Search

We propose different scenarios where a keV dark matter annihilates to produce a monochromatic signal. The process is generated through the exchange of a light scalar of mass of order 300 keV - 50 MeV coupling to photon through loops or higher dimensional operators. For natural values of the couplings and scales, the model can generate a gamma-ray line which can fit with the recently identified 3.5 keV X-ray line., Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures

We consider the possibility that fermionic dark matter (DM) interacts with the Standard Model fermions through an axial Z' boson. As long as Z' decays predominantly into dark matter, the relevant LHC bounds are rather loose. Direct dark matter detection does not significantly constrain this scenario either, since dark matter scattering on nuclei is spin--dependent. As a result, for a range of the Z' mass and couplings, the DM annihilation cross section is large enough to be consistent with thermal history of the Universe. In this framework, the thermal WIMP paradigm, which currently finds itself under pressure, is perfectly viable., Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures

We consider a simple, yet generic scenario in which a new heavy $Z'$ gauge boson couples both to SM fermions and to dark matter. In this framework we confront the best LHC limits on an extra gauge boson $Z'$ to the constraints on couplings to dark matter from direct detection experiments. In particular we show that the LHC searches for resonant production of dileptons and the recent exclusion limits obtained by the LUX collaboration give complementary constraints. Together, they impose strong bounds on the invisible branching ratio and exclude a large part of the parameter space for generic $Z'$ models. Our study encompasses many possible $Z'$ models, including SSM, $E_6$-inspired or B-L scenario., Comment: Figure and references added. Accepted for publication in JHEP

We derive constraints on parameters of generic dark matter candidates by comparing theoretical predictions with the gamma-ray emission observed by the Fermi-LAT from the region around the Galactic Center. Our analysis is conservative since it simply requires that the expected dark matter signal does not exceed the observed emission. The constraints obtained in the likely case that the collapse of baryons to the Galactic Center is accompanied by the contraction of the dark matter are strong. In particular, we find that for bb and \tau+\tau- or W+W- dark matter annihilation channels, the upper limits on the annihilation cross section imply that the thermal cross section is excluded for a Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) mass smaller than about 700 and 500 GeV, respectively. For the \mu+ \mu- channel, where the effect of the inverse Compton scattering is important, depending on models of the Galactic magnetic field the exclusion of the thermal cross-section is for a WIMP mass smaller than about 150 to 400 GeV. The upper limits on the annihilation cross section of dark matter particles obtained are two orders of magnitude stronger than without contraction. In the latter case our results are compatible with the upper limits from the Galactic halo analysis reported by the Fermi-LAT collaboration for the case in which the same conservative approach without modeling of the astrophysical background is employed., Comment: 20 pages, 12 figures. Manuscript submitted to the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics

A general analysis is performed on the dimension-six operators mixing an almost hidden Z' to the Standard Model (SM), when the Z' communicates with the SM via heavy mediators. These are fermions charged under both Z' and the SM, while all SM fermions are neutral under Z'. We classify the operators as a function of the gauge anomalies behaviour of mediators and explicitly compute the dimension-six operators coupling Z' to gluons, generated at one-loop by chiral but anomaly-free, sets of fermion mediators. We prove that only one operator contribute to the couplings between Z' charged matter and on-shell gluons. We then make a complete phenomenological analysis of the scenario where the lightest fermion charged under Z' is the dark matter candidate. Combining results from WMAP/PLANCK data, mono-jet searches at LHC, and direct/indirect dark matter detections restrict considerably the allowed parameter space., Comment: 40 pages, 11 figures

We study the genesis of dark matter in the primordial Universe for representative classes of Z'-portals models. For weak-scale Z' mediators we compute the range of values of the kinetic mixing allowed by WMAP/PLANCK experiments corresponding to a FIMP regime. We show that very small values of the kinetic coupling (1.e-12 < delta < 1.e-11) are sufficient to produce the right amount of dark matter. We also analyse the case of very massive gauge mediators, whose mass is larger than the reheating temperature, "T_RH", with a weak-scale coupling to ordinary matter. Relic abundance constraints then impose a direct correlation between T_RH and the effective scale "Lambda" of the interactions: Lambda ~ 1.e3--1.e5 * T_RH. Finally we describe in some detail the process of dark thermalisation and study its consequences on the computation of the relic abundance., Comment: version accepted for publication in JCAP

