Abstract: We use the formalism of Gould and Raffelt [1] to compute the dimensionless thermal conduction coefficients for scattering of dark matter particles with standard model nucleons via cross-sections that depend on the relative velocity or momentum exchanged between particles. Motivated by models invoked to reconcile various recent results in direct detection, we explicitly compute the conduction coefficients alpha and kappa for cross-sections that go as v(rel)(2), v(rel)(4), v(rel)(-2), q(2), q(4) and q(-2), where v(rel) is the relative DM-nucleus velocity and q is the momentum transferred in the collision. We find that a v(rel)(-2) depend ence can significantly enhance energy transport from the inner solar core to the outer core. The same can true for any q-dependent coupling, if the dark matter mass lies within some specific range for each coupling. This effect can complement direct searches for dark matter; combining these results with state-of-the-art solar simulations should greatly increase sensitivity to certain DM models. It also seems possible that the so-called Solar Abundance Problem could be resolved by enhanced energy transport in the solar core due to such velocity-or momentum-dependent scatterings.

Abstract: Asymmetric Dark Matter (ADM) models invoke a particle-antiparticle asymmetry, similar to the one observed in the Baryon sector, to account for the Dark Matter (DM) abundance. Both asymmetries are usually generated by the same mechanism and generally related, thus predicting DM masses around 5 GeV in order to obtain the correct density. The main challenge for successful models is to ensure efficient annihilation of the thermally produced symmetric component of such a light DM candidate without violating constraints from collider or direct searches. A common way to overcome this involves a light mediator, into which DM can efficiently annihilate and which subsequently decays into Standard Model particles. Here we explore the scenario where the light mediator decays instead into lighter degrees of freedom in the dark sector that act as radiation in the early Universe. While this assumption makes indirect DM searches challenging, it leads to signals of extra radiation at BBN and CMB. Under certain conditions, precise measurements of the number of relativistic species, such as those expected from the Planck satellite, can provide information on the structure of the dark sector. We also discuss the constraints of the interactions between DM and Dark Radiation from their imprint in the matter power spectrum.

Abstract: We consider an extended seesaw model which generates active neutrino masses via the usual type-I seesaw and leads to a large number of massless fermions as well as a sterile neutrino dark matter (DM) candidate in the O(10-100) keV mass range. The dark sector comes into thermal equilibrium with Standard Model neutrinos after neutrino decoupling and before recombination via a U(1) gauge interaction in the dark sector. This suppresses the abundance of active neutrinos and therefore reconciles sizeable neutrino masses with cosmology. The DM abundance is determined by freeze-out in the dark sector, which allows avoiding bounds from X-ray searches. Our scenario predicts a slight increase in the effective number of neutrino species Neff at recombination, potentially detectable by future CMB missions.