In this work, we study indirect photon signatures of leptophilic dark matter (DM) coming from Centaurus A, where a DM density spike is believed to have survived to date contrary to the case of our galaxy. We consider a model where DM is a Majorana fermion which interacts with right-handed electrons via a scalar mediator. Assuming that the photons measured from the core of Cen A are coming from SM processes, we derive constraints on the average annihilation cross section which are 7 orders of magnitude stronger than the ones from measurements of the Galactic Center. Focusing on the allowed parameter space range, we calculate the flux of photons coming from the radiative DM-electron scattering in the AGN jets and the circular polarisation asymmetry of these photons. We find that this flux is two orders of magnitude lower than the background but its circular polarisation asymmetry can reach values close to $100\%$, indicating the need to experimentally exploit the high fraction of circular polarisation in order to detect these interactions. Since the origin of the photons in the GeV-TeV range from Cen A is not completely clear and an exotic origin is compatible with the measurements as well, we also consider the scenario in which synchrotron radiation can only partially explain the photon flux and we fit the excess with signals coming from DM annihilation, finding a best fit for a DM candidate with a mass $m_{\tildeχ}= 123$ GeV and a coupling $a_R = 0.018$.
We study the feasibility of the Type-X two Higgs doublet model (THDM-X) at collider experiments. In the THDM-X, new Higgs bosons mostly decay into tau leptons in the wide range of the parameter space. Such scalar bosons are less constrained by current experimental data, because of the suppressed quark Yukawa interactions. We discuss a search strategy of the THDM-X with multi-tau lepton final states at International linear collider and Large Hadron Collider. By using the collinear approximation, we show that a four tau lepton signature (e^+e^- -> HA -> 4τ) can be a clean signal.
New gauge symmetries often appear in theories beyond the Standard Model. Here we study a model where lepton number is promoted to a gauge symmetry. Anomaly cancellation requires the introduction of additional leptons, the lightest of which is a natural leptophilic dark matter candidate. We perform a comprehensive study of both collider and dark matter phenomenology. Furthermore we find that the model exhibits a first order lepton number breaking phase transition in large regions of parameter space. The corresponding gravitational wave signal is computed, and its detectability at LISA and other…
Dark matter interacting predominantly with leptons instead of nuclear matter has received a lot of interest recently. In this talk, we investigate the signals expected from such 'leptophilic Dark Matter' in direct detection experiments and in experiments looking for Dark Matter annihilation into neutrinos in the Sun. In a model-independent framework, we calculate the expected interaction rates for different scattering processes, including elastic and inelastic scattering off atomic electron shells, as well as loop-induced scattering off atomic nuclei. In those cases where the last effect domin…
In this paper we study a leptophilic dark matter scenario involving feeble dark matter coupling to the Standard Model (SM) and compressed dark matter-mediator mass spectrum. We consider a simplified model where the SM is extended with one Majorana fermion, the dark matter, and one charged scalar, the mediator, coupling to the SM leptons through a Yukawa interaction. We first discuss the dependence of the dark matter relic abundance on the Yukawa coupling going continuously from freeze-in to freeze-out with an intermediate stage of conversion driven freeze-out. Focusing on the latter, we then e…
We consider a supersymmetric model with extra $U(1)_B \times U(1)_L$ gauge symmetry that are broken spontaneously. Salient features of this model are that there are three different types of cold dark matter (CDM) candidates, and neutral scalar sector has a rich structure. Light CDM with $σ_{\rm SI} \sim 10^{-3\pm 1}$ pb can be easily accommodated by leptophobic dark matter ($χ_B$) with correct relic density, if the $U(1)_B$ gauge boson mass is around $2 m_{χ_B}$. Also the PAMELA and Fermi/LAT data can be fit by leptophilic CDM with mass $\sim 1$ TeV. There could be interesting signatures of ne…
Although the sneutrino is a viable NLSP candidate with gravitino LSP, spectra of this type occupy a part of SUSY parameter space in which collider signatures are poorly studied. In this paper we will extend previous work on this topic to include sneutrino NLSP spectra with non-minimal phenomenology. Generally, these spectra exhibit very leptophilic behavior, which can be easily observed at the LHC. We show that a variety of such spectra can be analysed with similar techniques, leading in each case to very suggestive evidence for complicated decay chains that end in sneutrinos. Amongst the vari…