If the hidden sector contains more than one U(1) groups, additional dim-4 couplings (beyond the kinetic mixing) between the massive U(1) fields and the hypercharge generally appear. These are of the form similar to the Chern-Simons interactions. We study the phenomenology of such couplings including constraints from laboratory experiments and implications for dark matter. The hidden vector fields can play the role of dark matter whose characteristic signature would be monochromatic gamma ray emission from the galactic center. We show that this possibility is consistent with the LHC and other laboratory constraints, as well as astrophysical bounds., Comment: 23 pages, 10 figures

We study a new mechanism for the production of dark matter in the universe which does not rely on thermal equilibrium. Dark matter is populated from the thermal bath subsequent to inflationary reheating via a massive mediator whose mass is above the reheating scale, T_R. To this end, we consider models with an extra U(1) gauge symmetry broken at some intermediate scale M, of the order of 10^10 -- 10^12 GeV. We show that not only does the model allow for gauge coupling unification (at a higher scale associated with grand unification) but can naturally provide a dark matter candidate which is a Standard Model singlet but charged under the extra U(1). The intermediate scale gauge boson(s) which are predicted in several E6/SO(10) constructions can be a natural mediator between dark matter and the thermal bath. We show that the dark matter abundance, while never having achieved thermal equilibrium, is fixed shortly after the reheating epoch by the relation T_R^3/M^4. As a consequence, we show that the unification of gauge couplings which determines M also fixes the reheating temperature T_R, which can be as high as 10^11 GeV., Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, 1 table

We describe the resulting phenomenology of string theory/supergravity models with strong moduli stabilization. The KL model with F-term uplifting, is one such example. Models of this type predict universal scalar masses equal to the gravitino mass. In contrast, A-terms receive highly suppressed gravity mediated contributions. Under certain conditions, the same conclusion is valid for gaugino masses, which like A-terms, are then determined by anomalies. In such models, we are forced to relatively large gravitino masses (30-1000 TeV). We compute the low energy spectrum as a function of m_{3/2}. We see that the Higgs masses naturally takes values between 125-130 GeV. The lower limit is obtained from the requirement of chargino masses greater than 104 GeV, while the upper limit is determined by the relic density of dark matter (wino-like)., Comment: 21 pages, 7 figures, final version with updated Figures 2 and 3

In this work we confront dark matter models to constraints that may be derived from radio synchrotron radiation from the Galaxy, taking into account the astrophysical uncertainties and we compare these to bounds set by accelerator and complementary indirect dark matter searches. Specifically we apply our analysis to three popular particle physics models. First, a generic effective operator approach, in which case we set bounds on the corresponding mass scale, and then, two specific UV completions, the Z' and Higgs portals. We show that for many candidates, the radio synchrotron limits are competitive with the other searches, and could even give the strongest constraints (as of today) with some reasonable assumptions regarding the astrophysical uncertainties., Comment: 22 pages, 12 figures

While the constrained minimal supersymmetric standard model (CMSSM) with universal gaugino masses, m_{1/2}, scalar masses, m_0, and A-terms, A_0, defined at some high energy scale (usually taken to be the GUT scale) is motivated by general features of supergravity models, it does not carry all of the constraints imposed by minimal supergravity (mSUGRA). In particular, the CMSSM does not impose a relation between the trilinear and bilinear soft supersymmetry breaking terms, B_0 = A_0 - m_0, nor does it impose the relation between the soft scalar masses and the gravitino mass, m_0 = m_{3/2}. As a consequence, tan(\beta) is computed given values of the other CMSSM input parameters. By considering a Giudice-Masiero (GM) extension to mSUGRA, one can introduce new parameters to the K\"ahler potential which are associated with the Higgs sector and recover many of the standard CMSSM predictions. However, depending on the value of A_0, one may have a gravitino or a neutralino dark matter candidate. We also consider the consequences of imposing the universality conditions above the GUT scale. This GM extension provides a natural UV completion for the CMSSM., Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures; added erratum correcting several equations and results in Sec.2, Sec.3 and 4 remain unaffected and conclusions unchanged

We consider the process in which a Higgs particle is produced in association with jets and show that monojet searches at the LHC already provide interesting constraints on the invisible decays of a 125 GeV Higgs boson. Using the existing monojet searches performed by CMS and ATLAS, we show the 95% confidence level limit on the invisible Higgs decay rate is of the order of the total Higgs production rate in the Standard Model. This limit could be significantly improved when more data at higher center of mass energies are collected, provided systematic errors on the Standard Model contribution to the monojet background can be reduced. We also compare these direct constraints on the invisible rate with indirect ones based on measuring the Higgs rates in visible channels. In the context of Higgs portal models of dark matter, we then discuss how the LHC limits on the invisible Higgs branching fraction impose strong constraints on the dark matter scattering cross section on nucleons probed in direct detection experiments., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures; v2: references added; v3: monojet and Higgs data updated, version published in EPJC

