We investigate a model in which Dark Matter is stabilized by means of a Z2 parity that results from the same non-abelian discrete flavor symmetry which accounts for the observed pattern of neutrino mixing. In our A4 example the standard model is extended by three extra Higgs doublets and the Z2 parity emerges as a remnant of the spontaneous breaking of A4 after electroweak symmetry breaking. We perform an analysis of the parameter space of the model consistent with electroweak precision tests, collider searches and perturbativity. We determine the regions compatible with the observed relic dark matter density and we present prospects for detection in direct as well as indirect Dark Matter search experiments.
We study the possibility of simultaneously addressing neutrino phenomenology and the dark matter in the framework of inverse seesaw. The model is the extension of the standard model by the addition of two right handed neutrinos and three sterile fermions which leads to a light sterile state with the mass in the keV range along with three light active neutrino states. The lightest sterile neutrino can account for a feasible dark matter(DM) candidate. We present a $S_{4}$ flavor symmetric model which is further augmented by $Z_{4}times Z_{3}$ symmetry to constrain the Yukawa Lagrangian. The structures of the mass matrices involved in inverse seesaw within the $S_{4}$ framework naturally give rise to correct neutrino mass matrix with non-zero reactor mixing angle $ theta_{13}$. In this framework, we conduct a detailed numerical analysis both for normal hierarchy as well as inverted hierarchy to obtain dark matter mass and DM-active mixing which are the key factors for considering sterile neutrino as a viable dark matter candidate. We constrain the parameter space of the model from the latest cosmological bounds on the mass of the dark matter and DM-active mixing.
In an unconventional realization of left-right symmetry, the particle corresponding to the left-handed neutrino nu_L (with SU(2)_L interactions) in the right-handed sector, call it n_R (with SU(2)_R interactions), is not its Dirac mass partner, but a different particle which may be a dark-matter candidate. In parallel to leptogenesis in the SU(2)_L sector, asymmetric production of n_R may occur in the SU(2)_R sector. This mechanism is especially suited for n_R mass of order 1 to 10 keV, i.e. warm dark matter, which is a possible new paradigm for explaining the structure of the Universe at all scales.
We study a new flavor symmetric model with non-Abelian discrete symmetry T_{13}. The T_{13} group is isomorphic to Z_{13} rtimes Z_3, and it is the minimal group having two complex triplets as the irreducible representations. We show that the T_{13} symmetry can derive lepton masses and mixings consistently. Moreover, if we assume a gauge-singlet fermionic decaying dark matter, its decay operators are also constrained by the T_{13} symmetry so that only dimension six operators of leptonic decay are allowed. We find that the cosmic-ray anomalies reported by PAMELA and Fermi-LAT are explained by decaying dark matter controlled by the T_{13} flavor symmetry.
One of the most puzzling problems of modern physics is the identification of the nature a non-relativistic matter component present in the universe, contributing to more than 25$%$ of the total energy budget, known as Dark Matter. Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) are among the best motivated dark matter candidates. However, in light of non conclusive detection signals and strong constraints from collider, direct and indirect detection experiments, this thesis presents constraints on several realizations of the WIMP paradigm in the context of simplified dark matter models. More elaborated models considering extended gauge structures are discussed further on, such as constructions involving generalized Chern-Simons couplings and a specific WIMP scenario motivated by recently observed flavour anomalies related to the $R_{K^{(*)}}$ observable. The second part of this thesis is devoted to the discussion of an alternative dark matter thermal production mechanism where an explicit realization of the Strongly Interacting Massive Particles (SIMPs) paradigm is discussed in the context of a non-Abelian hidden gauge structure. In a last part, the possibility of producing non-thermally a dark matter component via the freeze-in mechanism was investigated and the strong impact of the post-inflationary reaheating stage of the universe on such constructions illustrated by the specific case where dark matter density production is mediated by a heavy spin-2 field in addition to the standard graviton.
We present a scenario of vector dark matter production from symmetry breaking at the end of inflation. In this model, the accumulated energy density associated with the quantum fluctuations of the dark photon accounts for the present energy density of dark matter. The inflaton is a real scalar field while a heavy complex scalar field, such as the waterfall of hybrid inflation, is charged under the dark gauge field. After the heavy field becomes tachyonic at the end of inflation, rolling rapidly towards its global minimum, the dark photon acquires mass via the Higgs mechanism. To prevent the decay of the vector field energy density during inflation, we introduce couplings between the inflaton and the gauge field such that the energy is pumped to the dark sector. The setup can generate the observed dark matter abundance for a wide range of the dark photons mass and with the reheat temperature around $10^{12}$ GeV. The model predicts the formation of cosmic strings at the end of inflation with the tensions which are consistent with the CMB upper bounds.