Reviving $Z^\prime$ Portal Dark Matter with Conversion Mechanism

In many new physics models with extended gauge symmetry, the new gauge boson $Z'$ could mediate the interactions between the dark matter and standard model particles. For the conventional $Z^\prime$ portal dark matter, the collider and the direct detection constraints typically pose a significant challenge. To address this pressing issue, we present in this paper a new benchmark model based on the gauged $U(1)_{B-L}$ symmetry, which introduces a Dirac dark fermion $\tilde{\chi}_1$ and a heavier partner $\tilde{\chi}_2$ with zero and nonzero $U(1)_{B-L}$ charge, respectively. Including the mass term $\delta m \bar{\tilde{\chi}}_1\tilde{\chi}_2$ results in the dark fermions $\chi_1$ and $\chi_2$ in the mass eigenstate, where the lighter one $\chi_1$ is regarded as the dark matter candidate. Various intriguing processes for the relic density arise with the compressed mass spectrum $m_{\chi_1}\simeq m_{\chi_2}$, such as the coscattering $\chi_2f\to\chi_1f$, the conversion $\chi_2\chi_i\to\chi_1\chi_j$, and the coannihilation $\chi_1\chi_2\to f\bar{f}$ processes. Suppressed by the small mixing angle $\theta$ between the dark fermions, the small effective gauge coupling of dark matter $\chi_1$ to the gauge boson $Z'$ is one distinct feature of this model, rendering phenomenology in many aspects more promising. In this paper, we investigate the production of dark matter through new mechanisms within the frameworks of resonance and secluded scenarios. The impacts of phenomenological constraints from collider, dark matter, and cosmology are also taken into account. We report that the conversion mechanism is both favored by the resonance and secluded scenarios under current constraints.