No Arabic abstract
We consider a simple abelian vector dark matter (DM) model, where {it only} the DM $(widetilde{X}_mu)$ couples non-minimally to the scalar curvature $(widetilde{R})$ of the background spacetime via an operator of the form $sim widetilde{X}_mu,widetilde{X}^mu,widetilde{R}$. By considering the standard freeze-out scenario, we show, it is possible to probe such a non-minimally coupled DM in direct detection experiments for a coupling strength $xisimmathcal{O}left(10^{30}right)$ and DM mass $m_Xlesssim 55$ TeV, satisfying Planck observed relic abundance and perturbative unitarity. We also discuss DM production via freeze-in, governed by the non-minimal coupling, that requires $xilesssim 10^5$ to produce the observed DM abundance over a large range of DM mass depending on the choice of the reheating temperature. We further show, even in the absence of the non-minimal coupling, it is possible to produce the whole observed DM abundance via 2-to-2 scattering of the bath particles mediated by massless gravitons.
We consider a model where a light scalar field (with mass $lesssim 30, {rm eV}$), conjectured to be dark matter, has a non-minimal coupling to gravity. In the non-relativistic limit, this new coupling introduces a self-interaction term in the scalar-field equation of motion, and modifies the source term for the gravitational field. Moreover, in the small-coupling limit justified by the observed dark-matter density, the system further reduces to the Gross-Pitaevskii-Poisson equations, which remarkably also arise from a self-gravitating and self-interacting Bose-Einstein condensate system. We derive predictions of our model on linear and non-linear structure formation by exploiting this unexpected connection.
We investigate two-field inflationary models in which scalar cosmological pertubations are generated via a spectator field nonminimally coupled to gravity, with the particular emphasis on curvaton scenarios. The principal advantage of these models is in the possibility to tune the spectator spectral index via the nonminimal coupling. Our models naturally yield red spectrum of the adiabatic perturbation demanded by observations. We study how the nonminimal coupling affects the spectrum of the curvature perturbation generated in the curvaton scenarios. In particular we find that for small, negative nonminimal couplings the spectral index gets a contribution that is negative and linear in the nonminimal coupling. Since in this way the curvature spectrum becomes redder, some of curvaton scenarios can be saved, which would otherwise be ruled out. In the power law inflation we find that a large nonminimal coupling is excluded since it gives the principal slow roll parameter that is of the order of unity. Finally, we point out that nonminimal coupling can affect the postinflationary growth of the spectator perturbation, and in this way the effectiveness of the curvaton mechanism.
We investigate self-gravitating equilibria of halos constituted by dark matter (DM) non-minimally coupled to gravity. In particular, we consider a theoretically motivated non-minimal coupling which may arise when the averaging/coherence length $L$ associated to the fluid description of the DM collective behavior is comparable to the local curvature scale. In the Newtonian limit, such a non-minimal coupling amounts to a modification of the Poisson equation by a term $L^2, abla^2rho$ proportional to the Laplacian of the DM density $rho$ itself. We further adopt a general power-law equation of state $ppropto rho^{Gamma}, r^alpha$ relating the DM dynamical pressure $p$ to density $rho$ and radius $r$, as expected by phase-space density stratification during the gravitational assembly of halos in a cosmological context. We confirm previous findings that, in absence of the non-minimal coupling, the resulting density $rho(r)$ features a steep central cusp and an overall shape mirroring the outcomes of $N-$body simulations in the standard $Lambda$CDM cosmology, as described by the classic NFW or Einasto profiles. Most importantly, we find that the non-minimal coupling causes the density distribution to develop an inner core and a shape closely following, out to several core scale radii, the Burkert profile. In fact, we highlight that the resulting mass distributions can fit, with an accuracy comparable to the Burkerts one, the co-added rotation curves of dwarf, DM-dominated galaxies. Finally, we show that non-minimally coupled DM halos are consistent with the observed scaling relation between the core radius $r_0$ and core density $rho_0$, in terms of an universal core surface density $rho_0times r_0$ among different galaxies.
A model of dark matter (DM) that communicates with the Standard Model (SM) exclusively through suppressed dimension five operator is discussed. The SM is augmented with a symmetry $U(1)_X otimes Z_2$, where $U(1)_X$ is gauged and broken spontaneously by a very heavy decoupled scalar. The massive $U(1)_X$ vector boson ($X^mu$) is stabilized being odd under unbroken $Z_2$ and therefore may contribute as the DM component of the universe. Dark sector field strength tensor $X^{mu u}$ couples to the SM hypercharge tensor $B^{mu u}$ via the presence of a heavier $Z_2$ odd real scalar $Phi$, i.e. $1/Lambda ; X^{mu u}B_{mu u}Phi$, with $Lambda$ being a scale of new physics. The freeze-in production of the vector boson dark matter feebly coupled to the SM is advocated in this analysis. Limitations of the so-called UV freeze-in mechanism that emerge when the maximum reheat temperature $T_text{RH}$ drops down close to the scale of DM mass are discussed. The parameter space of the model consistent with the observed DM abundance is determined. The model easily and naturally avoids both direct and indirect DM searches. Possibility for detection at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is also considered. A Stueckelberg formulation of the model is derived.
We propose a new cosmological framework in which the strength of the gravitational force acted on dark matter at late time can be weaker than that on the standard matter fields without introducing extra gravitational degrees of freedom. The framework integrates dark matter into a type-II minimally modified gravity that was recently proposed as a dark energy mimicker. The idea that makes such a framework possible consists of coupling a dark matter Lagrangian and a cosmological constant to the metric in a canonically transformed frame of general relativity (GR). On imposing a gauge fixing constraint, which explicitly breaks the temporal diffeomorphism invariance, we keep the number of gravitational degrees of freedom to be two, as in GR. We then make the inverse canonical transformation to bring the theory back to the original frame, where one can add the standard matter fields. This framework contains two free functions of time which specify the generating functional of the above mentioned canonical transformation and which are then used in order to realize desired time evolutions of both the Hubble expansion rate $H(z)$ and the effective gravitational constant for dark matter $G_{rm eff}(z)$. The aim of this paper is therefore to provide a new framework to address the two puzzles present in todays cosmology, i.e. the $H_0$ tension and the $S_8$ tension, simultaneously. When the dark matter is cold in this framework, we dub the corresponding cosmological model the V Canonical Cold Dark Matter (VCCDM), as the cosmological constant $Lambda$ in the standard $Lambda$CDM is replaced by a function $V(phi)$ of an auxiliary field $phi$ and the CDM is minimally coupled to the metric in a canonically transformed frame.