fixed target experiments

Nowadays deciphering the fundamental nature of dark matter is one of the foremost open questions in fundamental science. In the last years the dark matter experimental program is primarily focused on weakly-interacting massive particles (WIMPs), but in the recent years many innovative dark matter candidates have emerged. One of the most viable models takes into account DM particles in MeV-GeV mass range that are completely neutral under Standard Model forces, but interact through a new force. Small-scale fixed-target experiments at accelerators have unique sensitivities to fully explore these models. Indeed, accelerator experiments can both produce and detect new particles, such as dark matter and the particles mediating new interactions. This article reviews the various experimental techniques to search for light dark matter, i.e. beam dump, missing mass/energy, and visible mediator search experiments.

Optimizing Simulation Parameters for Weak Lensing Analyses Involving Non-Gaussian Observables

Abstract We performed a series of numerical experiments to quantify the sensitivity of the predictions for weak lensing statistics obtained in ray-tracing dark matter (DM)-only simulations, to two hyper-parameters that influence the accuracy as well as the computational cost of the predictions: the thickness of the lens planes used to build past light cones and the mass resolution of the underlying DM simulation. The statistics considered are the power spectrum (PS) and a series of non-Gaussian observables, including the one-point probability density function, lensing peaks, and Minkowski functionals. Counterintuitively, we find that using thin lens planes (< 60 h −1 Mpc on a 240 h −1 Mpc simulation box) suppresses the PS over a broad range of scales beyond what would be acceptable for a survey comparable to the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). A mass resolution of 7.2 × 1011 h −1 M ⊙ per DM particle (or 2563 particles in a (240 h −1 Mpc)3 box) is sufficient to extract information using the PS and non-Gaussian statistics from weak lensing data at angular scales down to 1′ with LSST-like levels of shape noise.

Gravity-mediated dark matter in clockwork/linear dilaton extra-dimensions

We study for the first time the possibility that Dark Matter (represented by particles with spin 0, 1/2 or 1) interacts gravitationally with Standard Model particles in an extra-dimensional Clockwork/Linear Dilaton model. We assume that both, the Dark Matter and the Standard Model, are localized in the IR-brane and only interact via gravitational mediators, namely the Kaluza-Klein (KK) graviton and the radion/KK-dilaton modes. We analyse in detail the Dark Matter annihilation channel into Standard Model particles and into two on-shell Kaluza-Klein towers (either two KK-gravitons, or two radion/KK- dilatons, or one of each), finding that it is possible to obtain the observed relic abundance via thermal freeze-out for Dark Matter masses in the range mDM ∈ [1, 15] TeV for a 5- dimensional gravitational scale M5 ranging from 5 to a few hundreds of TeV, even after taking into account the bounds from LHC Run II and irrespectively of the DM particle spin.

Direct detection and complementary constraints for sub-GeV dark matter

Traditional direct searches for dark matter, looking for nuclear recoils in deep underground detectors, are challenged by an almost complete loss of sensitivity for light dark matter particles. Consequently, there is a significant effort in the community to devise new methods and experiments to overcome these difficulties, constantly pushing the limits of the lowest dark matter mass that can be probed this way. From a model-building perspective, the scattering of sub-GeV dark matter on nucleons essentially must proceed via new light mediator particles, given that collider searches place extremely stringent bounds on contact-type interactions. Here we present an updated compilation of relevant limits for the case of a scalar mediator, including a new estimate of the near-future sensitivity of the NA62 experiment as well as a detailed evaluation of the model-specific limits from Big Bang nucleosynthesis. We also derive updated and more general limits on DM particles upscattered by cosmic rays, applicable to arbitrary energy- and momentum dependences of the scattering cross section. Finally we stress that dark matter self-interactions, when evaluated beyond the common s-wave approximation, place stringent limits independently of the dark matter production mechanism. These are, for the relevant parameter space, generically comparable to those that apply in the commonly studied freeze-out case. We conclude that the combination of existing (or expected) constraints from accelerators and astrophysics, combined with cosmological requirements, puts robust limits on the maximally possible nuclear scattering rate. In most regions of parameter space these are at least competitive with the best projected limits from currently planned direct detection experiments.

Impact of the vector dark matter on polarization of the CMB photon

We consider a vector dark matter (VDM) with a direct coupling with photon. We examine the effect of such an interaction on the CMB polarization to put new constrains on the properties of the DM particles. We show that a partially polarized VDM of the order of temperature fluctuation with a quadrupole distribution leads to a valuable CP for the CMB. In different DM-models the DM-masses range from few $eV$ to a few $TeV$. We show that the CP angular power spectrum depends on the mass of VDM as $C^{(S)}_{Vl}\propto 1/m_{_{V}}^6$ such that for $m_{_{V}}=10eV-1keV$, the CP angular power spectrum is $C^{(S)}_{Vl}\simeq 10^3- 10^{-11}{\rm nK^2}$. Therefore, the light VDM with masses less than $10 eV$ leads to an unexpected very large CP which can be excluded from the acceptable range of the VDM masses.

