$Z^\prime$-portal right-handed neutrino dark matter in the minimal U(1)$_X$ extended Standard Model

Abstract

We consider a concise dark matter (DM) scenario in the context of a non-exotic U(1) extension of the Standard Model (SM), where a new U(1)$_X$ gauge symmetry is introduced along with three generation of right-handed neutrinos (RHNs) and an SM gauge singlet Higgs field. The model is a generalization of the minimal gauged U(1)$_{B-L}$ (baryon number minus lepton number) extension of the SM, in which the extra U(1)$_X$ gauge symmetry is expressed as a linear combination of the SM U(1)$_Y$ and U(1)$_{B-L}$ gauge symmetries. We introduce a $Z_2$-parity and assign an odd-parity only for one RHN among all particles, so that this $Z_2$-odd RHN plays a role of DM. The so-called minimal seesaw mechanism is implemented in this model with only two $Z_2$-even RHNs. In this context, we investigate physics of the RHN DM, focusing on the case that this DM particle communicates with the SM particles through the U(1)$_X$ gauge boson ($Z^\prime$ boson). This "$Z^\prime$-portal RHN DM" scenario is controlled by only three free parameters: the U(1)$_X$ gauge coupling ($\alpha_X$), the $Z^\prime$ boson mass ($m_{Z^\prime}$), and the U(1)$_X$ charge of the SM Higgs doublet ($x_H$). We consider various phenomenological constraints to identify a phenomenologically viable parameter space. The most important constraints are the observed DM relic abundance and the latest LHC Run-2 results on the search for a narrow resonance with the di-lepton final state. We find that these are complementary with each other and narrow the allowed parameter region, leading to the lower mass bound of $m_{Z^\prime} \gtrsim 2.7$ TeV.