QCD-driven dark matter: AQNs formation and observational tests
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
2026-04-06 v2 Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Abstract
The nature of dark matter remains a central problem in cosmology. A compelling possibility is that dark matter is macroscopic, consisting of composite objects formed in the early Universe. We introduce the QCD-AQN framework, a well-motivated scenario in which dark matter is composed of dense aggregates of quark and antiquark matter stabilised by axion domain walls. The framework proposes a unified explanation for both dark matter and the observed matter-antimatter asymmetry. Particular emphasis is placed on existing observational constraints and on observational tests. Finally, we explore a possible QCD-based scenario for dark energy.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2603.15585,
title = {QCD-driven dark matter: AQNs formation and observational tests},
author = {Ludovic Van Waerbeke},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2603.15585},
year = {2026}
}
Comments
71 pages, Submitted to SciPost Physics Lecture Notes, Les Houches Summer School 2025 "Dark Universe"