Escudero, M., Mena, O., Vincent, A. C., Wilkinson, R. J., & Boehm, C. (2015). Exploring dark matter microphysics with galaxy surveys. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 09(9), 034–16pp.
Abstract: We use present cosmological observations and forecasts of future experiments to illustrate the power of large-scale structure (LSS) surveys in probing dark matter (DM) microphysics and unveiling potential deviations from the standard ACDM scenario. To quantify this statement, we focus on an extension of ACDM with DM-neutrino scattering, which leaves a distinctive imprint on the angular and matter power spectra. After finding that future CMB experiments (such as COrE+) will not significantly improve the constraints set by the Planck satellite, we show that the next generation of galaxy clustering surveys (such as DESI) could play a leading role in constraining alternative cosmologies and even have the potential to make a discovery. Typically we find that DESI would be an order of magnitude more sensitive to DM interactions than Planck, thus probing effects that until now have only been accessible via N-body simulations.
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Cepedello, R., Esser, F., Hirsch, M., & Sanz, V. (2023). SMEFT goes dark: Dark Matter models for four-fermion operators. J. High Energy Phys., 09(9), 081–47pp.
Abstract: We study ultra-violet completions for d = 6 four-fermion operators in the standard model effective field theory (SMEFT), focusing on models that contain cold dark matter candidates. Via a diagrammatic method, we generate systematically lists of possible UV completions, with the aim of providing sets of models, which are complete under certain, well specified assumptions. Within these lists of models we rediscover many known DM models, as diverse as R-parity conserving supersymmetry or the scotogenic neutrino mass model. Our lists, however, also contain many new constructions, which have not been studied in the literature so far. We also briefly discuss how our DM models could be constrained by reinterpretations of LHC searches and the prospects for HL-LHC and future lepton colliders.
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Bas i Beneito, A., Herrero-Garcia, J., & Vatsyayan, D. (2022). Multi-component dark sectors: symmetries, asymmetries and conversions. J. High Energy Phys., 10(10), 075–31pp.
Abstract: We study the relic abundance of several stable particles from a generic dark sector, including the possible presence of dark asymmetries. After discussing the different possibilities for stabilising multi-component dark matter, we analyse the final relic abundance of the symmetric and asymmetric dark matter components, paying special attention to the role of the unavoidable conversions between dark matter states. We find an exponential dependence of the asymmetries of the heavier components on annihilations and conversions. We conclude that having similar symmetric and asymmetric components is a natural outcome in many scenarios of multi-component dark matter. This has novel phenomenological implications, which we briefly discuss.
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Figueroa, D. G., Raatikainen, S., Rasanen, S., & Tomberg, E. (2022). Implications of stochastic effects for primordial black hole production in ultra-slow-roll inflation. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 05(5), 027–48pp.
Abstract: We study the impact of stochastic noise on the generation of primordial black hole (PBH) seeds in ultra-slow-roll (USR) inflation with numerical simulations. We consider the non-linearity of the system by consistently taking into account the noise dependence on the inflaton perturbations, while evolving the perturbations on the coarse-grained background affected by the noise. We capture in this way the non-Markovian nature of the dynamics, and demonstrate that non-Markovian effects are subleading. Using the Delta N formalism, we find the probability distribution P(R) of the comoving curvature perturbation R. We consider inflationary potentials that fit the CMB and lead to PBH dark matter with i) asteroid, ii) solar, or iii) Planck mass, as well as iv) PBHs that form the seeds of supermassive black holes. We find that stochastic effects enhance the PBH abundance by a factor of O(10)-O(10(8)), depending on the PBH mass. We also show that the usual approximation, where stochastic kicks depend only on the Hubble rate, either underestimates or overestimates the abundance by orders of magnitude, depending on the potential. We evaluate the gauge dependence of the results, discuss the quantum-to-classical transition, and highlight open issues of the application of the stochastic formalism to USR inflation.
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Ruiz de Austri, R., & Perez de los Heros, C. (2013). Impact of nucleon matrix element uncertainties on the interpretation of direct and indirect dark matter search results. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 11(11), 049–19pp.
Abstract: We study in detail the impact of the current uncertainty in nucleon matrix elements on the sensitivity of direct and indirect experimental techniques for dark matter detection. We perform two scans in the framework of the cMSSM: one using recent values of the pion-sigma term obtained from Lattice QCD, and the other using values derived from experimental measurements. The two choices correspond to extreme values quoted in the literature and reflect the current tension between different ways of obtaining information about the structure of the nucleon. All other inputs in the scans, astrophysical and from particle physics, are kept unchanged. We use two experiments, XENON100 and IceCube, as benchmark cases to illustrate our case. We find that the interpretation of dark matter search results from direct detection experiments is more sensitive to the choice of the central values of the hadronic inputs than the results of indirect search experiments. The allowed regions of cMSSM parameter space after including XENON100 constrains strongly differ depending on the assumptions on the hadronic matrix elements used. On the other hand, the constraining potential of IceCube is almost independent of the choice of these values.
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