Anomalous EDGES 21-cm signal and a moduli dominated era

The EDGES collaboration has recently reported the detection of an unexpectedly stronger absorption signal in the global 21-cm spectrum around cosmic red-shift z = 17, resulting in the significant cooling of the primordial gas. The cooling of the gas can be expected to occur by considering the scattering off the baryons by a small fraction of DM carrying a tiny electromagnetic charge (milli-charged DM). However, it turns out the energy density of milli-charged DM obtained by considering thermal annihilation through massless photons will get overproduced in the range of parameters allowed by 21-cm line signal, if there are no new force carriers etc. In this study, we argue that the milli-charged DM particles might get decoupled during matter domination, in case there are moduli present in the theory. Therefore we estimated the value of relic abundance of milli-charged DM by taking into account an early matter dominated era. We found that for the value of modulus mass around m_{\Phi} ~ 10^6TeV, the milli-charged DM particles could actually yield the desired fraction of DM particles for the values of charge and DM required to explain the 21-cm signal. Thus, the problem of an overproduction of the milli-charged DM density in the desirable range of mass and charge of DM can be evaded by considering an early moduli/matter dominated era.

Testing the warmness of dark matter

ABSTRACT Dark matter (DM) as a pressureless perfect fluid provides a good fit of the standard Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) model to the astrophysical and cosmological data. In this paper, we investigate two extended properties of DM: a possible time dependence of the equation of state of DM via Chevallier–Polarski–Linder parametrization, wdm = wdm0 + wdm1(1 − a), and the constant non-null sound speed $\hat{c}^2_{\rm s,dm}$. We analyse these DM properties on top of the base ΛCDM model by using the data from Planck cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature and polarization anisotropy, baryonic acoustic oscillations (BAOs), and the local value of the Hubble constant from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). We find new and robust constraints on the extended free parameters of DM. The most tight constraints are imposed by CMB+BAO data, where the three parameters wdm0, wdm1, and $\hat{c}^2_{\rm s,dm}$ are, respectively, constrained to be less than 1.43 × 10−3, 1.44 × 10−3, and 1.79 × 10−6 at 95 per cent CL. All the extended parameters of DM show consistency with zero at 95 per cent CL, indicating no evidence beyond the CDM paradigm. We notice that the extended properties of DM significantly affect several parameters of the base ΛCDM model. In particular, in all the analyses performed here, we find significantly larger mean values of H0 and lower mean values of σ8 in comparison to the base ΛCDM model. Thus, the well-known H0 and σ8 tensions might be reconciled in the presence of extended DM parameters within the ΛCDM framework. Also, we estimate the warmness of DM particles as well as its mass scale, and find a lower bound: ∼500 eV from our analyses.

Cosmological production of dark nuclei

We study the formation of Dark Matter nuclei in scenarios where DM particles are baryons of a new confining gauge force. The dark nucleosynthesis is analogous to the formation of light elements in the SM and requires as a first step the formation of dark deuterium. We compute this process from first principles, using the formalism of pion-less effective theory for nucleon-nucleon interactions. This controlled effective field theory expansion allows us to systematically compute the cross sections for generic SM representations under the assumption of shallow bound states. In the context of vector-like confinement models we find that, for nucleon masses in the TeV range, baryonic DM made of electro-weak constituents can form a significant fraction of dark deuterium and a much smaller fraction of dark tritium. Formation of dark nuclei can also lead to monochromatic photon lines in indirect detection. Models with singlets do not undergo dark nucleosynthesis unless a dark photon is added to the theory.

Two-component Dark Matter in the vectorlike hypercolor extension of the Standard Model

We consider a minimal vectorlike extension of the Standard Model that naturally contains two types of stable neutral particles. They can be interpreted as the Dark Matter candidates. Here, the SM is supplemented by a new fermion (H-quark) sector that is in confilnement providing by the SU(2)HC gauge group. H-quarks interact with the SM particles via standard electroweak bosons. In analogy with the conventional QCD, H-quarks can form bound states, H-hadrons, that emerge in the σ− model framework. Along with the stable neutral H-pion, there is one more pseudo-goldstone (diquark) state, B0, which is stable and also can be a component of the DM. Mass splittings both for components of the H-pion triplet and for neutral H-pion and B0 have been calculated, it is shown that this splittings can be small. The relic abundance for this composition of the DM is analyzed as well as the DM particles scattering off nucleons. A feature of this scenario is that Dark Matter turns out to consist of particles which are close in mass but have different origin and interact differently with ordinary matter. So, the model predicts two-component structure of the DM together with some specifilc manifestations of it.

