arXiv subjects

Chengfeng Cai

Publications and source records attributed to Chengfeng Cai.

33 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Higgs boson emerging from the dark

We propose a new non-thermal mechanism of dark matter production based on vacuum misalignment. A global $X$-charge asymmetry is generated at high temperatures, under which both the will-be Higgs and the dark matter are charged. At lower energies, the vacuum changes alignment and breaks the $U(1)_X$, leading to the emergence of the Higgs and of a fraction of charge asymmetry stored in the stable dark matter relic. This mechanism can be present in a wide variety of models based on vacuum misalignment, and we demonstrate it in a composite Higgs template model, where all the necessary ingredients are naturally present. A light pseudo-scalar $η$ is always predicted, with interesting implications for cosmology, future supernova observations and exotic $Z \to γη$ decays.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

XENON1T solar axion and the Higgs boson emerging from the dark

In a recent letter we proposed a new non-thermal mechanism of Dark Matter production based on vacuum misalignment, where both the Higgs boson and a very light pseudo-scalar $η$ emerge from the Dark sector. In this letter, we identify the parameter space in a composite scenario where the light pseudo-scalar can be produced in the sun and explain the XENON1T excess in electron recoil data. The model's Dark Matter candidate has a mass around $50$ TeV and out of range for Direct Detection. Testable predictions include Gravitational waves at frequencies in the Hz range from a cosmological phase transition, an exotic decay $Z \to γ+ \mbox{inv.}$ with rates $4 ÷16 \cdot 10^{-12}$ testable at a future Tera-Z collider, and an enhancement by $17÷40$ % of the branching ratio $K_L \to π^0 + \mbox{inv.}$, not enough to explain the KOTO anomaly. All these predictions may be confirmed by future experiments.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

Probing quadruplet scalar dark matter at current and future $pp$ colliders

We investigate a dark matter model involving an inert $\mathrm{SU}(2)_\mathrm{L}$ quadruplet scalar with hypercharge 1/2. After the electroweak symmetry breaking, the dark sector contains one doubly charged, two singly charged, and two neutral scalars. The lighter neutral scalar can be a viable dark matter candidate. Electroweak production of these scalars at the Large Hadron Collider leads to potential signals in the $\text{monojet} + /\!\!\!\!E_\mathrm{T}$ and $\text{soft-leptons} + \text{jets} + /\!\!\!\!E_\mathrm{T}$ channels. We thus derive constraints on the model by reinterpreting recent experimental searches. Based on simulation, we further evaluate the sensitivity at a future 100 TeV $pp$ collider.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

Fermionic and scalar dark matter with hidden $\mathrm{U}(1)$ gauge interaction and kinetic mixing

We explore the Dirac fermionic and complex scalar dark matter in the framework of a hidden $\mathrm{U}(1)_\mathrm{X}$ gauge theory with kinetic mixing between the $\mathrm{U}(1)_\mathrm{X}$ and $\mathrm{U}(1)_\mathrm{Y}$ gauge fields. The $\mathrm{U}(1)_\mathrm{X}$ gauge symmetry is spontaneously broken due to a hidden Higgs field. The kinetic mixing provides a portal between dark matter and standard model particles. Besides, an additional Higgs portal can be realized in the complex scalar case. Dark matter interactions with nucleons are typically isospin violating, and direct detection constraints can be relieved. Although the kinetic mixing has been stringently constrained by electroweak oblique parameters, we find that there are several available parameter regions predicting an observed relic abundance through the thermal production mechanism. Moreover, these regions have not been totally explored in current direct and indirect detection experiments. Future direct detection experiments and searches for invisible Higgs decays at a Higgs factory could further investigate these regions.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

Pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone dark matter and two-Higgs-doublet models

We study a dark matter model with one singlet complex scalar and two Higgs doublets. The scalar potential respects a softly broken global symmetry, which makes the imaginary part of the singlet become a pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone boson acting as a dark matter candidate. The pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone nature of the boson leads to the vanishing of its tree-level scattering amplitude off nucleons at zero momentum transfer. Therefore, although the interaction strength could be sufficiently large to yield a viable relic abundance via thermal mechanism, direct detection is incapable of probing this candidate. We further investigate the constraints from Higgs measurements, relic abundance observation, and indirect detection.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

