Heavy Thermal Relics from Zombie Collisions
read the original abstract
We propose a new thermal freezeout mechanism which results in dark matter masses exceeding the unitarity bound by many orders of magnitude, without violating perturbative unitarity or modifying the standard cosmology. The process determining the relic abundance is $\chi \zeta^\dagger \to \zeta \zeta$, where $\chi$ is the dark matter candidate. For $ m_\zeta < m_\chi < 3 m_\zeta$, $\chi$ is cosmologically long-lived and scatters against the exponentially more abundant $\zeta$. Therefore, such a process allows for exponentially heavier dark matter for the same interaction strength as a particle undergoing ordinary $2 \to 2$ freezeout; or equivalently, exponentially weaker interactions for the same mass. We demonstrate this mechanism in a leptophilic dark matter model, which allows for dark matter masses up to $10^{9}$ GeV.
This paper has not been read by Pith yet.
Forward citations
Cited by 6 Pith papers
-
Minimal Proton-Mass Dark Matter
A minimal dark matter model with one complex scalar carrying B and L numbers, stabilized by proton stability, with mass near the proton mass and relic density from UV freeze-in.
-
Decaying spin-3/2 dark matter from baryon number violation
Non-supersymmetric spin-3/2 dark matter with baryon-violating portals can explain the relic abundance through UV and Boltzmann-suppressed freeze-in, with viable parameter space constrained by indirect detection, direc...
-
Probing Heavy Dark Matter in Red Giants
Red-giant luminosity observations at the tip of the branch are used to set upper limits on dark-matter masses near 10^11 GeV and spin-independent cross sections near 10^{-37} cm² by requiring that DM-induced core heat...
-
WIMP Dark Matter from a Natural Discrete Gauge Symmetry in the Standard Model
A Z4 × Z3 discrete gauge symmetry in the SM requires three new Majorana fermions whose lightest member is stable DM with mass from a singlet scalar VEV near the electroweak scale, enabling WIMP freeze-out via scalar-m...
-
Too Heavy to Hide: Gamma-Ray Constraints on Annihilating Dark Matter beyond Unitarity
Gamma-ray upper limits from five high-energy observatories constrain the annihilation cross sections of composite dark matter in the mass range 10^5--10^12 GeV.
-
Dark Matter
A review summarizing current observational, experimental, and theoretical results on dark matter.
discussion (0)
Sign in with ORCID, Apple, or X to comment. Anyone can read and Pith papers without signing in.