Related papers: Dark Matter Capture by Atomic Nuclei
Dark sector particles at the GeV scale carrying baryon number provide an attractive framework for understanding the origin of dark matter and the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the universe. We demonstrate that dark decays of hadronic…
A ~5 GeV `dark baryon' with a cosmic asymmetry similar to that of baryons is a natural candidate for the dark matter. We study the possibility of generating such a state through dynamical electroweak symmetry breaking, and show that it can…
High energy particles are produced by the annihilation of dark matter particles in our galaxy. These are presently searched for using balloon-borne antiproton and positron detectors and large area, deep underground neutrino telescopes. Dark…
The problem of the dark matter in the universe is reviewed. A short history of the subject is given, and several of the most obvious particle candidates for dark matter are identified. Particular focus is given to weakly interacting,…
We propose a model which explains the baryon asymmetry of the universe and dark matter relic density at the same time. In this model, dark matter candidate is the dark baryon composed by dark quarks. A scalar mediator, which couples to the…
Ever since the discovery of neutron stars it has been realized that they serve as probes of a physical regime that cannot be accessed in laboratories: strongly degenerate matter at several times nuclear saturation density. Existing nuclear…
We examine whether the accretion of dark matter onto neutron stars could ever have any visible external effects. Captured dark matter which subsequently annihilates will heat the neutron stars, although it seems the effect will be too small…
In the present universe visible and dark matter contribute comparable energy density although they have different properties. This coincidence can be elegantly explained if the dark matter relic density, originating from a dark matter…
Several independent observations of the Galactic core suggest hitherto unexplained sources of energy. We suggest that dark matter in the form of dense antimatter nuggets could provide a natural site for electron and proton annihilation,…
We propose new searches for $n^\prime$, a dark baryon that can mix with the Standard Model neutron. We show that IsoDAR, a proposal to place an intense cyclotron near a large-volume neutrino detector deep underground, can look for $n\to…
The axion has emerged in recent years as a leading particle candidate to provide the mysterious dark matter in the cosmos, as we review here for a general scientific audience. We describe first the historical roots of the axion in the…
The mass of the dark matter particle is unknown, and may be as low as ~$10^{-22}$ eV. The lighter part of this range, below ~eV, is relatively unexplored both theoretically and experimentally but contains an array of natural dark matter…
Compact stellar objects are promising cosmic laboratories to test the nature of dark matter (DM). DM captured by the strong gravitational field of these stellar remnants transfers kinetic energy to the star during the collision. This can…
The primary observable in dark matter direct detection is the spectrum of scattering events. We simulate multiple positive direct detection signals (on germanium, xenon, and argon targets) to explore the extent to which the underlying…
Dark matter can capture in neutron stars from scattering off ultra-relativistic electrons. We present a method to calculate the capture rate on degenerate targets with ultra-relativistic momenta in a compact astronomical object. Our…
Neutron stars capture dark matter efficiently. The kinetic energy transferred during capture heats old neutron stars in the local galactic halo to temperatures detectable by upcoming infrared telescopes. We derive the sensitivity of this…
The cosmological origin of both dark and baryonic matter can be explained through a unified mechanism called hylogenesis where baryon and antibaryon number are divided between the visible sector and a GeV-scale hidden sector, while the…
A new scheme for detecting wave-like dark matter (DM) using Rydberg atoms is proposed. Recent advances in trapping and manipulating Rydberg atoms make it possible to use Rydberg atoms trapped in optical tweezer arrays for DM detection. We…
The existence of cosmological dark matter is in the bedrock of the modern cosmology. The dark matter is assumed to be nonbaryonic and to consist of new stable particles. However if composite dark matter contains stable electrically charged…
We consider indirect detection signals of atomic dark matter, with a massive dark photon which mixes kinetically with hypercharge. In significant regions of parameter space, dark matter remains at least partially ionized today, and dark…