Related papers: A Minimal Axio-dilaton Dark Sector
Cosmologically long-lived, composite states arise as natural dark matter candidates in theories with a strongly interacting hidden sector at a scale of 10 - 100 TeV. Light axion-like states, with masses in the 1 MeV - 10 GeV range, are also…
We analyse the dynamics of a light scalar field responsible for the $\mu$ term of the Higgs potential and coupled to matter via the Higgs-portal mechanism. We find that this dilaton model is stable under radiative corrections induced by the…
Hidden monopole is a plausible dark matter candidate due to its stability, but its direct experimental search is extremely difficult due to feeble interactions with the standard model particles in the minimal form. Then, we introduce an…
We investigate a two-component dark matter scenario in the type-I two-Higgs-doublet model. The dark sector contains a real scalar $s$ and a Dirac fermion $\chi$, whose stability is ensured by a $Z_4$ symmetry together with kinematic…
The main aim of this work is to explore the possibility that cold dark matter (CDM) and early dark energy (EDE) can be described by canonical scalar fields that are coupled at the level of its conservation equations. The formalism covers…
We study the interaction between dark matter and dark energy, with dark energy described by a scalar field having a double exponential effective potential. We discover conditions under which such a scalar field driven solution is a late…
Sterile neutrinos are compelling dark matter (DM) candidates, yet the minimal production mechanism solely based on active ($\nu_a$)-sterile ($\nu_s$) oscillations is excluded by astrophysical observations. Non-standard self-interactions in…
We model the formation, evolution and astrophysical effects of dark compact Scalar Miniclusters (``ScaMs''). These objects arise when a scalar field, with an axion-like or Higgs-like potential, undergoes a second order phase transition…
The Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT) and the Low Energy Effective Field Theory (LEFT) can be extended by adding additional spin 0, 1/2 and 1 dark matter particles which are singlets under the Standard Model (SM) gauge group. We…
We present new constraints on an interacting dark matter-dark energy scenario motivated by string compactification, where a scalar field adiabatically tracks the minimum of an effective potential sourced by dark matter density. In this…
We introduce a novel mechanism where the kinetic energy of a rotating axion can be dissipated by the interactions with dark magnetic monopoles. This mechanism leads to a framework where the QCD axion and dark monopoles account for the dark…
We review scenarios in which the particles that account for the Dark Matter (DM) in the Universe interact only through their couplings with the Higgs sector of the theory, the so-called Higgs-portal models. In a first step, we use a general…
The CDMS II experiment has observed three events which may have arisen from weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter (DM) with mass of order 9 GeV colliding with nuclei. Although the implied WIMP parameter region seems to be…
We investigate the role of an axion-like particle (ALP) as a portal between the dark and visible sectors. Unlike conventional studies, which typically assume fermionic dark matter (DM), we explore the phenomenological implications of scalar…
Asymmetric symmetry breaking models dynamically break the G X G gauge symmetries of mirror models to distinct subgroups in the two sectors. The coincidental abundances of visible and dark matter, $\Omega_{DM} \simeq 5\Omega_{VM}$, motivates…
We explore a scenario where Dark Matter (DM) couples to the Standard Model mainly via a scalar mediator ${\cal S}$ that is odd under a $Z_2$ symmetry, leading to interesting collider signatures. In fact, if linear interactions with the…
The cold dark matter (CDM) paradigm provides a remarkably good description of the Universe's large-scale structure. However, some discrepancies exist between its predictions and observations at very small sub-galactic scales. To address…
Many theories of dark energy and modified gravity give rise to scalar fields that couple derivatively to the energy momentum tensor of matter. This is known as disformal coupling. I will show that laboratory searches for axions are ideally…
Despite the astonishing success of standard $\Lambda$CDM cosmology, there is mounting evidence for a tension with observations at small and intermediate scales. We introduce a simple model where both cold dark matter (DM) and sterile…
In the simplified dark matter models commonly studied, the mass generation mechanism for the dark fields is not typically specified. We demonstrate that the dark matter interaction types, and hence the annihilation processes relevant for…