26 pages, 10 figures; v4: version published in JHEP; v5: corrected an error in the Higgs decay width into 2gamma and figure 5 accordingly, main conclusion unchanged
We explore a novel possibility that dark matter has a light mass below 1GeV in a lepton portal dark matter model. There are Yukawa couplings involving dark matter, left-handed leptons and an extra scalar doublet in the model. In the light mass region, dark matter is thermally produced via its annihilation into neutrinos. In order to obtain the correct relic abundance and avoid collider bounds, a neutral scalar is required to be light while charged scalars need to be heavier than the electroweak scale. Such a mass spectrum is realized by adjusting quartic couplings in the scalar potential or introducing an extra singlet scalar. It turns out that the mass region of 10MeV-10GeV is almost free from experimental and observational constraints. We also point out that searches for extra neutrino flux from galactic dark matter annihilations with neutrino telescopes are the best way to test our model.
The Lepton Portal Dark Matter model, in which dark matter states only coupling to the charged leptons, can explain the excess of the muon anomalous magnetic moment measured by the Muon $g - 2$ experiment. In this paper, we demonstrate that real, charge-neutral scalar dark matter with a large number of internal degrees of freedom and a mass approximately degenerate with the charged fermionic mediator state can accommodate the $(g - 2)_μ$ excess. The model remains consistent with the dark matter relic abundance, direct detection, and indirect detection constraints. The dark matter and its charge…
In this paper, we summarize phenomenology in lepton portal dark matter (DM) models, where DM couples to leptons and extra leptons/sleptons. There are several possible setups: complex/real scalar DM and Dirac/Majorana fermion DM. In addition, there are choices for the lepton chirality that couples to DM. We discuss the prediction of each model and compare it with the latest experimental constraints from the DM, the LHC, and the flavor experiments. We also propose a simple setup to achieve the discrepancy in the anomalous magnetic moment of muon.
We study a class of simplified dark matter models in which dark matter couples directly with a mediator and a charged lepton. This class of Lepton Portal dark matter models has very rich phenomenology: it has loop generated dark matter electromagnetic moments that generate a direct detection signal; it contributes to indirect detection in the cosmic positron flux via dark matter annihilation; it provides a signature of the same-flavor, opposite-sign dilepton plus missing transverse energy at colliders. We determine the current experimental constraints on the model parameter space for Dirac fer…
We study a lepton portal dark matter model, motivated by the deviation of the $W$ boson mass reported by the CDF collaboration. We introduce vector-like leptons and a scalar dark matter (DM) which exclusively couples to the extra leptons and muon. The one-loop corrections induced by the new particles can shift the $W$ boson mass. Besides, the discrepancy in the muon anomalous magnetic moment and the DM density can simultaneously be explained by this setup, if the vector-like lepton is lighter than 200 GeV and nearly degenerate with the DM particle. We also see that the constraints on such a li…
We consider generic neutrino dipole portals between left-handed neutrinos, photons, and right-handed heavy neutral leptons (HNL) with Dirac masses. The dominance of this portal significantly alters the conventional phenomenology of HNLs. We derive a comprehensive set of constraints on the dipole portal to HNLs by utilizing data from LEP, LHC, MiniBooNE, LSND as well as observations of Supernova 1987A and consistency of the standard Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. We calculate projected sensitivities from the proposed high-intensity SHiP beam dump experiment, and the ongoing experiments at the Short-…
We study the recent $e^\pm$ cosmic ray excess reported by DAMPE in a Hidden Valley Model with lepton-portal dark matter. We find the electron-portal can account for the excess well and satisfy the DM relic density and direct detection bounds, while electron+muon/electron+muon+tau-portal suffers from strong constraints from lepton flavor violating observables, such as $μ\to 3 e$. We also discuss possible collider signatures of our model, both at the LHC and a future 100 TeV hadron collider.
