arXiv subjects

Dionysios P. Theodosopoulos

Publications and source records attributed to Dionysios P. Theodosopoulos.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Higgsino dark matter compatible with the LUX-ZEPLIN high-energy nuclear-recoil event and IceCube constraints

We examine Higgsino dark matter (DM) as a potential explanation of the $248~\mathrm{keV}$ nuclear-recoil event of interest reported by the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment, taking into account IceCube constraints on DM annihilation in the Sun. In the nearly pure Higgsino limit, two neutral Majorana states separated by a small mass splitting $δ$ are connected by an off-diagonal coupling to the $Z$ boson, providing a natural realization of inelastic DM. Using a likelihood analysis, we identify 90\% confidence regions compatible with the LZ event and consistent with the null results of IceCube searches, both with and without including a constraint from the absence of events in the LZ high-energy sideband. In our LZ analysis, we consider the DM distribution in the Standard Halo Model alone as well as possible enhancements of the high-speed tail induced by the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). We present four variants of bounds from IceCube on Higgsino dark matter, depending on various assumptions on cooling channels in the Sun, motivated by severe theoretical uncertainties about Higgsino-nucleon elastic scattering (unimportant for direct detection but crucial for IceCube bounds). Whereas the thermal Higgsino with a mass of $1.1~\mathrm{TeV}$ remains only marginally compatible with both the LZ event and the IceCube limits when the LMC-induced high-speed tail is included and both elastic cooling in the Sun and the LZ high-energy sideband constraint are neglected, higher mass Higgsinos are excellent candidates for the LZ event in light of IceCube constraints. Depending on the halo distribution, cooling interactions, and whether the LZ high-energy sideband is included, the compatible regions in the Higgsino parameter space $(m_χ,δ)$ extend from masses of $\sim2~\mathrm{TeV}$ to hundreds of TeV or higher, with mass splittings ranging approximately from $350$ to $525~\mathrm{keV}$.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2026

Higgsino Dark Matter Interpretation of the LUX-ZEPLIN 248 keV Nuclear-Recoil Event

We propose Higgsino dark matter as a potential interpretation of the $248~\mathrm{keV}$ nuclear-recoil event of interest reported by the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment. LZ studied several rare background processes and detector effects in detail, but did not identify any as a likely explanation of the event. A nearly pure Higgsino naturally realizes inelastic dark matter through the off-diagonal $Z$ coupling of two nearly degenerate neutral Majorana states separated by a mass splitting $δ$. The same electroweak interaction fixes the inelastic Higgsino-nucleon scattering cross section, rather than leaving it as a free parameter. We show that the predicted Higgsino inelastic scattering cross section approaches the published LZ two-sided 90% confidence interval for a Higgsino mass $m_{\widetilde H}\sim1~\mathrm{TeV}$ and a mass splitting $δ\sim350~\mathrm{keV}$.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2026

Mineral Detection of Neutrinos and Dark Matter 2026 Proceedings

The fourth "Mineral Detection of Neutrinos and Dark Matter" (MDvDM'26) meeting was held April 14-17, 2026 in Karlsruhe, Germany, hosted by the Institute for Astroparticle Physics (IAP) at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). These proceedings detail the contributions that were presented during MDvDM'26, illustrating the unprecedented progress in theoretical, computational and experimental studies towards the realization of the concept of mineral detectors. Mineral detectors represent an emerging particle detection concept that has risen in prominence in recent years due to the advent of modern computational and high-resolution microscopy techniques. Natural and synthetic crystals are capable of retaining microscopic damage features induced by nuclear recoils, which could be then read out with a variety of micrometer and nanometer resolution microscopy techniques. On laboratory time scales mineral detectors could be employed for reactor neutrino monitoring and dark matter detection, with the potential to measure the directions as well as the energies of the induced nuclear recoils. Uniquely, ancient natural crystals (so-called paleo-detectors) that have been recording nuclear recoils over geological timescales could be used for studying astrophysical neutrinos, cosmic rays, dark matter and heavy exotic particles, as well as the variation of their fluxes over our Galaxy's lifetime. In recent years the international MDvDM community has been successfully tackling the challenges associated with realizing the concept of mineral detectors, opening the pathway towards a fully fledged experimental program and potential future discoveries.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2026