The muon $g-2$ anomaly was strengthened by recent experimental results at Fermilab, which may be signatures of new physics. A scenario of leptophilic scalar $ϕ_L$ accounting for the muon $g-2$ anomaly is investigated in this paper. Though a light $ϕ_L$ mainly decaying into standard model (SM) particles has been excluded by experiments, a dark leptophilic scalar $ϕ_L$ predominantly decaying into invisible fermionic dark matter (DM) $χ\barχ$ is still allowed. Considering the decay mode $ϕ_L \to χ\barχ$ opened (here $m_{ϕ_L} = 3 m_χ$), the coupling preferred by the muon $g-2$ and the $ϕ_L-χ$ coup…
We consider renormalizable theories such that the scattering of dark matter off leptons arises at tree level, but scattering off nuclei only arises at loop. In this framework, the various dark matter candidates can be classified by their spins and by the forms of their interactions with leptons. We determine the corrections to the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon that arise from these interactions. We then consider the implications of these results for a set of simplified models of leptophilic dark matter. When a dark matter candidate reduces the existing tension between the standard mode…
We consider an electro-weak scale model for Dark Matter (DM) and radiative neutrino mass generation. Despite the leptophilic nature of DM with no direct couplings to quarks and gluons, scattering with nuclei is induced at the 1-loop level through photon exchange. Effectively, there are charge-charge, dipole-charge and dipole-dipole interactions. We investigate the parameter space consistent with constraints from neutrino masses and mixing, charged lepton-flavour violation, perturbativity, and the thermal production of the correct DM abundance, and calculate the expected event rate in DM direct…
Using a simplified framework, we attempt to explain the recent DAMPE cosmic $e^+ + e^-$ flux excess by leptophilic Dirac fermion dark matter (LDM). The scalar ($Φ_0$) and vector ($Φ_1$) mediator fields connecting LDM and Standard Model particles are discussed. Under constraints of DM relic density, gamma-rays, cosmic-rays and Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), we find that the couplings $P \otimes S$, $P \otimes P$, $V \otimes A$ and $V \otimes V$ can produce the right bump in $e^+ + e^-$ flux for a DM mass around 1.5 TeV with a natural thermal annihilation cross-section $<σv> \sim 3 \times 10…
The annihilation of dark matter particles in the galactic halo of the Milky Way may lead to cosmic ray signatures that can be probed by the AMS-02 experiment, which has measured the composition and fluxes of charged cosmic rays with unprecedented precision. Given the absence of characteristic spectral features in the electron and positron fluxes measured by AMS-02, we derive upper limits on the dark matter annihilation cross section for leptophilic dark matter models. Our limits are based on a new background model that describes all recent measurements of the energy spectra of cosmic ray posit…
In leptophilic scenarios, dark matter interactions with nuclei, relevant for direct detection experiments and for the capture by celestial objects, could only occur via loop-induced processes. If the mediator is a scalar or pseudo-scalar particle, which only couples to leptons, the dominant contribution to dark matter-nucleus scattering would take place via two-photon exchange with a lepton triangle loop. The corresponding diagrams have been estimated in the literature under different approximations. Here, we present new analytical calculations for one-body two-loop and two-body one-loop inter…
We study vector portal dark matter models where the mediator couples only to leptons. In spite of the lack of tree-level couplings to colored states, radiative effects generate interactions with quark fields that could give rise to a signal in current and future experiments. We identify such experimental signatures: scattering of nuclei in dark matter direct detection; resonant production of lepton-antilepton pairs at the Large Hadron Collider; and hadronic final states in dark matter indirect searches. Furthermore, radiative effects also generate an irreducible mass mixing between the vector …
We propose a new viable outlook to the mixing between a singlet and a doublet leptonic dark sector fields. This choice relaxes the dark matter (DM) search constraints on the quintessential scalar singlet DM as well as presents new opportunities for its detection in the lab. The mixing produces an arbitrary mass difference between the two components of the extra doublet in a gauge-invariant way, without introducing any new scale of electroweak symmetry breaking in the theory. It also provides a useful handle to distinguish between the dark sector particles of different isospins, which is a chal…
Effective WIMP models are minimal extensions of the standard model that explain the relic density of dark matter by the ``WIMP miracle.'' In this paper we consider the phenomenology of effective WIMPs with trilinear couplings to leptons and a new ``lepton partner'' particle. The observed relic abundance fixes the strength of the cubic coupling, so the parameters of the models are defined by the masses of the WIMP and lepton partner particles. This gives a simple parameter space where collider and direct detection experiments can be compared under well-defined physical minimality assumptions. T…
