Related papers: Assisted freeze-out
The particle-physics nature of dark matter (DM) remains one of the central open questions in modern physics. A widely used framework to investigate DM properties is provided by simplified models (DMSimps), which extend the Standard Model…
We explore a new mechanism for reproducing the Dark Matter (DM) abundance: scatterings of one DM particle on light Standard Model particles. Strong bounds on its decays can be satisfied if DM undergoes freeze-in and has a mass around or…
We study the constraints from direct detection and solar capture on dark matter scenarios with a subdominant dissipative component. This dissipative dark matter component in general has both a symmetric and asymmetric relic abundance.…
We consider a minimal extension of the Standard Model (SM), which leads to unification of the SM coupling constants, breaks electroweak symmetry dynamically by a new strongly coupled sector and leads to novel dark matter candidates. In this…
Any form of dark matter which was in thermal equilibrium with the Standard Model in the early Universe must have some annihilation mechanism in order to avoid overclosure. In general, such models are now constrained by the negative…
We analyze the dark matter problem in the context of brane cosmology. We investigate the impact of the non-conventional brane cosmology on the relic abundance of non-relativistic stable particles in high and low reheating scenarios. We show…
In light of recent DAMIC-M results, we present the status of thermal-relic dark matter $\chi$ coupled to a kinetically-mixed dark photon $A^\prime$. In the predictive "direct annihilation" regime, $m_{A'} > m_\chi$, the relic abundance…
It is usually assumed that dark matter direct detection is sensitive to a large fraction of the dark matter (DM) velocity distribution. We propose an alternative form of dark matter-nucleus scattering which only probes a narrow range of DM…
Cosmology and astrophysics provide various ways to study the properties of dark matter even if they have negligible non-gravitational interactions with the Standard Model particles and remain hidden. We study a type of hidden dark matter…
We study a novel dark matter production mechanism based on the freeze-in through semi-production, i.e. the inverse semi-annihilation processes. A peculiar feature of this scenario is that the production rate is suppressed by a small initial…
In some models of thermal relic dark matter, the relic abundance may be set by inelastic scattering processes (rather than annihilations) becoming inefficient as the universe cools down. This effect has been called coscattering. We present…
We study the cooling of isolated dark-matter-admixed neutron stars, employing a realistic nuclear equation of state and realistic nuclear pairing gaps, together with fermionic dark matter of variable particle mass and dark-matter fraction.…
Dark matter communicating with the Standard Model solely via electroweak interactions provides a compelling picture. However, thermal freeze-out of electroweak doublet dark matter is generically strongly excluded by direct detection. We…
Thermal freeze-out is a prominent example of dark matter (DM) production mechanism in the early Universe that can yield the correct relic density of stable weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). At the other end of the mass scale,…
We present a new study on the Gravity-Mediated Dark Matter (GMDM) scenario, where interactions between dark matter (DM) and the Standard Model are mediated by spin-two particles. Expanding on this established framework, we explore a novel…
Direct and indirect dark matter detection relies on the scattering of the dark matter candidate on nucleons or nuclei. Here, attention is focused on dark matter candidates (neutralinos) predicted in the minimal supersymmetric standard model…
We revisit the simplest model for dark matter. In this context the dark matter candidate is a real scalar field which interacts with the Standard Model particles through the Higgs portal. We discuss the relic density constraints as well as…
The galactic center excess is a possible non-gravitational observation of dark matter; however, the canonical dark matter model (thermal freeze-out) is in conflict with other gamma-ray observations, in particular those made of the Milky…
We summarize here our studies \cite{Chu:2022xuh,Chu:2023jyb,Chu:2024rrv} on two distinct scenarios for MeV-mass thermal dark matter freeze-out. First, we determine the minimal viable mass for dark matter below tens of MeV, considering…
Dark matter may be hidden, with no standard model gauge interactions. At the same time, in WIMPless models with hidden matter masses proportional to hidden gauge couplings squared, the hidden dark matter's thermal relic density may…