Paleo-Detectors as a Novel Probe of Dark Matter-Nucleus Effective Interactions

Paleo-detectors are a proposed approach to the direct detection of dark matter (DM) based on the observation of DM-induced nuclear recoils. Rather than relying on large detector masses required for conventional detectors, paleo-detectors exploit extremely long integration times, using small samples of naturally occurring minerals that have resided deep underground and accumulated damage tracks over geological timescales of order a gigayear. In this contribution, we review recent theoretical predictions for the sensitivity of paleo-detectors to WIMP-nucleus interactions within the framework of a Non-Relativistic Effective Field Theory (NREFT). We discuss both elastic and inelastic scattering processes and consider isoscalar couplings, taking into account backgrounds from neutrinos and radiogenic sources. We present projected sensitivities of paleo-detectors for different readout and exposure scenarios and compare the reach of paleo-detectors to that of conventional direct-detection experiments. For DM masses in the range $1\ \mathrm{GeV}/c^2$-$10\ \mathrm{GeV}/c^2$, paleo-detectors are expected to achieve sensitivities exceeding those of conventional experiments for WIMP-nucleus interactions mediated by all NREFT operators, with only a weak dependence on the read-out scenario or target mineral. For larger DM masses, $10\ \mathrm{GeV}/c^2$-$5\ \mathrm{TeV}/c^2$, paleo-detectors are projected to attain sensitivities comparable to or surpassing conventional experiments for interactions mediated by several NREFT operators, depending on the specific read-out scenario and choice of target mineral.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2026

Reconstructing Dark Matter Mass and Discriminating Standard and Non-Standard WIMP-Nucleus Interactions with Paleo-Detectors

Paleo-detectors record and retain crystal damage in ancient minerals from nuclear recoils induced by dark matter scattering over geological timescales. Previous studies have shown that paleo-detectors can provide sensitivity to a variety of dark matter (DM) scenarios which is complementary to conventional direct-detection experiments. In this paper, we complete the first detailed study of how well paleo-detectors can reconstruct DM parameters or distinguish between different types of DM interactions with nuclei in the presence of a DM signal, considering both elastic and inelastic DM-nucleus scattering. For representative nuclear recoil track read-out scenarios, we demonstrate that weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) DM masses can be reconstructed for a variety of Non-Relativistic Effective Field Theory (NREFT) interactions between WIMPs and nuclei. In particular, paleo-detectors are projected to be capable of reconstructing WIMP masses $\lesssim$ 10 GeV, a regime that is challenging for conventional direct-detection experiments; further, we find that paleo-detectors could reconstruct WIMP masses up to 1 TeV for hypothetical signals within their accessible parameter space, extending the mass range over which reconstruction is possible by up to a factor of $\sim 2$ compared with analogous studies of conventional direct-detection experiments. In addition, we demonstrate that paleo-detectors could discriminate between canonical spin-independent or spin-dependent NREFT interactions and non-canonical interactions which can depend on the relative velocity or momentum transferred between the WIMP and nucleus. Specifically, at WIMP masses $\gtrsim$ 10 GeV, we project that canonical NREFT interactions can be excluded by paleo-detectors in the cases of nearly all non-canonical interactions without measurement of nuclear recoil direction, which conventional experiments typically require.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2026

Self-Gravitating Magnetic Monopoles and Dyons in String-Inspired Models: Structure and Stability

We present classical magnetic--monopole (MM) and dyon solutions induced by global monopoles in string-inspired gravitational models. Although several ingredients of the construction have appeared previously, we examine a new synthesis via their organised use in a self-gravitating finite-energy monopole/dyon system with explicit mass, charge, core and stability diagnostics. The global monopole provides the topological seed, while the dilaton, Kalb--Ramond (KR) axion and Born--Infeld (BI) electromagnetic (EM) sector supply the string-inspired dressing. Two related branches are analysed: (i) a dilaton--BI magnetic branch, distinct from earlier constructions, and (ii) a dyonic extension in which the KR axion couples electric and magnetic sectors through an axion-Pontryagin-anomaly interaction. In both cases BI dynamics regularises the EM self-energy within a self-gravitating global-monopole construction, and the solutions possess a de Sitter core, a positive ADM-mass parameter range and satisfy the standard energy conditions. A further novel feature is a limiting branch in which the ADM mass tends to zero while the magnetic charge remains finite, the configuration being supported by magnetic charge and de Sitter core pressure.We also examine stability diagnostics. The stress--energy tensor gives finite force components and an outward-pointing radial force, indicating absence of core collapse within the mechanical stability criterion. In the exterior analytic region we analyse gauge-invariant EM perturbations using the Gervalle-Volkov framework. The helicity modes $ψ_\pm$ obey a self-adjoint Sturm--Liouville system. MM helicities decouple, while dyons exhibit axion-induced helicity mixing and birefringent polarisation structure. Positivity of the EM helicity block provides a necessary long-range stability diagnostic; the full coupled Einstein-matter spectral problem is discussed

hep-th↗

arXiv2026

Projected Sensitivity of Paleo-Detectors to Dark Matter Effective Interactions with Nuclei

