Search

We investigate the implications of memory burden on the gravitational wave (GW) spectrum arising from the Hawking evaporation of light primordial black holes (PBHs). By considering both rotating (Kerr) and non-rotating (Schwarzschild) PBHs, we demonstrate that the overproduction of primordial GWs from burdened PBHs could impose stringent constraints on the parameters governing backreaction effects. These constraints, derived from $\Delta N_{\rm eff}$ measurements by Planck and prospective experiments such as CMB-S4 and CMB-HD, offer novel insights into the impact of memory burden on PBH dynamics., Comment: 19 pages, 6 figures

In one-component dark matter (DM) scenarios is commonly assumed that a scalar WIMP must either be part of an $SU(2)_L$ multiplet with zero hypercharge or have suppressed vector interactions with the $Z$ gauge boson to circumvent stringent direct detection (DD) bounds. In this work, we demonstrate that multi-component scenarios with a dark scalar doublet exhibiting vector-like interactions with the $Z$ boson are also compatible with bounds arising from DD searches. Specifically, we consider a simple extension of the Standard Model wherein the dark sector comprises a doublet and a complex singlet $\phi$, both charged under a $Z_6$ symmetry. We find that semi-annihilation processes drastically reduce the relic abundance of the neutral component of the doublet, $H^0$, sufficiently attenuating the effects of its large $Z$-mediated elastic scattering cross-section with nucleons to satisfy the DD constraints. Although the contribution of $H^0$ to the total relic abundance is nearly negligible, with $\phi$ dominating, both dark matter components are expected to be detectable in ongoing and future DD experiments. The viability of the model is tested against several theoretical and experimental constraints, resulting in a parameter space featuring a non-degenerate mass spectrum at the electroweak scale., Comment: 27 pages, 9 figures

We explore the possibility of explaining the observed dark matter (DM) relic abundance, along with matter-antimatter asymmetry, entirely from the evaporation of primordial black holes (PBH) beyond the semi-classical approximation. We find that, depending on the timing of modification to the semi-classical approximation and the efficiency of the backreaction, it is possible to produce the correct DM abundance for PBHs with masses $\gtrsim\mathcal{O}(10^3)$ g, whereas producing the right amount of baryon asymmetry requires light PBHs with masses $\lesssim\mathcal{O}(10^3)$ g, satisfying bounds on the PBH mass from the Cosmic Microwave Background and Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. However, in a simplistic scenario, achieving both {\it simultaneously} is not feasible, typically because of the stringent Lyman-$\alpha$ constraint on warm dark matter mass. In addition to DM and baryon asymmetry, we also investigate the impact of memory burden on dark radiation, evaporated from PBH, constrained by the effective number of relativistic degrees of freedom $\Delta N_{\rm eff}$. Furthermore, we demonstrate how induced gravitational waves from PBH density fluctuations can provide a window to test the memory-burden effects, thereby placing constraints on either the DM mass scale or the scale of leptogenesis., Comment: 27 pages, 8 figures, version accepted for JCAP

QCD-like theories in which the dark matter (DM) of the Universe is hypothesized to be a thermal relic in the form of a dark pion has been extensively investigated, with most studies neglecting the CP-violating $\theta$-angle associated with the topological vacuum. We point out that a non-vanishing $\theta$ could potentially trigger resonant number-changing processes giving rise to the observed relic density in agreement with perturbative unitarity as well as observations of clusters of galaxies. This constitutes a novel production mechanism of MeV DM and an alternative to those relying on the Wess-Zumino-Witten term. Moreover, for specific meson mass spectra, similar resonant scatterings serve as a realization of velocity-dependent self-interacting DM without a light mediator. Explicit benchmark models are presented together with a discussion of possible signals, including gravitational waves from the chiral phase transition associated with the dark pions., Comment: 5+5 pages, 4 figures; references added, discussion on BM2 extended