Minimal asymptotically safe dark matter

We study a simple class of dark matter models with N_f copies of electroweak fermionic multiplets, stabilized by O(N_F) global symmetry. Unlike conventional minimal dark matter which usually suffers from Landau poles, in these models the gauge coupling g_2 has a non-trivial ultraviolet fixed point, and thus is asymptotically safe as long as N_F is large enough. These fermionic n-plet models have only two free parameters: N_F and a common mass M_DM, which relate to dark matter relic abundance. We find that the mass of triplet fermionic dark matter with N_F being dozens of flavors can be several hundred GeV, which is testable on LHC. A benefit of large N_F is that DM pair annihilation rate in dwarf galaxies is effectively suppressed by 1/N_F, and thus they can evade the constraint from gamma-ray continuous spectrum observation. For the case of triplets, we find that the models in the range 3 <= N_F <= 20 are consistent with all current experiments. However, for N_F quintuplets, even with large N_F they are still disfavored by the gamma-ray continuous spectrum.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

Vacuum alignment in a composite 2HDM

We study in detail the vacuum structure of a composite two Higgs doublet model based on a minimal underlying theory with 3 Dirac fermions in pseudo-real representations of the condensing gauge interactions, leading to the SU(6)/Sp(6) symmetry breaking pattern. We find that, independently on the source of top mass, the most general CP-conserving vacuum is characterised by three non-vanishing angles. A special case occurs if the Yukawas are aligned, leading to a single angle. In the latter case, a Dark Matter candidate arises, protected by a global U(1) symmetry.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

Scalar Quintuplet Minimal Dark Matter with Yukawa Interactions: Perturbative up to the Planck Scale

We confront the perturbativity problem in the real scalar quintuplet minimal dark matter model. In the original model, the quintuplet quartic self-coupling inevitably hits a Landau pole at a scale $\sim 10^{14}$ GeV, far below the Planck scale. In order to push up this Landau pole scale, we extend the model with a fermionic quintuplet and three fermionic singlets which couple to the scalar quintuplet via Yukawa interactions. Involving such Yukawa interactions at a scale $\sim 10^{10}$ GeV can not only keep all couplings perturbative up to the Planck scale, but can also explain the smallness of neutrino masses via the type-I seesaw mechanism. Furthermore, we identify the parameter regions favored by the condition that perturbativity and vacuum stability are both maintained up to the Planck scale.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2018

Minimal Dark Matter in the Local $B-L$ Extension

The minimal gauge group extension to the standard model (SM) by the local $U(1)_{B-L}$ (MBLSM) is well known as the minimal model to understand neutrino mass origins via the seesaw mechanism, following the gauge principle. This "small" symmetry also has deep implication to another big thing, dark matter (DM) stability. We demonstrate it in the framework of minimal dark matter (MDM), which aims at addressing two basic questions on DM, stability and the nature of interactions. However, stability and perturbativity may only allow the fermionic quintuplet. The situation is very different in the MBLSM, which leaves the subgroup of $U(1)_{B-L}$, the matter parity $(-1)^{3(B-L)}$, unbroken; it is able to stabilize all of the weakly-interacting {MDM candidates } after assigning a proper $U(1)_{B-L}$ charge. For the candidates with nonzero hypercharge, the phenomenological challenge comes from realizing the inelastic DM scenario thus evading the very strict DM direct detention bounds. We present two approaches that can slightly split the CP-even and -odd parts of the neutral components: 1) using the dimension 5 operators, which works for the $U(1)_{B-L}$ spontaneously breaking at very high scale; 2) mixing with {other fields} having zero hypercharge, which instead works for a low $U(1)_{B-L}$ breaking scale.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2017

CEPC Precision of Electroweak Oblique Parameters and Weakly Interacting Dark Matter: the Scalar Case

We investigate the sensitivity to weakly interacting scalar dark matter from future determination of electroweak oblique parameters in the Circular Electron-Positron Collider (CEPC) project. As illuminating examples, three dark matter models with scalar electroweak multiplets are studied. The multiplet couplings to the standard model Higgs doublet can break the mass degeneracy among the components, leading to nonzero contributions to oblique parameters. The dark matter candidate in these model is either a CP-even or CP-odd scalar, whose trilinear coupling to the Higgs boson could induce direct detection signals. For some moderate coupling values, we find that the CEPC sensitivity can be better than current direct detection experiments, exploring up to a TeV mass scale.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2017

CEPC Precision of Electroweak Oblique Parameters and Weakly Interacting Dark Matter: the Fermionic Case

