No Arabic abstract
Some extensions of the Standard Model provide Dark Matter candidate particles with sub-GeV mass. These Light Dark Matter particles have been considered for example in Warm Dark Matter scenarios (e.g. the keV scale sterile neutrino, axino or gravitino). Moreover MeV scale DM candidates have been proposed in supersymmetric models and as source of the 511 keV line from the Galactic center. In this paper the possibility of direct detection of a Light Dark Matter candidate is investigated considering the inelastic scattering processes on the electron or on the nucleus targets. Some theoretical arguments are developed and related phenomenological aspects are discussed. Allowed volumes and regions for the characteristic phenomenological parameters of the considered scenarios are derived from the DAMA/NaI annual modulation data.
Dark matter, proposed decades ago as a speculative component of the universe, is now known to be the vital ingredient in the cosmos, eight times more abundant than ordinary matter, one quarter of the total energy density and the component which has controlled the growth of structure in the universe. Its nature remains a mystery, but, assuming it is comprised of weakly interacting sub-atomic particles, is consistent with large scale cosmic structure. However, recent analyses of structure on galactic and sub-galactic scales have suggested discrepancies and stimulated numerous alternative proposals. We discuss how studies of the density, demography, history and environment of smaller scale structures may distinguish among these possibilities and shed new light on the nature of dark matter.
We discuss the possibility of producing a light dark photon dark matter through a coupling between the dark photon field and the inflaton. The dark photon with a large wavelength is efficiently produced due to the inflaton motion during inflation and becomes non-relativistic before the time of matter-radiation equality. We compute the amount of production analytically. The correct relic abundance is realized with a dark photon mass extending down to $10^{-21} , rm eV$.
Very light dark matter is usually taken to consist of uncharged bosons such as axion-like particles or dark photons. Here, we consider the prospect of very light, possibly even sub-eV dark matter carrying a net charge that is (approximately) conserved. By making use of the Affleck-Dine mechanism for its production, we show that a sizable fraction of the energy density can be stored in the asymmetric component. We furthermore argue that there exist regions of parameter space where the energy density contained in symmetric particle-antiparticle pairs without net charge can to some degree be depleted by considering couplings to additional fields. Finally, we make an initial foray into the phenomenology of this scenario by considering the possibility that dark matter is coupled to the visible sector via the Higgs portal.
We present an initial design study for LDMX, the Light Dark Matter Experiment, a small-scale accelerator experiment having broad sensitivity to both direct dark matter and mediator particle production in the sub-GeV mass region. LDMX employs missing momentum and energy techniques in multi-GeV electro-nuclear fixed-target collisions to explore couplings to electrons in uncharted regions that extend down to and below levels that are motivated by direct thermal freeze-out mechanisms. LDMX would also be sensitive to a wide range of visibly and invisibly decaying dark sector particles, thereby addressing many of the science drivers highlighted in the 2017 US Cosmic Visions New Ideas in Dark Matter Community Report. LDMX would achieve the required sensitivity by leveraging existing and developing detector technologies from the CMS, HPS and Mu2e experiments. In this paper, we present our initial design concept, detailed GEANT-based studies of detector performance, signal and background processes, and a preliminary analysis approach. We demonstrate how a first phase of LDMX could expand sensitivity to a variety of light dark matter, mediator, and millicharge particles by several orders of magnitude in coupling over the broad sub-GeV mass range.
A new cosmological scenario is proposed in which a light scalaron of $f (R)$ gravity plays the role of dark matter. In this scenario, the scalaron initially resides at the minimum of its effective potential while the electroweak symmetry is unbroken. At the beginning of the electroweak crossover, the evolving expectation value of the Higgs field triggers the evolution of the scalaron due to interaction between these fields. After the electroweak crossover, the oscillating scalaron can represent cold dark matter. Its current energy density depends on a single free parameter, the scalaron mass $m$, and the value $m simeq 4 times 10^{-3}, text{eV}$ is required to explain the observed dark-matter abundance. Larger mass values would be required in scenarios where the scalaron is excited before the electroweak crossover.