In this talk, based on arXiv:2301.11345, arXiv:2305.16388, arXiv:2311.12694, we discuss the production of primordial gravitational waves (GW) sourced by graviton bremsstrahlung during inflationary reheating. For reheating, we consider inflaton decays and annihilations into pairs of bosons or fermions, assuming an inflaton $\phi$ that oscillates around a generic monomial potential $V(\phi) \propto \phi^n$. The GW spectrum exhibits distinct features depending on the underlying reheating dynamics, which is controlled by the inflaton potential and the type of coupling between the inflaton and the matter fields. We show that the produced stochastic GW background could be probed in next-generation GW detectors, especially at high frequencies. We further highlight the potential of bremsstrahlung-induced GW to probe the underlying dynamics of reheating., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures. Contribution to the 2024 Electroweak session of the 58th Rencontres de Moriond. Based on Refs. arXiv:2301.11345, arXiv:2305.16388 and arXiv:2311.12694

We propose a new and compact realization of singlet Dirac dark matter within the WIMP framework. Our model replaces the standard $Z_2$ stabilizing symmetry with a $Z_6$, and uses spontaneous symmetry breaking to generate the dark matter mass, resulting in a much simplified scenario for Dirac dark matter. Concretely, we extend the Standard Model (SM) with just two new particles, a Dirac fermion (the dark matter) and a real scalar, both charged under the $Z_6$ symmetry. After acquiring a vacuum expectation value, the scalar gives mass to the dark matter and mixes with the Higgs boson, providing the link between the dark sector and the SM particles. With only four free parameters, this new model is extremely simple and predictive. We study the dark matter density as a function of the model's free parameters and use a likelihood approach to determine its viable parameter space. Our results demonstrate that the dark matter mass can be as large as $6$ TeV while remaining consistent with all known theoretical and experimental bounds. In addition, a large fraction of viable models turns out to lie within the sensitivity of future direct detection experiments, furnishing a promising way to test this appealing scenario., Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures; v2: journal version

We built an extended 2HDM theory with a spontaneously broken $U(1) _{X}$ global symmetry, where the tree level Universal Seesaw Mechanism generates the mass hierarchy of the Standard Model charged fermions and the Zee-Babu mechanism produces tiny active neutrino masses. The third family of SM charged fermions gets tree level masses from Yukawa interactions involving the Higgs doublets $H_1$ (for the top quark) and $H_2$ (for the bottom quark and tau lepton). The model under consideration is consistent with SM fermion masses and mixings, with the muon and electron $g-2$ anomalies and successfully accommodates the constraints arising from charged lepton flavor violation and meson oscillations. The proposed model predicts rates for charged lepton flavor violating decays within the reach of forthcoming experiments., Comment: Improved version

We investigate a simple extension of the standard model (SM) in which the dark matter consists of a feebly interacting fermion (FIMP), charged under a new $Z_4$ symmetry, that is produced in the early Universe by the freeze-in mechanism. The only other new particle included in the model is a singlet scalar, also charged under the $Z_4$, which couples to the fermion via Yukawa interactions and to the SM Higgs. The model is truly minimal, as it admits just five free parameters: two masses and three dimensionless couplings. Depending on their values, the freeze-in mechanism can be realized in different ways, each characterized by its own production processes. For all of them, we numerically study the relic density as a function of the free parameters of the model and determine the regions consistent with the dark matter constraint. Our results show that this scenario is viable over a wide range of couplings and dark matter masses. This model, therefore, not only offers a novel solution to the dark matter problem, but it also provides a minimal realization of freeze-in for fermion dark matter., Comment: 20 pages, 9 figures

We discuss the production of primordial gravitational waves (GW) from radiative inflaton decay during the period of reheating, assuming perturbative decay of the inflaton either into a pair of bosons or fermions, leading to successful reheating satisfying constraint from Big Bang nucleosynthesis. Assuming that the inflaton $\phi$ oscillates in a general monomial potential $V(\phi)\propto \phi^n$, which results in a time-dependent inflaton decay width, we show that the resulting stochastic GW background can have optimistic detection prospects, especially in detectors that search for a high-frequency GW spectrum, depending on the choice of $n$ that determines the shape of the potential during reheating. We also discuss how this GW energy density may affect the measurement of $\Delta N_{\text{eff}}$ for bosonic and fermionic reheating scenarios., Comment: V1: 22 pages, 4 figures, comments welcome; V2: minor change with footnote 4, version accepted for publication in PRD