Future electroweak precision measurements in the Circular Electron Positron Collider (CEPC) project would significantly improve the precision of electroweak oblique parameters. We evaluate the expected precision through global fits, and study the corresponding sensitivity to weakly interacting fermionic dark matter. Three models with electroweak multiplets in the dark sector are investigated as illuminating examples. We find that the CEPC data can probe up to TeV scales and explore some regions where direct detection cannot reach, especially when the models respect the custodial symmetry.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2016

The 750 GeV diphoton resonance as a singlet scalar in an extra dimensional model

We interpret the 750~GeV diphoton excess recently found in the 13~TeV LHC data as a singlet scalar in an extra dimensional model, where one extra dimension is introduced. In the model, the scalar couples to multiple vector-like fermions, which are just the KK modes of SM fermions. Mediated by the loops of these vector-like fermions, the $ϕ$ effective couplings to gluons and photons can be significantly large. Therefore, it is quite easy to obtain an observed cross section for the diphoton excess. We also calculate the cross sections for other decay channels of $ϕ$, and find that this interpretation can evade the bounds from the 8~TeV LHC data.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2015

Majorana neutrinos with point interactions

We propose a realistic model with Majorana neutrinos in the framework of unifying the three generations of fermions by point interactions in an extra dimension. This model can simultaneously explain the origin of fermion generations, fermion masses and mixing, and the smallness of the masses of Majorana neutrinos. We show that there are two mechanisms working together to suppress the neutrino masses significantly, so we do not have to introduce a very large extra-dimension cut-off scale. One is the type-I seesaw mechanism and the other is the overlap integration of localized lepton wave functions. A singlet scalar with an exponential-like VEV plays a central role in these two mechanisms. For consistency in this model we introduce a $U(1)'$ gauge symmetry, which will be broken by the singlet scalar. Parameters of our model can fit the masses and flavor mixing data well. These parameters can also predict all CP violating phases including the Majorana ones and accidentally rescue the proton from decay.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2015

Perturbativity Limits for Scalar Minimal Dark Matter with Yukawa Interactions: Septuplet

The candidate of minimal dark matter (MDM) is limited if one demands perturbativity up to a very high scale, and it was believed that the MDM model with a real scalar septuplet could keep perturbative up to the Planck or GUT scale. In this work we point out that it is not true after taking into account the running of the quartic self-couplings of the scalar septuplet. For the septuplet mass around $10$ TeV, which is suggested by the observed dark matter relic abundance, these couplings would hit the Landau pole at a scale $\sim 10^8-10^9$ GeV, much lower than the Planck scale. We attempt to push up the Landau pole scale as high as possible by proposing an extension with extra Yukawa interactions of the septuplet. We find that in principle the Landau pole could be deferred to a scale of $\sim 10^{14}$ GeV if one could tolerate a serious fine-tuning of the initial condition of the Yukawa coupling. Moreover, if the MDM particle mass could be relaxed to $\sim10^8$ GeV, which would need some nonthermal production mechanisms to give a correct relic abundance, the Landau pole scale could be pushed up above the Planck scale.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2015

Confronting the real scalar septuplet minimal dark matter model with vacuum stability, perturbativity, and Type-I and Type-III seesaws

We study a real scalar septuplet model which has a neutral component regarded as a dark matter particle candidate. The calculation of its thermal relic abundance without (with) the Sommerfeld effect suggests that the observed value corresponds to the mass of the dark matter particle $m_0 \gtrsim 8.8~(25)~\mathrm{TeV}$. Two extra quartic couplings $λ_2$ and $λ_3$ introduced in this model affect the running of other couplings, and hence the vacuum stability and the perturbativity up to the Planck scale. Therefore, the vacuum stability and the perturbativity conditions can constrain these couplings into a narrow region in the $λ_2$-$λ_3$ plane. Other constraints from $h\toγγ$, electroweak oblique parameters, and direct and indirect DM searches are also investigated. Moreover, we survey the vacuum stability and the perturbativity in the model combining the septuplet with the Type-I or Type-III seesaw. The running of couplings is further altered when the energy scale goes above the seesaw scale. In the Type-I case, when the seesaw scale $\sim 10^{15}~\mathrm{GeV}$, the vacuum stability condition makes the acceptable region in the $λ_2$-$λ_3$ plane much narrower. In the Type-III case, if the seesaw scale is $\lesssim 52~\mathrm{TeV}$ or $\gtrsim 10^{15}~\mathrm{GeV}$, the acceptable region vanishes.

hep-ph↗