Extensions of the Standard Model with an extra U'(1) abelian group generically generate terms coming from loops of heavy fermions, leading to three gauge boson couplings, in particular Z'Z gamma. We show that WMAP data constrains the gauge coupling of the group g_D to values comparable with the electro-weak ones, rather independently of the mass of Z'. Moreover, the model predicts a monochromatic gamma-ray line which can fit a 130 GeV signal at the FERMI telescope for natural values of the Chern-Simons terms and a dark matter mass around 144.5 GeV., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, published version

The search for the a Standard Model Higgs boson at the LHC is reaching a critical stage as the possible mass range for the particle has become extremely narrow and some signal at a mass of about 125 GeV is starting to emerge. We study the implications of these LHC Higgs searches for Higgs portal models of dark matter in a rather model independent way. Their impact on the cosmological relic density and on the direct detection rates are studied in the context of generic scalar, vector and fermionic thermal dark matter particles. Assuming a sufficiently small invisible Higgs decay branching ratio, we find that current data, in particular from the XENON experiment, essentially exclude fermionic dark matter as well as light, i.e. with masses below 50 GeV, scalar and vector dark matter particles. Possible observation of these particles at the planned upgrade of the XENON experiment as well in collider searches is discussed., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures; references added, typos corrected, discussion and figure for LHC modified

In this proceeding, we show that when we combined WMAP and the most recent results of XENON100, the invisible width of the Higgs to scalar dark matter is negligible(<10%), except in a small region with very light dark matter (< 10 GeV) not yet excluded by XENON100 or around 60 GeV where the ratio can reach 50% to 60%. The new results released by the Higgs searches of ATLAS and CMS set very strong limits on the elastic scattering cross section., Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, proceeding TAUP2011 References added

The Higgs sector of the Standard Model offers a unique probe of the hidden sector. In this work, we explore the possibility of renormalizable Higgs couplings to the hidden sector vector fields which can constitute dark matter (DM). Abelian gauge sectors with minimal field content, necessary to render the gauge fields massive, have a natural Z_2 parity. This symmetry ensures stability of the vector fields making them viable dark matter candidates, while evading the usual electroweak constraints. We illustrate this idea with the Stueckelberg and Higgs mechanisms. Vector DM is consistent with the WMAP, XENON100, and LHC constraints, while it can affect significantly the invisible Higgs decay. Due to the enhanced branching ratio for the Higgs decay into the longitudinal components of the vector field, the vector Higgs portal provides an efficient way to hide the Higgs at the LHC. This could be the reason why the latest combined ATLAS/CMS data did not bring evidence for the existence of the Higgs boson., Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, Version to appear in Phys. Lett. B

We consider the phenomenological consequences of fixing compactification moduli. In the simplest KKLT constructions, stabilization of internal dimensions is rather soft: weak scale masses for moduli are generated, and are of order m_\sigma ~ m_{3/2}. As a consequence one obtains a pattern of soft supersymmetry breaking masses found in gravity and/or anomaly mediated supersymmetry breaking (AMSB) models. These models may lead to destabilization of internal dimensions in the early universe, unless the Hubble constant during inflation is very small. Fortunately, strong stabilization of compactified dimensions can be achieved by a proper choice of the superpotential (e.g in the KL model with a racetrack superpotential). This allows for a solution of the cosmological moduli problem and for a successful implementation of inflation in supergravity. We show that strong moduli stabilization leads a very distinct pattern of soft supersymmetry breaking masses. In general, we find that soft scalar masses remain of order the gravitino mass, while gaugino masses nearly vanish at the tree level, i.e. they are of order m_{3/2}^2/m_\sigma. Radiative corrections generate contributions to gaugino masses reminiscent of AMSB models and a decoupled spectrum of scalars reminiscent of split-supersymmetry. This requires a relatively large gravitino mass ~ O(100) TeV, resolving the cosmological gravitino problem and problems with tachyonic staus in AMSB models., Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, some references and comments added. This is the version to appear in Phys. Rev. D