We investigate the leptophilic properties of Dirac gauginos in an R--symmetric N=2 supersymmetric model with extended gauge and Higgs sectors. The annihilation of Dirac gauginos to leptons requires no chirality flip in the final states so that it is not suppressed as in the Majorana case. This implies that it can be sizable enough to explain the positron excess observed by the PAMELA experiment with moderate or no boost factors. When squark masses are heavy, the annihilation of Dirac gauginos to hadrons is controlled by their Higgsino fraction and is driven by the $hZ$ and $W^+W^-$ final state…
If interpreted in terms of decaying dark matter, the steep rise in the positron fraction of cosmic rays above 10 GeV, as observed by the PAMELA experiment, suggests an underlying production mechanism that favors leptonic channels. We consider a scenario where a portion of the dark matter is made of the gauginos of an unbroken hidden-sector U(1), which interact with the visible sector only through a tiny kinetic mixing. The second component of the dark matter is made of neutralinos, and depending on the mass spectrum, the lightest neutralino or the hidden gaugino becomes unstable and subject to…
The Standard Model (SM) supplemented by Type II Seesaw and a SM gauge-singlet scalar dark matter (DM) is a very simple framework to incorporate the observed neutrino oscillations and provide a plausible DM candidate. In this framework, the scalar DM naturally has a leptophilic nature with a pair annihilating mainly into the SM SU(2)$_L$ triplet Higgs scalar of Type II Seesaw which, in turn, decay into leptons. In this work, we consider indirect signatures of this leptophilic DM and examine the spectrum of the cosmic ray electron/positron flux from DM pair annihilations in the Galactic halo. Gi…
Heavy neutrinos have a long history of consideration in the literature, in particular related to their role as solutions to the problems of neutrino mass, baryon asymmetry, and possibly dark matter. Interestingly, recent developments in the Madala hypothesis, a standard model extension designed to explain persistent LHC lepton anomalies, may also necessitate a heavy neutrino. This prospect is exciting as a dark matter model consisting of a TeV-scale leptophilic fermionic particle is also invoked to explain the electron-positron excess observed by the DAMPE experiment. The tantalising similarit…
Recent data on $e^+/e^-$ and $\bar{p}$ cosmic rays suggest that dark matter annihilate into the standard model (SM) particles through new leptophilic interaction. In this paper, we consider a standard model extension with the gauged $U(1)_{L_μ- L_τ}$ group, with a new Dirac fermion charged under this U(1) as a dark matter. We study the muon $(g-2)_μ$, thermal relic density of the cold dark matter, and the collider signatures of this model. $Z^{'}$ productions at the Tevatron or the LHC could be easily order of $O(1)-O(10^3)$ fb.
Muon-induced di-tau production as a probe of new physics
University of Iowa（爱荷华大学）；National Centre for Nuclear Research（国家核研究中心）；Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center Polish Academy of Sciences（波兰科学院尼古拉·哥白尼天文中心）
Dark matter that interacts with the Standard Model by exchanging photons through higher multipole interactions occurs in a wide range of both strongly as well as weakly coupled hidden sector models. We study the collider detection prospects of these candidates, with a focus on Majorana dark matter that couples through the anapole moment. The study is conducted at the effective field theory level with the mono-$Z$ signature incorporating varying levels of systematic uncertainties at the high-luminosity LHC. The projected collider reach on the anapole moment is then compared to the reach coming …
Dark matter pair production at high energy colliders may leave observable signatures in the energy and momentum spectra of the objects recoiling against the dark matter. We discuss signatures of Dark Matter in the jets + missing energy and photon + missing energy channels at the Tevatron and at LEP. Working in a largely model-independent effective theory framework, we can convert the collider bounds into constraints on the dark matter-nucleon scattering cross section and on the dark matter annihilation cross section. Our bounds are highly competitive with those from direct and indirect dark ma…
Recent experimental results from the LHC have placed strong constraints on the masses of QCD-charged superpartners. The MSSM parameter space is also constrained by the measurement of the Higgs boson mass, and the requirement that the relic density of lightest neutralinos be consistent with observations. Although large regions of the MSSM parameter space can be excluded by these combined bounds, leptophilic versions of the MSSM can survive these constraints. In this paper we consider a scenario in which the requirements of minimal flavor violation, vanishing $CP$-violation, and mass universalit…
Quarkonium suppression in heavy ion collisions is a potential signature of the formation of the quark-gluon plasma. After a very brief review of the J/psi result at CERN, we restrict our discussion to the effects of the high-energy multiple scattering of the quark pair in the colliding nuclei.