Paleo-detectors are a proposed experimental technique for direct detection (DD) of dark matter (DM) via the read-out of DM-induced nuclear recoil tracks in natural minerals. The large detector mass required for the sensitivity of conventional DD experiments to rare events is replaced by the exposure of paleo-detectors to DM-induced nuclear recoils over geological timescales. In this paper, we extend previous theoretical predictions for canonical spin-independent coherent and spin-dependent scattering (proportional to $A^2$ and the spin of the nucleus, respectively). We estimate the sensitivity of paleo-detectors to interactions between weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) DM and nuclei within the framework of a Non-Relativistic Effective Field Theory (NREFT), considering isoscalar couplings to nucleons for both elastic and inelastic scattering. Taking into account cosmogenic, astrophysical and radiogenic backgrounds, we project the 90% confidence-level (CL) upper limits on the isoscalar NREFT coupling constants for both scattering types. We consider representative read-out scenarios and examine several target minerals. The projected sensitivities of paleo-detectors are compared with the 90% CL limits from the XENON100, LUX-ZEPLIN, and PandaX-II experiments, as well as with the 95% Bayesian credible region of the 2D marginalized posterior distribution from SuperCDMS. For DM masses from 1 GeV-10 GeV, paleo-detectors are projected to have sensitivity superior to that of conventional experiments for WIMP-nucleus interactions via all NREFT operators, largely independent of read-out scenario or target mineral. For DM masses from 10 GeV-5 TeV, we find that the sensitivity of paleo-detectors is projected to be comparable to or better than that of conventional experiments for WIMP-nucleus interactions via several NREFT operators, depending on the read-out scenario and target mineral.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2023

Motion of particles around a magnetically charged Euler-Heisenberg black hole with scalar hair and the Event Horizon Telescope

We study the motion of uncharged particles and photons in the background of a magnetically charged Euler-Heisenberg (EH) black hole (BH) with scalar hair. The spacetime can be asymptotically (A)dS or flat. After investigating particle motions around the BH and the behavior of the effective potential of the particle radial motion, we determine the contribution of the BH parameters to the geodesics. Photons follow null geodesics of an effective geometry induced by the corrections of the EH non-linear electrodynamics. Thus, after determining the effective geometry, we calculate the shadow of the BH. Upon comparing the theoretically calculated BH shadow with the images of the shadows of M87* and Sgr A* obtained by the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration, we impose constraints on the BH parameters, namely the scalar hair ($ν$), the magnetic charge ($Q_{m}$) and the EH parameter ($α$).

gr-qc↗

arXiv2023

Global Monopoles in the Extended Gauss-Bonnet Gravity

We discuss self-gravitating global O(3) monopole solutions associated with the spontaneous breaking of O(3) down to a global O(2) in an extended Gauss Bonnet theory of gravity in (3+1)-dimensions, in the presence of a non-trivial scalar field $Φ$ that couples to the Gauss-Bonnet higher curvature combination with a coupling parameter $α$. We obtain a range of values for $α< 0$ (in our notation and conventions), which are such that a global (Israel type) matching is possible of the space time exterior to the monopole core $δ$ with a de-Sitter interior, guaranteeing the positivity of the ADM mass of the monopole, which, together with a positive core radius $δ> 0$, are both dynamically determined as a result of this matching. It should be stressed that in the General Relativity (GR) limit, where $α\to 0$, and $Φ\to $ constant, such a matching yields a negative ADM monopole mass, which might be related to the stability issues the (Barriola-Vilenkin (BV)) global monopole of GR faces. Thus, our global monopole solution, which shares many features with the BV monopole, such as an asymptotic-space-time deficit angle, of potential phenomenological/cosmological interest, but has, par contrast, a positive ADM mass, has a chance of being a stable configuration, although a detailed stability analysis is pending.

gr-qc↗