We revisit graviton production via Bremsstrahlung from the decay of the inflaton during inflationary reheating. Using two complementary computational techniques, we first show that such 3-body differential decay rates differ from previously reported results in the literature. We then compute the stochastic gravitational wave (GW) background that forms during the period of reheating, when the inflaton perturbatively decays with the radiative emission of gravitons. By computing the number of relativistic degrees of freedom in terms of $\Delta N_\text{eff}$, we constrain the resulting GW energy density from BBN and CMB. Finally, we project current and future GW detector sensitivities in probing such a stochastic GW background, which typically peaks in the GHz to THz ballpark, opening up the opportunity to be detected with microwave cavities and space-based GW detectors., Comment: v1:10+8 pages, 5 figures, comments welcome; V2: minor modifications, version accepted for publication in JCAP; V3: typos corrected in (B.11) and (B.25)

We investigate, for the first time, a scenario where the dark matter consists of three complex scalar fields that are stabilized by a single $Z_7$ symmetry. As an extension of the well-known scalar Higgs-portal, this $Z_7$ model is also subject to important restrictions arising from the relic density constraint and from direct detection experiments. Our goal in this paper is to find and characterize the viable regions of this model, and to analyze its detection prospects in future experiments. First, the processes that affect the relic densities are identified (they include semiannihilations and conversions) and then incorporated into the Boltzmann equations for the dark matter abundances, which are numerically solved with micrOMEGAs. By means of random scans of the parameter space, the regions consistent with current data, including the recent direct detection limit from the LZ experiment, are selected. Our results reveal that the $Z_7$ model is indeed viable over a wide range of dark matter masses and that both conversions and semiannihilations play an important role in determining the relic densities. Remarkably, we find that in many cases all three of the dark matter particles give rise to observable signals in future direct detection experiments, providing a suitable way to test this scenario., Comment: 26 pages, 11 figures; v2 matches JHEP version

It is typically assumed that during reheating the inflaton decays with a constant decay width. However, this is not guaranteed and can have a strong impact on the dark matter (DM) genesis. In the context of the ultraviolet (UV) freeze-in mechanism, if the operators connecting the dark and visible sectors are of sufficiently high mass dimension, the bulk of the DM abundance is produced during and not after reheating. We study here the impact of a time-dependent decay width of the inflaton on the DM abundance, emphasizing the differences with respect to the cases where the decay is either instantaneous or constant. We also provide concrete examples for DM production via UV freeze-in, e.g., from 2-to-2 scatterings of standard model particles, or from inflaton scatterings or decays, elucidating how the time-dependence influences the DM yield., Comment: 17 pages, 3 figures; version accepted for publication in JCAP

We revisit a two-component dark matter model in which the dark matter particles are a singlet fermion ($\psi$) and a singlet scalar ($S$), both stabilized by a single $Z_4$ symmetry. The model, which was proposed by Y. Cai and A. Spray, is remarkably simple, with its phenomenology determined by just five parameters: the two dark matter masses and three dimensionless couplings. In fact, $S$ interacts with the Standard Model particles via the usual Higgs-portal, whereas $\psi$ only interacts directly with $S$, via the Yukawa terms $\overline{\psi^c}(y_s+y_p\gamma^5)\psi\,S$. We consider the two possible mass hierarchies among the dark matter particles, $M_S

The Peccei-Quinn (PQ) mechanism not only acts as an explanation for the absence of strong CP violation but also can play a main role in the solution to other open questions in particle physics and cosmology. Here we consider a model that identifies the PQ symmetry as a common thread in the solution to the strong CP problem, the generation of radiative Dirac neutrino masses and the origin of a multicomponent dark sector. Specifically, scotogenic neutrino masses arise at one loop level with the lightest fermionic mediator field acting as the second dark matter (DM) candidate thanks to the residual $Z_2$ symmetry resulting from the PQ symmetry breaking. We perform a phenomenological analysis addressing the constraints coming from the direct searches of DM, neutrino oscillation data and charged lepton flavor violating (LFV) processes. We find that the model can be partially probed in future facilities searching for WIMPs and axions, and accommodates rates for rare leptonic decays that are within the expected sensitivity of upcoming LFV experiments., Comment: 28 pages and 8 figures