Astrophysical sources of nuclei are expected to produce a broad spectrum of isotopes, many of which are unstable. An unstable nucleus can beta-decay outside the source into a single-electron ion. Heavy one-electron ions, thus formed, can be excited in their interactions with cosmic microwave background photons, in which case they relax to the ground state with the emission of a gamma ray. Repetitive cycles of excitation and gamma-ray emission can produce an observable feature in the gamma-ray spectrum with a maximum around 8 GeV (for iron). We find that the observed spectrum of Centaurus A is …
It has recently been demonstrated that a program of parasitic electron-beam fixed-target experiments would have powerful discovery potential for dark matter and other new weakly-coupled particles in the MeV-GeV mass range. The first stage of this program can be realized at Jefferson Laboratory using an existing plastic-scintillator detector downstream of the Hall D electron beam dump. This paper studies the physics potential of such an experiment and highlights its unique sensitivity to inelastic "exciting" dark matter and leptophilic dark matter scenarios. The first of these is kinematically …
In a companion paper (to be presented), lattice field theory methods are used to show that in two-color, two-flavor QCD there are stable nuclear states in the spectrum. As a commonly studied theory of composite dark matter, this motivates the consideration of possible nuclear physics in this and other composite dark sectors. In this work, early Universe cosmology and indirect detection signatures are explored for both symmetric and asymmetric dark matter, highlighting the unique features that arise from considerations of dark nuclei and associated dark nuclear processes. The present day dark m…
The DAMPE experiment recently published its first results on the lepton ($e^+ + e^-$) cosmic-ray (CRs) flux. These results are of importance since they account for the first direct detection of the lepton break around the energy of 1 TeV and confirm the discoveries of ground-based Cherenkov detectors. Meanwhile they reveal a new high-energy feature in the spectrum which triggered a lot of excitement on the theory side, when interpreted as the typical signature of leptophilic dark-matter annihilation. In this proceeding I mainly focus on the theoretical understanding of the lepton break. Then I…
Any form of dark matter which was in thermal equilibrium with the Standard Model in the early Universe must have some annihilation mechanism in order to avoid overclosure. In general, such models are now constrained by the negative experimental results from colliders, direct detection, and indirect detection, all of which are capable of probing interactions at the approximate strength suggested by a thermal cross section. It is timely to consider what scenarios of thermal dark matter which are still viable. In this paper we consider a class of dark matter models which is designed to avoid many…
New results of analysis of $K^0_S-$meson spectra measured over a wide range of energy $\sqrt {s_{NN}}=7.7-200$ GeV and centrality in $Au+Au$ collisions by the STAR Collaboration at RHIC using the $z$-scaling approach are presented. Indication on self-similarity of fractal structure of nuclei and fragmentation processes with $K^0_S$ probe is demonstrated. The energy loss as a function of the collision energy, centrality and transverse momentum of the inclusive strange meson is estimated.
We explore a scenario where Dark Matter (DM) couples to the Standard Model mainly via a scalar mediator ${\cal S}$ that is odd under a $Z_2$ symmetry, leading to interesting collider signatures. In fact, if linear interactions with the mediator are absent the most important DM production mechanisms at colliders could lead to final states with missing transverse energy (MET) in association with at least two fermions, such as di-jet or di-electron signatures. The framework we consider is model-independent, in a sense that it is only based on symmetry and formulated in the (extended) DM Effective…
The signatures of UHE proton propagation through CMB are pair-production dip and GZK cutoff. The visible manifestations of these spectral features are ankle, beginning of GZK cutoff in the differential spectrum and E_{1/2} in integral spectrum. Observed in all experiments, the ankle is usually interpreted as transition from galactic to extragalactic cosmic rays. Using the mass composition measured by HiRes, Telescope Array (TA) and Auger detectors at energy (1-3) EeV, calculated anisotropy of galactic cosmic rays at these energies, and the elongation curves we strongly argue against the interp…
Direct dark matter detection focuses on elastic scattering of dark matter particles off nuclei. In this study, we explore inelastic scattering where the nucleus is excited to a low-lying state of 10-100 keV, with subsequent prompt de-excitation. We calculate the inelastic structure factors for the odd-mass xenon isotopes based on state-of-the-art large-scale shell-model calculations with chiral effective field theory WIMP-nucleon currents. For these cases, we find that the inelastic channel is comparable to or can dominate the elastic channel for momentum transfers around 150 MeV. We calculate…
