We study the case of a pseudo-scalar dark matter candidate which emerges from a complex scalar singlet, charged under a global U(1) symmetry, which is broken both explicitly and spontaneously. The pseudo-scalar is naturally stabilized by the presence of a remnant discrete symmetry: dark CP. We study and compare the phenomenology of several simplified models with only one explicit symmetry breaking term. We find that several regions of the parameter space are able to reproduce the observed dark matter abundance while respecting direct detection and invisible Higgs decay limits: in the resonances of the two scalars, featuring the known as forbidden or secluded dark matter, and through non-resonant Higgs-mediated annihilations. In some cases, combining different measurements would allow one to distinguish the breaking pattern of the symmetry. Moreover, this setup admits a light DM candidate at the sub-GeV scale. We also discuss the situation where more than one symmetry breaking term is present. In that case, the dark CP symmetry may be spontaneously broken, thus spoiling the stability of the dark matter candidate. Requiring that this does not happen imposes a constraint on the allowed parameter space. Finally, we consider an effective field theory approach valid in the pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone boson limit and when the U(1) breaking scale is much larger than the electroweak scale.
Stringent constraints on the interactions of dark matter with the Standard Model suggest that dark matter does not take part in gauge interactions. In this regard, the possibility of communicating between the visible and dark sectors via gauge singlets seems rather natural. We consider a framework where the dark matter talks to the Standard Model through its coupling to sterile neutrinos, which generate active neutrino masses. We focus on the case of Majorana dark matter, with its relic abundance set by thermal freeze-out through annihilations into sterile neutrinos. We use an effective field theory approach to study the possible sterile neutrino portals to dark matter. We find that both lepton-number-conserving and lepton-number-violating operators are possible, yielding an interesting connection with the Dirac/Majorana character of active neutrinos. In a second step, we open the different operators and outline the possible renormalisable models. We analyse the phenomenology of the most promising ones, including a particular case in which the Majorana mass of the sterile neutrinos is generated radiatively.
We present a realization of the idea that the Higgs boson is mainly a bound state of neutrinos induced by strong four-fermion interactions. The conflicts of this idea with the measured values of the top quark and Higgs boson masses are overcome by introducing, in addition to the righthanded neutrino, a new fermion singlet, which, at low energies, implements the inverse see-saw mechanism. The singlet fermions also develop a scalar bound state which mixes with the Higgs boson. This allows us to obtain a small Higgs boson mass even if the couplings are large, as required in composite scalar scenarios. The model gives the correct masses for the top quark and Higgs boson for compositeness scales below the Planck scale and masses of the new particles above the electroweak scale, so that we obtain naturally a low-scale see-saw scenario for neutrino masses.The theory contains additional scalar particles coupled to the neutral fermions, which could be tested in present and near future experiments.
A complex scalar singlet could provide a pseudo-scalar dark matter candidate, whose stability is guaranteed by a discrete symmetry: dark CP. The scalar singlet is also charged under a global U(1) symmetry, which is broken both explicitly and spontaneously. We analyze the phenomenology of different models with just one explicit symmetry breaking term and we also consider the case with more than one symmetry breaking term. Finally, we discuss the possibility that the explicit symmetry breaking term is much smaller than the symmetry breaking scale, leading to a pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone boson as a DM candidate.2
This work studies the case where dark matter emerges from a complex scalar field charged under a 𝑈 (1) global symmetry, which is spontaneously broken. The analysis considers different explicit symmetry breaking terms, motivated by discrete symmetries, and the results show that in some regions of the parameter space these scenarios may be distinguished by combining different observables, such as direct detection and collider signatures. It is also discussed the case where the stabilising symmetry could be spontaneously broken.
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