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Boucenna, M. S., Hirsch, M., Morisi, S., Peinado, E., Taoso, M., & Valle, J. W. F. (2011). Phenomenology of dark matter from A_4 flavor symmetry. J. High Energy Phys., 05(5), 037–20pp.
Abstract: We investigate a model in which Dark Matter is stabilized by means of a Z(2) parity that results from the same non-abelian discrete flavor symmetry which accounts for the observed patter of neutrino mixing. In our A(4) example the standard model is extended by three extra Higgs doublets and the Z(2) parity emerges as a remnant of the spontaneous breaking of A(4) 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.
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Beneke, M., Hellmann, C., & Ruiz-Femenia, P. (2015). Non-relativistic pair annihilation of nearly mass degenerate neutralinos and charginos III. Computation of the Sommerfeld enhancements. J. High Energy Phys., 05(5), 115–57pp.
Abstract: This paper concludes the presentation of the non-relativistic effective field theory formalism designed to calculate the radiative corrections that enhance the pair-annihilation cross sections of slowly moving neutralinos and charginos within the general minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM). While papers I and II focused on the computation of the tree-level annihilation rates that feed into the short-distance part, here we describe in detail the method to obtain the Sommerfeld factors that contain the enhanced long-distance corrections. This includes the computation of the potential interactions in the MSSM, which are provided in compact analytic form, and a novel solution of the multi-state Schrodinger equation that is free from the numerical instabilities generated by large mass splittings between the scattering states. Our results allow for a precise computation of the MSSM neutralino dark matter relic abundance and pair-annihilation rates in the present Universe, when Sommerfeld enhancements are important.
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Boubekeur, L., Choi, K. Y., Ruiz de Austri, R., & Vives, O. (2010). The degenerate gravitino scenario. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 04(4), 005–26pp.
Abstract: In this work, we explore the “degenerate gravitino” scenario where the mass difference between the gravitino and the lightest MSSM particle is much smaller than the gravitino mass itself. In this case, the energy released in the decay of the next to lightest sypersymmetric particle (NLSP) is reduced. Consequently the cosmological and astrophysical constraints on the gravitino abundance, and hence on the reheating temperature, become softer than in the usual case. On the other hand, such small mass splittings generically imply a much longer lifetime for the NLSP. We find that, in the constrained MSSM (CMSSM), for neutralino LSP or NLSP, reheating temperatures compatible with thermal leptogenesis are reached for small splittings of order 10(-2) GeV. While for stau NLSP, temperatures of T-RH similar or equal to 4 x 10(9) GeV can be obtained even for splittings of order of tens of GeVs. This “degenerate gravitino” scenario offers a possible way out to the gravitino problem for thermal leptogenesis in supersymmetric theories.
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Jackson, C. B., Servant, G., Shaughnessy, G., Tait, T. M. P., & Taoso, M. (2010). Higgs in space! J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 04(4), 004–29pp.
Abstract: We consider the possibility that the Higgs can be produced in dark matter annihilations, appearing as a line in the spectrum of gamma rays at an energy determined by the masses of the WIMP and the Higgs itself. We argue that this phenomenon occurs generally in models in which the the dark sector has large couplings to the most massive states of the SM and provide a simple example inspired by the Randall-Sundrum vision of dark matter, whose 4d dual corresponds to electroweak symmetry-breaking by strong dynamics which respect global symmetries that guarantee a stable WIMP. The dark matter is a Dirac fermion that couples to a Z' acting as a portal to the Standard Model through its strong coupling to top quarks. Annihilation into light standard model degrees of freedom is suppressed and generates a feeble continuum spectrum of gamma rays. Loops of top quarks mediate annihilation into gamma Z, gamma h, and gamma Z', providing a forest of lines in the spectrum. Such models can be probed by the Fermi/GLAST satellite and ground-based Air Cherenkov telescopes.
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Barenboim, G., & Rasero, J. (2014). Structure formation during an early period of matter domination. J. High Energy Phys., 04(4), 138–17pp.
Abstract: In this work we show that modifying the thermal history of the Universe by including an early period of matter domination can lead to the formation of astronomical objects. However, the survival of these objects can only be possible if the dominating matter decays to a daughter particle which is not only almost degenerate with the parent particle but also has an open annihilation channel. This requirement translates in an upper bound for the coupling of such a channel and makes the early structure formation viable.
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