The fermionic Z-portal dark matter model suffers from severe constraints from direct detection experiments. However, a narrow parameter space around the Z-funnel region is beyond the reach due to the resonance annihilation. In this paper, we provide an intriguing collider prospect for probing the Z-funnel dark matter mass range at the future lepton colliders including the beam polarization feature. We have done a comprehensive analysis for mono-photon signal at the colliders for such a dark matter. A realistic estimation for the 90% C.L. constraints with the systematic beam uncertainties has a…
We study the lepton portal dark matter (DM) model in which the relic abundance is determined by the portal coupling among the Majorana fermion DM candidate $χ$, the singlet charged scalar mediator $S^\pm$ and the Standard Model (SM) right-handed lepton. The direct and indirect searches are not sensitive to this model. This article studies the lepton portal coupling as well as the scalar portal coupling (between $S^\pm$ and SM Higgs boson), as the latter is generally allowed in the Lagrangian. The inclusion of scalar portal coupling not only significantly enhances the LHC reach via the $gg\to h…
We study an extension of the Inert Higgs Doublet Model (IHDM) by three copies of right handed neutrinos and heavy charged leptons such that both the inert Higgs doublet and the heavy fermions are odd under the $Z_2$ symmetry of the model. The neutrino masses are generated at one loop in the scotogenic fashion. Assuming the neutral scalar of the inert Higgs to be the dark matter candidate, we particularly look into the region of parameter space where dark matter relic abundance is primarily governed by the inert Higgs coupling with the leptons. This corresponds to tiny Higgs portal coupling of …
An extended Higgs sector may allow for new scalar particles well below the weak scale. In this work, we present a detailed study of a light scalar $S$ with enhanced coupling to leptons, which could be responsible for the existing discrepancy between experimental and theoretical determinations of the muon anomalous magnetic moment. We present an ultraviolet completion of this model in terms of the lepton-specific two-Higgs doublet model and an additional scalar singlet. We then analyze a plethora of experimental constraints on the universal low energy model, and this UV completion, along with t…
Dark matter (DM) constitutes 85% of the matter in the Universe. However, its specific particle property is still unclear. The fundamentals of DM particles subject to gravitational interaction, and that the lepton excess in cosmic rays may originate from DM particles, inspired us to investigate DM particle properties beyond the standard model. We assume that a leptophilic SU(2) doublet exists in nature as the mediator connecting DM with visible leptons. Since general relativity is not renormalizable at the quantum level, it should be regarded as an effective field theory's leading order term. O…
We consider models with fermionic dark matter that transforms under a non-Abelian dark gauge group. Exotic, vector-like leptons that also transform under the dark gauge group can mix with standard model leptons after spontaneous symmetry breaking and serve as a portal between the dark and visible sectors. We show in an explicit, renormalizable model based on a dark SU(2) gauge group how this can lead to adequate dark matter annihilation to a standard model lepton flavor so that the correct relic density is obtained. We identify a discrete symmetry that allows mass mixing between the vector-lik…
We propose an extension of the Standard Model (SM) with a $U_{A'}(1)$ gauge invariant dark dector connected to the SM via a new portal -- the Stueckelberg portal, arising in the framework of dark photon $A'$ mass generation via Stueckelberg mechanism. This portal opens through the effective dim=5 operators constructed from the covariant term of the auxiliary Stueckelberg scalar field $σ$ providing flavor non-diagonal renormalizable couplings of both $σ$ and $A'$ to the SM fermions $ψ$. The Stueckelberg scalar plays a role of Goldstone boson in the generation of mass of the Dark Photon. Contrar…
The inert Zee model is an extension of the Zee model for neutrino masses. This new model explains the dark matter relic abundance, generates a one-loop neutrino masses and forbids tree-level Higgs-mediated flavor changing neutral currents. Although the dark matter phenomenology of the model is similar to that of the inert doublet model, the presence of new vector-like fermions opens the lepton portal as a new dark matter annihilation channel. We study the impact of such a new portal in the low mass regime and show the parameter space allowed by direct and indirect searches of dark matter. Rema…