We investigate the phenomenological consequences of axion-like particle (ALP) dark matter with an early matter domination triggered by primordial black holes (PBHs). We focus on light BHs with masses smaller than $\sim 10^9~$g which fully evaporate before Big Bang nucleosynthesis. We numerically solve the coupled Boltzmann equations, carefully taking the greybody factors and BH angular momentum into account. We find that the entropy injection from PBH evaporation dilutes the ALP relic abundance originally produced via the vacuum misalignment mechanism, opening the parameter space with larger scales $f_a$ or, equivalently, smaller ALP-photon couplings $g_{a\gamma}$, within the reach of future detectors as ABRACADABRA, KLASH, ADMX, and DM-Radio. Moreover, the ALP minicluster masses can be several orders of magnitude larger if the early Universe features an PBH dominated epoch. For the relativistic ALPs produced directly from Hawking radiation, we find that their contribution to the dark radiation is within the sensitivity of next generation CMB experiments. For the sake of completeness, we also revisit the particular case of the QCD axion., Comment: 23 pages, 6 figures; V2: references updated; version accepted for publication in PRD

In multi-component scalar dark matter scenarios, a single $Z_N$ ($N\geq 4$) symmetry may account for the stability of different dark matter particles. Here we study the case where $N$ is even ($N=2n$) and two species, a complex scalar and a real scalar, contribute to the observed dark matter density. We perform a phenomenological analysis of three scenarios based on the $Z_4$ and $Z_6$ symmetries, characterizing their viable parameter spaces and analyzing their detection prospects. Our results show that, thanks to the new interactions allowed by the $Z_{2n}$ symmetry, current experimental constraints can be satisfied over a wider range of dark matter masses, and that these scenarios may lead to observable signals in direct detection experiments. Finally, we argue that these three scenarios serve as prototypes for other two-component $Z_{2n}$ models with one complex and one real dark matter particle., Comment: 21 pages, 11 figures; v2 matches version published in JHEP

The Zee model for Dirac neutrinos is one of the simplest models featuring one-loop Dirac neutrino masses. The interactions between the new scalars (two singly-charged fields) and neutrinos induce general neutrino interactions (GNI) which, as a generalisation of the non standard neutrino interactions, constitute an additional tool to probe models beyond the SM like this. In this work, we consider a $U(1)_{{B-L}}$ gauge symmetry as the responsible for the Diracness of the neutrinos and the radiative character of the neutrino masses. We determine the viable parameter space consistent with neutrino oscillation data, leptonic rare decays and collider constraints, and establish the most relevant experimental prospects regarding lepton flavor violation searches and GNI in future solar neutrino experiments., Comment: 14+5 pages, 6 figures and 3 tables

Hawking evaporation of primordial black holes (PBH) with masses ranging from $\sim 10^{-1}$ to $\sim 10^9$ g can generate the whole observed dark matter (DM) relic density. However, a second DM production mechanism, like freeze-out or freeze-in, could have also been active in the early universe. Here we study the interplay of these mechanisms, focusing on the scenario where PBHs dominate the energy density of the universe, leading to a nonstandard cosmological era. For concreteness, we use the singlet scalar DM model as an example for this analysis., Comment: 11+6 pages, 5 figures. V2 matches version accepted in JCAP

Dark matter (DM) interacting only gravitationally with the standard model could have been produced in the early universe by Hawking evaporation of primordial black holes (PBH). This mechanism is viable in a large range of DM mass, spanning up to the Planck scale. However, DM is also unavoidably produced by the irreducible UV gravitational freeze-in. We show that the latter mechanism sets strong bounds, excluding large regions of the parameter space favored by PBH production., Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures. V2: matches accepted version in PLB