Complete Lorentz-to-Galileo dictionary for direct dark matter detection

We determine the most general non-relativistic theory of DM-nucleon scattering complying with the sole requirement of Lorentz invariance, for spin-0 and spin-1/2 DM. To do so, we first classify a comprehensive list of amplitude terms encompassing the most general Lorentz-covariant 2-to-2 DM-nucleon scattering amplitude. We then match each term to a Galilean-invariant operator at leading-order in the non-relativistic expansion, for both elastic and inelastic (endothermic and exothermic) scattering. Our complete Lorentz-to-Galileo mapping can be used to promptly determine the non-relativistic DM-nucleon interaction and the associated nuclear form factor for any given Lorentz-invariant DM model. It applies to both renormalizable and non-renormalizable theories (such as effective field theories at all orders), at any order of a perturbative expansion. We use our results to prove that, at leading order, Lorentz invariance does not impose restrictions on the set of 16 Galilean-invariant operators commonly used to parametrize the non-relativistic DM-nucleon interaction. We also predict the lowest effective-operator dimension at which the non-relativistic operators appear in the effective field theory of a singlet DM particle.

Is natural higgsino-only dark matter excluded?

The requirement of electroweak naturalness in supersymmetric (SUSY) models of particle physics necessitates light higgsinos not too far from the weak scale characterized by m_{weak}sim m_{W,Z,h}sim 100hbox { GeV}. On the other hand, LHC Higgs mass measurements and sparticle mass limits point to a SUSY breaking scale in the multi-TeV regime. Under such conditions, the lightest SUSY particle is expected to be a mainly higgsino-like neutralino with non-negligible gaugino components (required by naturalness). The computed thermal WIMP abundance in natural SUSY models is then found to be typically a factor 5–20 below its measured value. To gain concordance with observations, either an additional DM particle (the axion is a well-motivated possibility) must be present or additional non-thermal mechanisms must augment the neutralino abundance. We compare present direct and indirect WIMP detection limits to three natural SUSY models based on gravity-, anomaly- and mirage-mediation. We show that the case of natural higgsino-only dark matter where non-thermal production mechanisms augment its relic density, is essentially excluded by a combination of direct detection constraints from PandaX-II, LUX and Xenon-1t experiments, and by bounds from Fermi-LAT/MAGIC observations of gamma rays from dwarf spheroidal galaxies.

On the streaming model for redshift-space distortions

The streaming model describes the mapping between real and redshift space for 2-point clustering statistics. Its key element is the probability density function (PDF) of line-of-sight pairwise peculiar velocities. Following a kinetic-theory approach, we derive the fundamental equations of the streaming model for ordered and unordered pairs. In the first case, we recover the classic equation while we demonstrate that modifications are necessary for unordered pairs. We then discuss several statistical properties of the pairwise velocities for DM particles and haloes by using a suite of high-resolution $N$-body simulations. We test the often used Gaussian ansatz for the PDF of pairwise velocities and discuss its limitations. Finally, we introduce a mixture of Gaussians which is known in statistics as the generalised hyperbolic distribution and show that it provides an accurate fit to the PDF. Once inserted in the streaming equation, the fit yields an excellent description of redshift-space correlations at all scales that vastly outperforms the Gaussian and exponential approximations. Using a principal-component analysis, we reduce the complexity of our model for large redshift-space separations. Our results increase the robustness of studies of anisotropic galaxy clustering and are useful for extending them towards smaller scales in order to test theories of gravity and interacting dark-energy models.

Sources of variation in corn silage and total mixed rations of commercial dairy farms

ABSTRACT Information on sources of variation in feed and diet characteristics is needed to develop appropriate strategies to reduce uncertainty and to separate true variation from that associated with measurements. The objectives were to determine sources of variation in DM content and particle size distribution in corn silage (CS) and TMR. Ten dairy farms in Argentina were visited on 3 consecutive days, samples of CS and TMR were taken, and an audit of feed management was conducted. Corn silage and TMR were sampled in duplicate each day. Variance components were calculated with the Mixed Linear Models of InfoStat for CS and Generalized Linear Mixed Models for TMR. For CS, the model included the effects of farm and day within farm, and for TMR, the model included farm, pen within farm, day within pen, and feed bunk site within pen. Residual effects accounted for sampling and analytical variation. Farm was the greatest source of variation for DM and particle size distribution of CS and TMR, explaining 40 to 92% of total variation. For CS, day within farm variation was greater compared with residual variation in DM (7 and 0.6%, respectively), meaning real changes occurred from one day to the other. For TMR, daily variation in DM content was high and possibly associated with feed management errors. For particle size distribution in TMR, sampling and assaying variation was greater than feed bunk site variation, indicating increased replication and averaging is needed to increase precision.