We study the sensitivity of future electron-positron colliders to UV completions of the fermionic Higgs portal operator $H^\dagger H \bar χχ$. Measurements of precision electroweak $S$ and $T$ parameters and the $e^+e^- \to Zh$ cross section at the CEPC, FCC-ee, and ILC are considered. The scalar completion of the fermionic Higgs portal is closely related to the scalar Higgs portal, and we summarize existing results. We devote the bulk of our analysis to a singlet-doublet fermion completion. Assuming the doublet is sufficiently heavy, we construct the effective field theory (EFT) at dimension-…
In Higgs portal models of fermion dark matter, scalar couplings are unavoidably suppressed by strong bounds from direct detection experiments. As a consequence, thermal dark matter relics must coexist with mediators in a compressed spectrum of dark particles. Small couplings and small mass splittings lead to slow mediator decays, leaving signatures with displaced vertices or disappearing tracks at colliders. We perform a comprehensive analysis of long-lived mediators at the LHC in the context of a minimal dark matter model with a naturally small Higgs portal, also known as the wino-bino scenar…
We present a model explaining both the 4.2 $σ$ muon $g-2$ anomaly and the relic density of dark matter (DM) in which DM interacts with the Standard Model (SM) via a scalar portal boson $φ$ carrying both dark and SM leptonic numbers, and mediating a nondiagonal interaction between the electron and muon that allows $e \leftrightarrow μ$ transitions. The $φ$ could be produced in high-energy electron scattering off a target nuclei in the reaction $e Z \to μZφ$ followed by the prompt invisible decay $φ~\to$~DM particles and searched for in events with large missing energy accompanied by a single ou…
Solar neutrinos can be efficiently upscattered to MeV scale heavy neutral leptons (HNLs) within the Earth's mantle. HNLs can then decay to electron-positron pairs leading to energy deposition inside large-volume detectors. In this paper we consider mass-portal upscattering of solar neutrinos to HNLs of mass 20 MeV $\geq m_N \geq 2 m_e$. The large volume of the Earth compensates for the long decay-length of the HNLs leading to observable rates of $N\rightarrow ν_αe^+e^-$ in large volume detectors. We find that searches for mantle-upscattered HNLs can set the novel limits on mixing with third ge…
Vector-like fermions charged under both the Standard Model and a new dark gauge group arise in many theories of new physics. If these fermions include an electroweak doublet and singlet with equal dark charges, they can potentially connect to the Higgs field through a Yukawa coupling in analogy to the standard neutrino portal. With such a coupling, fermion loops generate exotic decays of the Higgs boson to one or more dark vector bosons. In this work we study a minimal realization of this scenario with an Abelian dark group. We investigate the potential new Higgs decays modes, we compute their…
We study the discovery and discriminating prospects of the Higgs portal dark matter (DM) models for scalar, fermion and vector DM and their extensions in proton-proton ($pp$) collisions. The $t\bar{t}+$DM associated production in dileptonic final states is considered, in which the stransverse mass of two leptons is found to be effective in suppressing the Standard Model backgrounds along with the missing transverse energy and the angle between two leptons. The distributions of missing transverse energy and polar angle between two leptons are used for a discrimination of the spin nature of DM. …
Using a bottom up phenomenological approach we constructed a simple doubly charged vector lepton $E^{\pm\pm}$ model for the possible 750 GeV diphoton resonance $Φ$ at the LHC assuming it to be a scalar particle. Since no stable doubly charged leptons are seen, to facilitate their decays we complete the model by adding a charged SM electroweak scalar $S^\pm$. $Φ$ is a SM singlet and can be either an inert scalar or a Higgs field. In the inert case more than one vector lepton are required to account for the photon fusion production of the resonance if the model is to remain perturbative. For a H…
We propose a novel model which extends the Standard Model (SM) by introducing a $SU(2)_D$ gauge symmetry. In this model, a dark $SU(2)_D$ Higgs doublet and a Higgs bi-doublet can contribute to the muon $g-2$ anomaly and the $W$ boson mass, remaining in tune with the recent experimental results. At the same time, the isospin charged gauge boson of $SU(2)_D$ becomes a plausible candidate for Dark Matter(DM). We find that the resulting parameter space can fit the muon $g-2$, the $W$ boson mass and the DM constraints simultaneously.