The evaporation of primordial black holes (PBH) with masses ranging from $\sim 10^{-1}$ to $\sim 10^9$ g could have generated the whole observed dark matter (DM) relic density. It is typically assumed that after being produced, its abundance freezes and remains constant. However, thermalization and number-changing processes in the dark sector can have a strong impact, in particular enhancing the DM population by several orders of magnitude. Here we estimate the boost from general arguments such as the conservation of energy and entropy, independently from the underlying particle physics details of the dark sector. Two main consequences can be highlighted: $i)$ As the DM abundance is increased, a smaller initial energy density of PBHs is required. $ii)$ Thermalization in the dark sector decreases the mean DM kinetic energy, relaxing the bound from structure formation and hence, allowing light DM with mass in the keV ballpark., Comment: 12+5 pages, 2 figures. V2 matches published version in JCAP

Scenarios for multi-component scalar dark matter based on a single $Z_N$ ($N\geq 4$) symmetry are simple and well-motivated. In this paper we investigate, for the first time, the phenomenology of the $Z_5$ model for two-component dark matter. This model, which can be seen as an extension of the well-known singlet scalar model, features two complex scalar fields--the dark matter particles--that are Standard Model singlets but have different charges under a $Z_5$ symmetry. The interactions allowed by the $Z_5$ give rise to novel processes between the dark matter particles that affect their relic densities and their detection prospects, which we study in detail. The key parameters of the model are identified and its viable regions are characterized by means of random scans. We show that, unlike the singlet scalar model, dark matter masses below the TeV are still compatible with present data. Even though the dark matter density turns out to be dominated by the lighter component, we find that current and future direct detection experiments may be sensitive to signals from both dark matter particles., Comment: 29 pages, 14 figures

The dark matter may consist not of one elementary particle but of different species, each of them contributing a fraction of the observed dark matter density. A major theoretical difficulty with this scenario --dubbed multi-component dark matter-- is to explain the stability of these distinct particles. Imposing a single $Z_N$ symmetry, which may be a remnant of a spontaneously broken $U(1)$ gauge symmetry, seems to be the simplest way to simultaneously stabilize several dark matter particles. In this paper we systematically study scenarios for multi-component dark matter based on various $Z_N$ symmetries ($N\leq 10$) and with different sets of scalar fields charged under it. A generic feature of these scenarios is that the number of stable particles is not determined by the Lagrangian but depends on the relations among the masses of the different fields charged under the $Z_N$ symmetry. We explicitly obtain and illustrate the regions of parameter space that are consistent with up to five dark matter particles. For $N$ odd, all these particles turn out to be complex, whereas for $N$ even one of them may be real. Within this framework, many new models for multi-component dark matter can be implemented., Comment: 36 pages, 12 figures. v2: version accepted for publication

The radiative type-I seesaw has been already implemented to explain the lightness of Majorana neutrinos with both Majorana and Dirac heavy fermions, and the lightness of Dirac neutrinos with Dirac heavy fermions. In this work we present a minimal implementation of the radiative type-I seesaw with light Dirac neutrinos and heavy Majorana fermions. An inert doublet and a complex singlet scalar complete the dark sector which is protected by an Abelian fermiophobic gauge symmetry that also forbids tree level mass contributions for the full set of light neutrinos. A fermion vector-like extension of the model is also proposed where the light right-handed neutrinos can thermalize in the primordial plasma and the extra gauge boson can be directly produced at colliders. In particular, the current upper bound on $\Delta N_{\text{eff}}$ reported by PLANCK points to large ratios $M_{Z'}/g'\gtrsim 40\ \text{TeV}$ which can be competitive with collider constraint for $g'$ sufficiently large in the ballpark of the Standard Model values, while future cosmic microwave background experiments may probe all the no minimal models presented here., Comment: Code available at https://github.com/restrepo/DiracMajorana 17 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables

We consider the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) mechanism as the one behind the Dirac neutrino masses when these are generated through the $d=5$ effective operator $\bar{L}\tilde{H}N_R\phi$ at one loop level, with $\phi$ being a Standard Model singlet scalar. In this setup, the PQ symmetry guarantees that the one-loop realization of such an effective operator gives the leading contribution to the Dirac neutrino masses by forbidding the contributions arising from its tree level realizations. All the mediators in the one-loop neutrino mass diagrams can be stabilized by a remnant $Z_N$ symmetry from the PQ symmetry breaking, thus forming a dark sector besides the axion sector and leading to mixed axion/WIMP dark matter scenarios., Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures

Neutrinos may be Dirac particles whose masses arise radiatively at one-loop, naturally explaining their small values. In this work we show that all the one-loop realizations of the dimension-five operator to effectively generate Dirac neutrino masses can be implemented by using a single local symmetry: $U(1)_{B-L}$. Since this symmetry is anomalous, new chiral fermions, charged under $B-L$, are required. The minimal model consistent with neutrino data includes three chiral fermions, two of them with the same lepton number. The next minimal models contain five chiral fermions and their $B-L$ charges can be fixed by requiring a dark matter candidate in the spectrum. We list the full particle content as well as the relevant Lagrangian terms for each of these models. They are new and simple models that can simultaneously accommodate Dirac neutrino masses (at one-loop) and dark matter without invoking any discrete symmetries., Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures. References added. Version accepted in PRD

We consider the doublet-triplet fermionic model in the scheme of the custodial limit when the dark matter (DM) candidate is pure doublet and lies at the electroweak scale. This scheme, despite being an appealing and promising DM model, is severely constrained by the interplay between the DM relic density constraint and the LHC measurement of the Higgs diphoton decay rate. In this work, the DM relic density is considered to arise from either a nonstandard cosmology scenario or as a part of a larger sector encompassing other DM particles, this in order to saturate the observed relic abundance. For these scenarios we investigate the impact of the new sector in different collider observables, and study constraints coming from direct detection and indirect detection of gamma-rays both in the diffuse and linelike spectrum. As a result, we find that in the nonstandard cosmology scenario most experiments impose, up to a certain point, restrictions, though large portions of the parameter space are still viable. For the multicomponent case, only direct detection imposes constraints., Comment: 28 pages, version to match PRD

The inert Zee model is an extension of the Zee model for neutrino masses to allow for a solution to the dark matter problem that involves two vector-like fields, a doublet and a singlet of $SU(2)_L$, and two scalars, also a doublet and a singlet of $SU(2)_L$, all of them being odd under an exact $Z_2$ symmetry. The introduction of the $Z_2$ guarantees one-loop neutrino masses, forbids tree-level Higgs-mediated flavor changing neutral currents and ensures the stability of the dark matter candidate. Due to the natural breaking of lepton numbers in the inert Zee model and encouraged by the ambitious experimental program designed to look for charged lepton flavor violation signals and the electron electric dipole moment, we study the phenomenology of the processes leading to these kind of signals, and establish which are the most promising experimental perspectives on that matter., Comment: 10 pages and 7 figures

We propose a new extension of the Standard Model by a $U(1)_{B-L}$ gauge symmetry in which the anomalies are canceled by two right-handed neutrinos plus four chiral fermions with fractional B-L charges. Two scalar fields that break the B-L symmetry and give masses to the new fermions are also required. After symmetry breaking, two neutrinos acquire Majorana masses via the seesaw mechanism leaving a massless neutrino in the spectrum. Additionally, the other new fermions arrange themselves into two Dirac particles, both of which are automatically stable and contribute to the observed dark matter density. This model thus realizes in a natural way, without ad hoc discrete symmetries, a two-component dark matter scenario. We analyze in some detail the dark matter phenomenology of this model. The dependence of the relic densities with the parameters of the model is illustrated and the regions consistent with the observed dark matter abundance are identified. Finally, we impose the current limits from LHC and direct detection experiments, and show that the high mass region of this model remains unconstrained., Comment: 23 pages

