Sub-MeV Dark Sink Dark Matter

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Bhattiprolu, Prudhvi N., McGehee, Robert, Petrosky, Evan, Pierce, Aaron
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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_version_ 1866912256321650688
author Bhattiprolu, Prudhvi N.
McGehee, Robert
Petrosky, Evan
Pierce, Aaron
author_facet Bhattiprolu, Prudhvi N.
McGehee, Robert
Petrosky, Evan
Pierce, Aaron
contents A Dark Sink uses dark-sector interactions to siphon energy from dark matter to lighter dark degrees of freedom, i.e. dark radiation. Here, we extend dark matter models containing a Dark Sink to sub-MeV masses. We consider a Dark Sink model where the dark matter is charged under a light dark photon that has kinetic mixing with the Standard Model. For sub-MeV dark matter masses, plasmon decays are the dominant mechanism for transferring energy to the dark sector. Relative to a standard freeze-in cosmology, reproducing the observed dark matter density in a Dark Sink structure requires an increase in the dark matter couplings to the Standard Model, and hence increased direct detection cross sections. These models provide benchmarks for current and upcoming direct detection experiments. Accounting for plasmon effects, we derive the range of possible dark matter masses and cross sections for Dark Sink models in the sub-MeV regime. We make code available to reproduce our benchmarks; it may be of use for other freeze-in scenarios, including those where plasmon decays to the dark matter are important.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2408_07744
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Sub-MeV Dark Sink Dark Matter
Bhattiprolu, Prudhvi N.
McGehee, Robert
Petrosky, Evan
Pierce, Aaron
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
High Energy Physics - Experiment
A Dark Sink uses dark-sector interactions to siphon energy from dark matter to lighter dark degrees of freedom, i.e. dark radiation. Here, we extend dark matter models containing a Dark Sink to sub-MeV masses. We consider a Dark Sink model where the dark matter is charged under a light dark photon that has kinetic mixing with the Standard Model. For sub-MeV dark matter masses, plasmon decays are the dominant mechanism for transferring energy to the dark sector. Relative to a standard freeze-in cosmology, reproducing the observed dark matter density in a Dark Sink structure requires an increase in the dark matter couplings to the Standard Model, and hence increased direct detection cross sections. These models provide benchmarks for current and upcoming direct detection experiments. Accounting for plasmon effects, we derive the range of possible dark matter masses and cross sections for Dark Sink models in the sub-MeV regime. We make code available to reproduce our benchmarks; it may be of use for other freeze-in scenarios, including those where plasmon decays to the dark matter are important.
title Sub-MeV Dark Sink Dark Matter
topic High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
High Energy Physics - Experiment
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.07744