We investigate the prospects for detecting a hidden sector at an $e^+ e^-$ collider. The hidden sector is assumed to be composed of invisible particles that carry no charges under the Standard Model gauge interactions, and whose primary interactions with ordinary matter are through the Higgs portal. We consider both the cases when the decays of an on-shell Higgs into a pair of hidden sector particles are kinematically allowed, and the case when such decays are kinematically forbidden. We find that at collider energies below a TeV, the most sensitive channel involves production of an on-shell o…
Relation between the lepton and quark mixings: $U_{PMNS} \approx V_{CKM}^{\dagger} U_X$, where $U_X$ is the BM or TBM mixing matrices, implies the quark-lepton (Grand) unification and existence of hidden sector with certain flavor symmetries. The latter couples to the visible sector via the neutrino portal and is responsible for $U_X$, as well as for smallness of neutrino mass. GUT ensures appearance of $\sim V_{CKM}$ in the lepton mixing. General features of this scenario (inverse or double seesaw, screening of the Dirac structures, basis fixing symmetry) are described and two realizations ar…
We propose a novel model for lepton flavor and dark matter based on the $SU(2)_D$ gauge symmetry and vector-like leptons in its fundamental representations. We introduce a dark $SU(2)_D$ Higgs doublet and a Higgs bi-doublet for the mass mixing between the vector-like lepton and the lepton. As a result, the seesaw lepton masses are generated and there are sizable one-loop contributions to the muon $g-2$ via the $SU(2)_D$ gauge bosons and the relatively heavy vector-like lepton, as indicated in Fermilab E989. The tree-level mass mixing between the $Z$ boson and the isospin neutral gauge boson of…
We perform a comprehensive search for Standard Model extensions inspired by asymptotic safety. Our models feature a singlet matrix scalar field, three generations of vector-like leptons, and direct links to the Higgs and flavor sectors via new Yukawa and portal couplings. A novel feature is that the enlarged scalar sector may spontaneously break lepton flavor universality. We provide a complete two-loop renormalization group analysis of the running gauge, Yukawa, and quartic couplings to find ultraviolet fixed points and the BSM critical surface of parameters, $i.e.$ the set of boundary condit…
The hypothesis of dark matter interacting with the standard model uniquely via the Higgs portal is severely challenged by experiments. However, if dark matter is a fermion, the Higgs-portal interaction implies the presence of mediators, which can change the phenomenology significantly. This article discusses the impact of weakly-interacting mediators on the dark-matter relic abundance, direct detection, and collider searches. At the LHC, a typical signature of Higgs-portal fermion dark matter features soft leptons and missing energy, similarly to gaugino production in models with supersymmetry…
We study an effective theory beyond the standard model (SM) where either of two additional gauge singlets, a Majorana fermion and a real scalar, constitutes all or some fraction of dark matter. In particular, we focus on the masses of the two singlets in the range of O(10) MeV-O(10) GeV, with a neutrino portal interaction which plays important roles not only in particle physics but also in cosmology and astronomy. We point out that the dark matter abundance can be thermally explained with (co)annihilation, where the dark matter with a mass greater than 2 GeV can be tested in future lepton coll…
We consider an extension of the Standard Model with two singlet leptons, with masses in the electroweak range, that induce neutrino masses via the see-saw mechanism, plus a generic new physics sector at a higher scale, $Λ$. We apply the minimal flavor violation (MFV) principle to the corresponding Effective Field Theory ($ν$SMEFT) valid at energy scales $E \ll Λ$. We identify the irreducible sources of lepton flavor and lepton number violation at the renormalizable level, and apply the MFV ansätz to derive the scaling of the Wilson coefficients of the $ν$SMEFT operators up to dimension six. We…
We study the non-abelian $SU(2)_D$ extension of the $U(1)_D$ Stueckelberg portal, which plays a role of the mediator between the Standard Model (SM) and Dark Sector (DS). This portal is specified by the Stueckelberg mechanism for generation of dark gauge boson masses. Proposed $U(1)_D\times SU(2)_D$ Stueckelberg portal has a connection with SM matter fields in analogy with Familon Model. We derive bounds on the couplings of dark portal bosons and SM particles, which govern diagonal and non-diagonal flavor transitions of quarks and leptons.
In a number of Higgs-portal models, an $SU(2)$ isospin-singlet scalar boson generically appears at the electroweak scale and can mix with the Standard Model (SM) Higgs boson with a mixing angle $α$. This singlet scalar boson can have renormalizable couplings to a pair of dark matter particles, vectorlike leptons or quarks, or new gauge bosons, thereby modifying the Higgs signal strengths in a nontrivial way. In this work, we perform global fits to such models using the most updated LHC Higgs-boson data and discuss the corresponding implications on Higgs-portal-type models. In particular we fin…
We introduce a light dark photon $A_μ^\prime$ to the minimal Higgs portal model, by coupling the Higgs boson to "dark QED" containing fermionic dark matter, which gives rise to rich and interesting collider phenomenology. There are two prominent features in such a simple extension -- the Higgs boson could have decays into the long-lived dark photon through the "mono-$A^\prime$ channel," or into multiple collimated leptons via "darkonium," depending on the mixing parameter of the $A_μ^\prime$ with the visible photon. We initiate a study on the possibility of probing the parameter space of the m…