We construct a no-scale model of inflation with a single modulus whose real and imaginary parts are fixed by simple power-law corrections to the no-scale K{\" a}hler potential. Assuming an uplift of the minimum of the effective potential, the model yields a suitable number of e-folds of expansion and values of the tilt in the scalar cosmological density perturbations and of the ratio of tensor and scalar perturbations that are compatible with measurements of the cosmic microwave background radiation., Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, revised statements about string motivation

The well-known leptonic U(1) symmetry of the standard model of quarks and leptons is extended to include a number of new fermions and scalars. The resulting theory has an invisible QCD axion (thereby solving the strong CP problem), a candidate for weak-scale dark matter, as well as radiative neutrino masses. A possible key connection is a color-triplet scalar, which may be produced and detected at the Large Hadron Collider., Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures

We consider a dark matter (DM) model that arises from the interplay of two simplified dark matter models, namely the doublet-triplet fermion model and the doublet-triplet scalar model. Despite being excellent exponents of the WIMP paradigm, the physics related to DM in each of these models fails at the same time to account for neutrino masses. It turns out that from the combination of these two models it is possible to generate neutrino masses at one-loop level in the four topologies that are realizations of the Weinberg operator for neutrino masses at one-loop. In this work, we combine both models focusing mostly on fermionic dark matter lying at the electroweak scale. We analyze the impact of the extra charged fields on the Higgs diphoton decay and find that, thanks to the presence of the charged scalars, it is possible to have a viable DM region at the electroweak scale., Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures

We analyze the present bounds of a scotogenic model, the Radiative Type III Seesaw (RSIII), in which an additional scalar doublet and at least two fermion triplets of $SU(2)_L$ are added to the Standard Model (SM). In the RSIII the new physics (NP) sector is odd under an exact global $Z_2$ symmetry. This symmetry guaranties that the lightest NP neutral particle is stable, providing a natural dark matter (DM) candidate, and leads to naturally suppressed neutrino masses generated by a one-loop realization of an effective Weinberg operator. We focus on the region with the highest sensitivity in present and future LHC searches, with light scalar DM and at least one NP fermion triplet at the sub-TeV scale. This region allows for significant production cross-sections of NP fermion pairs at the LHC. We reinterpret a set of searches for supersymmetric particles at the LHC obtained using the package CheckMATE, to set limits on our model as a function of the masses of the NP particles and their Yukawa interactions. The most sensitive search channel is found to be dileptons plus missing transverse energy. In order to target the case of tau enhanced decays and the case of compressed spectra we reinterpret the recent slepton and chargino search bounds by ATLAS. For a lightest NP fermion triplet with a maximal branching ratio to either electrons or muons we exclude NP fermion masses of up to 650 GeV, while this bound is reduced to approximately 400 GeV in the tau-philic case. Allowing for a general flavor structure we set limits on the Yukawa couplings, which are directly related to the neutrino flavor structure., Comment: 28 pages, 10 figures, added references, minor changes. Version accepted in PRD

The singlet-doublet fermion dark matter model (SDFDM) provides a good DM candidate as well as the possibility of generating neutrino masses radiatively. The search and identification of DM requires the combined effort of both indirect and direct DM detection experiments in addition to the LHC. Remarkably, an excess of GeV gamma rays from the Galactic Center (GCE) has been measured with the \textit{Fermi} Large Area Telescope (LAT) which appears to be robust with respect to changes in the diffuse galactic background modeling. Although several astrophysical explanations have been proposed, DM remains a simple and well motivated alternative. In this work, we examine the sensitivities of dark matter searches in the SDFDM scenario using $\textit{Fermi}$-LAT, CTA, IceCube/DeepCore, LUX, PICO and LHC with an emphasis on exploring the regions of the parameter space that can account for the GCE. We find that DM particles present in this model with masses close to $\sim 99$ GeV and $\sim (173-190)$ GeV annihilating predominantly into the $W^+W^-$ channel and $t\bar{t}$ channel respectively, provide an acceptable fit to the GCE while being consistent with different current experimental bounds. We also find that much of the obtained parameter space can be ruled out by future direct search experiments like LZ and XENON-1T, in case of null results by these detectors. Interestingly, we show that the most recent data by LUX is starting to probe the best fit region in the SDFDM model., Comment: 21 pages, 7 figures. v2: references added. Version accepted by JCAP