XENON100 and the LHC are two of the most promising machines to test the physics beyond the Standard Model. In the meantime, indirect hints push us to believe that the dark matter and Higgs boson could be the two next fundamental particles to be discovered. Whereas ATLAS and CMS have just released their new limits on the Higgs searches, XENON100 obtained very recently strong constraints on DM-proton elastic scattering. In this work, we show that when we combined WMAP and the most recent results of XENON100, the invisible width of the Higgs to scalar dark matter is negligible($\lesssim 10%$), except in a small region with very light dark matter ($\lesssim 10$ GeV) not yet excluded by XENON100 or around 60 GeV where the ratio can reach 50% to 60%. The new results released by the Higgs searches of ATLAS and CMS set very strong limits on the elastic scattering cross section, even restricting it to the region $8 \times 10^{-46} \mrm{cm^2} \lesssim \sigma_{S-p}^{SI}\lesssim 2 \times 10^{-45} \mrm{cm^{2}}$ in the hypothesis $135 \mrm{GeV} \lesssim M_H \lesssim 155 \mrm{GeV}$., Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, final version to appear in PRD

Recently, several astrophysical data or would-be signals has been observed in different dark-matter oriented experiments. In each case, one could fit the data at the price of specific nature of the coupling between the Standard Model (SM) particles and a light Dark Matter candidate: hadrophobic (INTEGRAL, PAMELA) or leptophobic (WMAP Haze, dijet anomalies of CDF, FERMI Galactic Center observation). In this work, we show that when one takes into account the more recent LEP and Tevatron analysis, a light thermal fermionic Dark Matte (\lesssim 10 GeV) that couples to electrons is mainly ruled out if one combines the analysis with WMAP constraints. We also study the special case of scalar dark matter, using a mono-photon events simulation to constrain the coupling of dark matter to electron., Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures

Several constructions, of stringy origins or not, generate abelian gauge extensions of the Standard Model (SM). Even if the particles of the SM are not charged under this extra $U'(1)$, one cannot avoid the presence of a kinetic mixing between $U'(1)$ and the hypercharge $U_Y(1)$. In this work, we constraint drastically this kinetic mixing, taking into account the recent experimental data from accelerator physics, direct detection and indirect detection of dark matter. We show that the region respecting WMAP and experimental constraints is now very narrowed along the pole line where $M_{Z_D}\simeq 2 m_{DM}$, $Z_D$ being the gauge boson associated to the extra $U'(1)$., Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, final version to appear in JCAP

We present a comprehensive computational study of the phase diagram of the frustrated S=1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet on the honeycomb lattice, with second-nearest (J2) and third-neighbor (J3) couplings. Using a combination of exact diagonalizations of the original spin model, of the Hamiltonian projected into the nearest neighbor short range valence bond basis, and of an effective quantum dimer model, as well as a self-consistent cluster mean-field theory, we determine the boundaries of several magnetically ordered phases in the region J2,J3\in [0,1], and find a sizable magnetically disordered region in between. We characterize part of this magnetically disordered phase as a plaquette valence bond crystal phase. At larger J2, we locate a sizable region in which staggered valence bond crystal correlations are found to be important, either due to genuine valence bond crystal ordering or as a consequence of magnetically ordered phases which break lattice rotational symmetry. Furthermore we find that a particular parameter-free Gutzwiller projected tight-binding wave function has remarkably accurate energies compared to finite-size extrapolated ED energies along the transition line from conventional N\'eel to plaquette VBC phases, a fact that points to possibly interesting critical behavior - such as a deconfined critical point - across this transition. We also comment on the relevance of this spin model to model the spin liquid region found in the half-filled Hubbard model on the honeycomb lattice., Comment: 23 pages, 24 figures, (v2) expanded discussion of staggered dimer correlations at large J2, (v3) new figure with dimer correlations on 42 sites, published version

Several constructions motivate the existence of a dark $U(1)_D$ gauge boson which interacts with the Standard Model only through its kinetic mixing or loop induced processes. We describe two typical examples with specific signatures in particular we show that a region with relatively light WIMPS, $M_{Z_D}\lsim 40$ GeV and a kinetic mixing $10^{-4} \lsim \delta \lsim 10^{-3} $ is not yet excluded by the last experimental data and seems to give promising signals in a near future. We also show that conditions from anomaly cancelation generate tri-vector couplings $Z_D Z \gamma$ leading to a specific gamma ray line observable by FERMI telescope., Comment: Proceeding of the XIXth International Workshop on High Energy Physics and Quantum Field Theory, QFTHEP2010; 6 pages, 4 figures New references added and typos corrected

