Light Dirac neutrino portal dark matter with gauged $U(1)_{B-L}$ symmetry

Abstract

We propose a gauged $U(1)_{B-L}$ version of the light Dirac neutrino portal dark matter. The $U(1)_{B-L}$ symmetry provides a UV completion by naturally accommodating three right handed neutrinos from anomaly cancellation requirements which, in combination with the left handed neutrinos, form the sub-eV Dirac neutrinos after electroweak symmetry breaking. The particle content and the gauge charges are chosen in such a way that light neutrinos remain purely Dirac and dark matter, a gauge singlet Dirac fermion, remain stable. We consider both thermal and non-thermal production possibilities of dark matter and correlate the corresponding parameter space with the one within reach of future cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiments sensitive to enhanced relativistic degrees of freedom $\Delta N_{\rm eff}$. The interplay of dark matter, CMB, structure formation and other terrestrial constraints keep the scenario very predictive leading the $U(1)_{B-L}$ parameter space into tight corners.