We consider the scenario in the radiative seesaw model where the dark matter particle is the lightest $Z_2$-odd fermion. We identify the regions of the parameter space of the model compatible with neutrino oscillation data, with the upper limits from rare charged lepton decays and with the observed dark matter abundance via thermal freeze-out, and we compute the dark matter scattering cross section with nuclei via the one-loop exchange of a photon, a $Z^0$-boson or a Higgs boson. We find that the predicted spin-independent cross section lies below the current LUX limit, although, for some choices of parameters, above the expected sensitivity of XENON1T or LZ., Comment: 22 pages, 4 figures

We study a realization of the topology of the Zee model for the generation of neutrino masses at one-loop with a minimal set of vector-like fermions. After imposing an exact $Z_2$ symmetry to avoid tree-level Higgs-mediated flavor changing neutral currents, one dark matter candidate is obtained from the subjacent inert doublet model, but with the presence of new co-annihilating particles. We show that the model is consistent with the constraints coming from lepton flavor violation processes, oblique parameters, dark matter and neutrino oscillation data., Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures

We construct and analyze nonsupersymmetric SO(10) standard model extensions which explain dark matter (DM) through the fermionic Higgs portal. In these SO(10)-based models the DM particle is naturally stable since a $Z_2$ discrete symmetry, the matter parity, is left at the end of the symmetry breaking chain to the standard model. Potentially realistic models contain the $\bf{10}$ and $\bf{45}$ fermionic representations from which a neutralino-like mass matrix with arbitrary mixings can be obtained. Two different SO(10) breaking chains will be analyzed in light of gauge coupling unification: the standard path $\text{SU}(5)\times U(1)_{X}$ and the left-right symmetry intermediate chain. The former opens the possibility of a split supersymmetric-like spectrum with an additional (inert) scalar doublet, while the later requires additional exotic scalar representations associated to the breaking of the left-right symmetry., Comment: Manuscript accepted for publication as a Regular Article in Physical Review D. 20 pages, 4 figures

When the singlet-doublet fermion dark matter model is extended with additional $Z_2$--odd real singlet scalars, neutrino masses and mixings can be generated at one-loop level. In this work, we discuss the salient features arising from the combination of the two resulting simplified dark matter models. When the $Z_2$-lightest odd particle is a scalar singlet, $\operatorname{Br}(\mu\to e \gamma)$ could be measurable provided that the singlet-doublet fermion mixing is small enough. In this scenario, also the new decay channels of vector-like fermions into scalars can generate interesting leptonic plus missing transverse energy signals at the LHC. On the other hand, in the case of doublet-like fermion dark matter, scalar coannihilations lead to an increase in the relic density which allow to lower the bound of doublet-like fermion dark matter., Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures

The scotogenic model is one of the simplest scenarios for physics beyond the Standard Model that can account for neutrino masses and dark matter at the TeV scale. It contains another scalar doublet and three additional singlet fermions (N_i), all odd under a Z_2 symmetry. In this paper, we examine the possibility that the dark matter candidate, N_1, does not reach thermal equilibrium in the early Universe so that it behaves as a Feebly Interacting Massive Particle (FIMP). In that case, it is found that the freeze-in production of dark matter is entirely dominated by the decays of the odd scalars. We compute the resulting dark matter abundance and study its dependence with the parameters of the model. The freeze-in mechanism is shown to be able to account for the observed relic density over a wide range of dark matter masses, from the keV to the TeV scale. In addition to freeze-in, the N_1 relic density receives a further contribution from the late decay of the next-to-lightest odd particle, which we also analyze. Finally, we consider the possibility that the dark matter particle is a WIMP but receives an extra contribution to its relic density from the decay of the FIMP (N_1). In this case, important signals at direct and indirect detection experiments are generally expected., Comment: 31 pages, 9 figures v2: some references and minor comments added