Fermionic minimal dark matter in 5D gauge-Higgs unification

We propose a Minimal Dark Matter (MDM) scenario in the context of a simple gauge-Higgs Unification (GHU) model based on the gauge group SU(3) x U(1)' in 5-dimensional Minkowski space with a compactification of the 5th dimension on S^1/Z_2 orbifold. A pair of vector-like SU(3) multiplet fermions in a higher-dimensional representation is introduced in the bulk, and the DM particle is identified with the lightest mass eigenstate among the components in the multiplets. In the original model description, the DM particle communicates with the Standard Model (SM) particles only through the bulk gauge interaction, and hence our model is the GHU version of the MDM scenario. There are two typical realizations of the DM particle in 4-dimensional effective theory: (i) the DM particle is mostly composed of the SM SU(2)_L multiplets, or (ii) the DM is mostly composed of the SM SU(2)_L singlets. Since the case (i) is very similar to the original MDM scenario, we focus on the case (ii), which is a realization of the Higgs-portal DM scenario in the context of the GHU model. We identify an allowed parameter region to be consistent with the current experimental constraints, which will be fully covered by the direct dark matter detection experiments in the near future. In the presence of the bulk multiplet fermions in higher-dimensional $SU(3)$ representations, we reproduce the 125 GeV Higgs boson mass through the renormalization group evolution of Higgs quartic coupling with the compactification scale of 10-100 TeV.

Sub-GeV dark matter detection with electron recoils in carbon nanotubes

Directional detection of Dark Matter particles (DM) in the MeV mass range could be accomplished by studying electron recoils in large arrays of parallel carbon nanotubes. In a scattering process with a lattice electron, a DM particle might transfer sufficient energy to eject it from the nanotube surface. An external electric field is added to drive the electron from the open ends of the array to the detection region. The anisotropic response of this detection scheme, as a function of the orientation of the target with respect to the DM wind, is calculated, and it is concluded that no direct measurement of the electron ejection angle is needed to explore significant regions of the light DM exclusion plot. A compact sensor, in which the cathode element is substituted with a dense array of parallel carbon nanotubes, could serve as the basic detection unit.

Galaxy clusters in the context of superfluid dark matter

Context.The mass discrepancy in the Universe has not been solved by the cold dark matter (CDM) or the modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND) paradigms so far. The problems and solutions of either scenario are mutually exclusive on large and small scales. It has recently been proposed, by assuming that dark matter is a superfluid, that MOND-like effects can be achieved on small scales whilst preserving the success of ΛCDM on large scales. Detailed models within this “superfluid dark matter” (SfDM) paradigm are yet to be constructed.Aims.Here, we aim to provide the first set of spherical models of galaxy clusters in the context of SfDM. We aim to determine whether the superfluid formulation is indeed sufficient to explain the mass discrepancy in galaxy clusters.Methods.The SfDM model is defined by two parameters. Λ can be thought of as a mass scale in the Lagrangian of the scalar field that effectively describes the phonons, and it acts as a coupling constant between the phonons and baryons.mis the mass of the DM particles. Based on these parameters, we outline the theoretical structure of the superfluid core and the surrounding “normal-phase” dark halo of quasi-particles. The latter are thought to encompass the largest part of galaxy clusters. Here, we set the SfDM transition at the radius where the density and pressure of the superfluid and normal phase coincide, neglecting the effect of phonons in the superfluid core. We then apply the formalism to a sample of galaxy clusters, and directly compare the SfDM predicted mass profiles to data.Results.We find that the superfluid formulation can reproduce the X-ray dynamical mass profile of clusters reasonably well, but with a slight under-prediction of the gravity in the central regions. This might be partly related to our neglecting of the effect of phonons in these regions. Two normal-phase halo profiles are tested, and it is found that clusters are better defined by a normal-phase halo resembling an Navarro-Frenk-White-like structure than an isothermal profile.Conclusions.In this first exploratory work on the topic, we conclude that depending on the amount of baryons present in the central galaxy and on the actual effect of phonons in the inner regions, this superfluid formulation could be successful in describing galaxy clusters. In the future, our model could be made more realistic by exploring non-sphericity and a more realistic SfDM to normal phase transition. The main result of this study is an estimate of the order of magnitude of the theory parameters for the superfluid formalism to be reasonably consistent with clusters. These values will have to be compared to the true values needed in galaxies.