No Arabic abstract
We examine Simplified Models in which fermionic DM interacts with Standard Model (SM) fermions via the exchange of an $s$-channel scalar mediator. The single-mediator version of this model is not gauge invariant, and instead we must consider models with two scalar mediators which mix and interfere. The minimal gauge invariant scenario involves the mixing of a new singlet scalar with the Standard Model Higgs boson, and is tightly constrained. We construct two Higgs doublet model (2HDM) extensions of this scenario, where the singlet mixes with the 2nd Higgs doublet. Compared with the one doublet model, this provides greater freedom for the masses and mixing angle of the scalar mediators, and their coupling to SM fermions. We outline constraints on these models, and discuss Yukawa structures that allow enhanced couplings, yet keep potentially dangerous flavour violating process under control. We examine the direct detection phenomenology of these models, accounting for interference of the scalar mediators, and interference of different quarks in the nucleus. Regions of parameter space consistent with direct detection measurements are determined.
The cold dark matter (CDM) candidate with weakly interacting massive particles can successfully explain the observed dark matter relic density in cosmic scale and the large-scale structure of the Universe. However, a number of observations at the satellite galaxy scale seem to be inconsistent with CDM simulation. This is known as the small-scale problem of CDM. In recent years, it has been demonstrated that self-interacting dark matter (SIDM) with a light mediator offers a reasonable explanation for the small-scale problem. We adopt a simple model with SIDM and focus on the effects of Sommerfeld enhancement. In this model, the dark matter candidate is a leptonic scalar particle with a light mediator. We have found several regions of the parameter space with proper masses and coupling strength generating a relic density that is consistent with the observed CDM relic density. Furthermore, this model satisfies the constraints of recent direct searches and indirect detection for dark matter as well as the effective number of neutrinos and the observed small-scale structure of the Universe. In addition, this model with the favored parameters can resolve the discrepancies between astrophysical observations and $N$-body simulations.
We consider simplified dark matter models where a dark matter candidate couples to the standard model (SM) particles via an $s$-channel spin-2 mediator, and study constraints on the model parameter space from the current LHC data. Our focus lies on the complementarity among different searches, in particular monojet and multijet plus missing energy searches and resonance searches. For universal couplings of the mediator to SM particles, missing-energy searches can give stronger constraints than $WW$, $ZZ$, dijet, dihiggs, $tbar t$, $bbar b$ resonance searches in the low-mass region and/or when the coupling of the mediator to dark matter is much larger than its couplings to SM particles. The strongest constraints however come from diphoton and dilepton resonance searches. Only if these modes are suppressed, missing-energy searches can be competitive in constraining dark matter models with a spin-2 mediator.
We investigate the thermal cosmology and terrestrial and astrophysical phenomenology of a sub-GeV hadrophilic dark sector. The specific construction explored in this work features a Dirac fermion dark matter candidate interacting with a light scalar mediator that dominantly couples to the up-quark. The correct freeze-out relic abundance may be achieved via dark matter annihilation directly to hadrons or through secluded annihilation to scalar mediators. A rich and distinctive phenomenology is present in this scenario, with probes arising from precision meson decays, proton beam dump experiments, colliders, direct detection experiments, supernovae, and nucleosynthesis. In the future, experiments such as NA62, REDTOP, SHiP, SBND, and NEWS-G will be able to explore a significant portion of the cosmologically motivated parameter space.
Light vector mediators can naturally induce velocity-dependent dark matter self-interactions while at the same time allowing for the correct dark matter relic abundance via thermal freeze-out. If these mediators subsequently decay into Standard Model states such as electrons or photons however, this is robustly excluded by constraints from the Cosmic Microwave Background. We study to what extent this conclusion can be circumvented if the vector mediator is stable and hence contributes to the dark matter density while annihilating into lighter degrees of freedom. We find viable parts of parameter space which lead to the desired self-interaction cross section of dark matter to address the small-scale problems of the collisionless cold dark matter paradigm while being compatible with bounds from the Cosmic Microwave Background and Big Bang Nucleosynthesis observations.
Weakly interacting dark matter particles can be pair-produced at colliders and detected through signatures featuring missing energy in association with either QCD/EW radiation or heavy quarks. In order to constrain the mass and the couplings to standard model particles, accurate and precise predictions for production cross sections and distributions are of prime importance. In this work, we consider various simplified models with s-channel mediators. We implement such models in the FeynRules/MadGraph5_aMC@NLO framework, which allows to include higher-order QCD corrections in realistic simulations and to study their effect systematically. As a first phenomenological application, we present predictions for dark matter production in association with jets and with a top-quark pair at the LHC, at next-to-leading order accuracy in QCD, including matching/merging to parton showers. Our study shows that higher-order QCD corrections to dark matter production via s-channel mediators have a significant impact not only on total production rates, but also on shapes of distributions. We also show that the inclusion of next-to-leading order effects results in a sizeable reduction of the theoretical uncertainties.