In order to quantify entanglement between two parts of a quantum system, one of the most used estimator is the Von Neumann entropy. Unfortunately, computing this quantity for large interacting quantum spin systems remains an open issue. Faced with this difficulty, other estimators have been proposed to measure entanglement efficiently, mostly by using simulations in the valence-bond basis. We review the different proposals and try to clarify the connections between their geometric definitions and proper observables. We illustrate this analysis with new results of entanglement properties of spin 1 chains., Comment: Proceedings of StatPhys 24 satellite conference in Hanoi; submitted for a special issue of Modern Physics Letters B

We examine the dark matter phenomenology in supersymmetric light higgs boson scenarios, adapting nonuniversal Higgs masses at the gauge coupling unification scale. The correct relic density is obtained mostly through the annihilation into a pseudoscalar $A$, which gives high values for the self-annihilation cross-section at present times. Our analysis shows that most part of the $A$ pole region can produce detectable gamma-rays and antiproton signals, and still be compatible with with recent direct detection data from XENON100 and CDMS-II., Comment: 31 pages, 5 figures. Indirect detection statistical method changed, direct detection analysis enriched, references added, main conclusions unchanged but extended. Version to appear on JCAP

Several string or GUT constructions motivate the existence of a dark U(1)_D gauge boson which interacts with the Standard Model only through its kinetic mixing. We compute the dark matter abundance in such scenario and the constraints in the light of the recent data from CoGENT, CDMSII and XENON100. We show in particular that a region with relatively light WIMPS, M_{Z_D}< 40 GeV and a kinetic mixing 10^-4 < delta < 10^-3 is not yet excluded by the last experimental data and seems to give promising signals in a near future. We also compute the value of the kinetic mixing needed to explain the DAMA/CoGENT/CRESST excesses and find that for M_{Z_D}< 30 GeV, delta ~ 10^-3 is sufficient to fit with the data., Comment: 6 pages, 5figures

We extend the definition of the recently introduced valence bond entanglement entropy to arbitrary SU(2) wave functions of S=1/2 spin systems. Thanks to a reformulation of this entanglement measure in terms of a projection, we are able to compute it with various numerical techniques for frustrated spin models. We provide extensive numerical data for the one-dimensional J1-J2 spin chain where we are able to locate the quantum phase transition by using the scaling of this entropy with the block size. We also systematically compare with the scaling of the von Neumann entanglement entropy. We finally underline that the valence-bond entropy definition does depend on the choice of bipartition so that, for frustrated models, a "good" bipartition should be chosen, for instance according to the Marshall sign., Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures; v2: published version

We propose a general non-perturbative scheme that quantitatively maps the low-energy sector of spin-1/2 frustrated Heisenberg antiferromagnets to effective Generalized Quantum Dimer Models. We develop the formal lattice independent frame and establish some important results on (i) the locality of the generated Hamiltonians (ii) how full resummations can be performed in this renormalization scheme. The method is then applied to the much debated kagome antiferromagnet for which a fully resummed effective Hamiltonian - shown to capture the essential properties and provide deep insights on the microscopic model [D. Poilblanc, M. Mambrini and D. Schwandt, arXiv:0912.0724] - is derived., Comment: 26 pages, 4 figures, EPAPS inlined, manuscript revised, corrected minor typos (notably figure 2).

The low-energy singlet dynamics of the Quantum Heisenberg Antiferromagnet on the Kagome lattice is described by a quantitative Quantum Dimer Model. Using advanced numerical tools, the latter is shown to exhibit Valence Bond Crystal order with a large 36-site unit cell and hidden degeneracy between even and odd parities. Evidences are given that this groundstate lies in the vicinity of a $\mathbb{Z}_2$ dimer liquid region separated by a Quantum Critical Point. Implications regarding numerical analysis and experiments are discussed., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, deep revision of manuscript including new data, revised figures, new Fig. 2(c) and new references

We study the phenomenology of a $U_X(1)$ extension of the Standard Model where the SM particles are not charged under the new abelian group. The Green-Schwarz mechanism insures that the model is anomaly free. The erstwhile invisible dark gauge field $X$, even if produced with difficulty at the LHC has however a clear signature in gamma-ray telescopes. We investigate what BSM scale (which can be interpreted as a low-energy string scale) would be reachable by the FERMI/GLAST telescope after 5 years of running and show that a 1 TeV scale can be testable, which is highly competitive with the LHC., Comment: Proceedings of DSU09 "The Dark Side of the Universe", 1-5 June 2009, Melbourne, 6 pages, 2 figures