We study a simple model of vector dark matter that couples to Standard Model particles via magnetic dipole interactions. In this scenario, the cosmological abundance arises through the freeze-in mechanism and depends on the dipole coupling, the vector mass, and the reheat temperature. To ensure cosmological metastability, the vector must be lighter than the fermions to which it couples, but rare decays can still produce observable 3$γ$ final states; two-body decays can also occur at one-loop with additional weak suppression, but are subdominant if the vector couples mainly to light fermions. F…
We study a generic leptophilic $U(1)_X$ extension of the standard model with a light gauge boson. The $U(1)_X$ charge assignments for the leptons are guided by lepton universality violating (LUV) observables in semileptonic $b \to s\ell\ell$ decays, muon anomalous magnetic moment and the origin of leptonic masses and mixing. Anomaly cancellation conditions require the addition of new chiral fermions in the model, one of which acts as a dark matter (DM) candidate when it is stabilised by an additional $\mathcal{Z}_2$ symmetry. From our analysis, we show two different possible models with simila…
Heavy mesons in nuclear matter and nuclei are analyzed within different frameworks, paying a special attention to unitarized coupled-channel approaches. Possible experimental signatures of the properties of these mesons in matter are addressed, in particular in connection with the future FAIR facility at GSI.
The properties of strange and charm mesons in nuclear matter and nuclei are reviewed. Different frameworks are presented and discussed paying a special attention to unitarized coupled-channel approaches. Possible experimental signatures of the in-medium properties of these mesons are also addressed, in particular in connection with the future FAIR facility at GSI.
We propose a method to investigate the scenario that cosmic relic neutrinos are highly clustered around stars and galaxies, or dark-matter clusters, rather than uniformly distributed in the universe. Such a scenario can be detected or constrained by the interaction of high energy cosmic ray protons and nuclei with the cosmic neutrinos. There should be observable signature in the energy spectra of cosmic ray protons and nuclei for a neutrino clustering factor beyond $10^{13}$. We provide a relation on the signature onset positions between proton and nuclei spectra, and discuss possible support …
Rome University “La Sapienza”（罗马大学）；MIFP, Rome, Italy（MIFP）；National University of Oil and Gas «Gubkin University»（国立石油天然气大学古布金大学）；Institute of Physics, Southern Federal University（南联邦大学物理研究所）
Antimatter nuclei in cosmic rays (CRs) are a promising tool for the indirect detection of dark-matter annihilation signatures. However, the search of new-physics signals in CRs relies on our knowledge of the astrophysical antimatter background which, in turns, depends critically on the several fragmentation cross-sections that regulate production and destruction of antiparticles in the interstellar medium. In this work, we have re-evaluated the astrophysical background of CR antiproton, antineutron, and antihelium nuclei in Galactic CRs using improved calculations. The production cross-section…
The strongly repulsive core of the short-range nucleon-nucleon interaction leads to the existence of high-momentum nucleons in nuclei. Inclusive electron scattering can be used to probe these high-momentum nucleons and study the nature of the corresponding short-range correlations in nuclei. With recent data from Jefferson Lab we have begun to map out the strength of two-nucleon correlations in nuclei, while upcoming experiments should allow us to isolate the presence of multi-nucleon correlations. In addition to their importance in describing nuclear structure, these configurations of correla…
$α$-clustered structures in light nuclei could be studied through "snapshots" taken by relativistic heavy-ion collisions. A multiphase transport (AMPT) model is employed to simulate the initial structure of collision nuclei and the proceeding collisions at center of mass energy $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 6.37 TeV. This initial structure can finally be reflected in the subsequent observations, such as elliptic flow ($v_{2}$), triangular flow ($v_{3}$) and quadrangular flow ($v_4$). Three sets of the collision systems are chosen to illustrate system scan is a good way to identify the exotic $α$-clustered…
Beginning with a set of simplified models for spin-0, spin-$\half$, and spin-1 dark matter candidates using completely general Lorentz invariant and renormalizable Lagrangians, we derive the full set of non-relativistic operators and nuclear matrix elements relevant for direct detection of dark matter, and use these to calculate rates and recoil spectra for scattering on various target nuclei. This allows us to explore what high energy physics constraints might be obtainable from direct detection experiments, what degeneracies exist, which operators are ubiquitous and which are unlikely or sub…
