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James Unwin

Publications and source records attributed to James Unwin.

51 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Superheavy Thermal Dark Matter and Primordial Asymmetries

The early universe could feature multiple reheating events, leading to jumps in the visible sector entropy density that dilute both particle asymmetries and the number density of frozen-out states. In fact, late time entropy jumps are usually required in models of Affleck-Dine baryogenesis, which typically produces an initial particle-antiparticle asymmetry that is much too large. An important consequence of late time dilution, is that a smaller dark matter annihilation cross section is needed to obtain the observed dark matter relic density. For cosmologies with high scale baryogenesis, followed by radiation-dominated dark matter freeze-out, we show that the perturbative unitarity mass bound on thermal relic dark matter is relaxed to $10^{10}$ GeV. We proceed to study superheavy asymmetric dark matter models, made possible by a sizable entropy injection after dark matter freeze-out, and identify how the Affleck-Dine mechanism would generate the baryon and dark asymmetries.

hep-ph↗

Cores in Dwarf Galaxies from Fermi Repulsion

We show that Fermi repulsion can lead to cored density profiles in dwarf galaxies for sub-keV fermionic dark matter. We treat the dark matter as a quasi-degenerate self-gravitating Fermi gas and calculate its density profile assuming hydrostatic equilibrium. We find that suitable dwarf galaxy cores of larger than 130 pc can be achieved for fermion dark matter with mass in the range 70 eV - 400 eV. While in conventional dark matter scenarios, such sub-keV thermal dark matter would be excluded by free streaming bounds, the constraints are ameliorated in models with dark matter at lower temperature than conventional thermal scenarios, such as the Flooded Dark Matter model that we have previously considered. Modifying the arguments of Tremaine and Gunn we derive a conservative lower bound on the mass of fermionic dark matter of 70 eV and a stronger lower bound from Lyman-$α$ clouds of about 470 eV, leading to slightly smaller cores than have been observed. We comment on this result and how the tension is relaxed in dark matter scenarios with non-thermal momentum distributions.

astro-ph.GA↗

Flooded Dark Matter and S Level Rise

Most dark matter (DM) models set the DM relic density by some interaction with Standard Model particles. Such models generally assume the existence of Standard Model particles early on, with the DM relic density a later consequence of those interactions. Perhaps a more compelling assumption is that DM is not part of the Standard Model sector and a population of DM too is generated at the end of inflation. This democratic assumption does not necessarily provide a natural value for the DM relic density, and superficially leads to too much entropy in the dark sector. We address the latter issue by the late decay of heavy particles produced at early times, associating the DM relic density with the lifetime of a long-lived state. We ask what it would take for this scenario to be compatible with observations in what we call Flooded Dark Matter (FDM) and discuss several interesting consequences. One is that DM can be very light and furthermore, light DM is in some sense the most natural scenario in FDM as it is compatible with larger couplings of the decaying particle. Moreover, the decay of the field with the smallest coupling and hence the longest lifetime dominates the entropy and possibly the matter content of the Universe, a principle we refer to as 'Maximum Baroqueness'. We also show that the dark sector should be colder than the ordinary sector, relaxing the free-streaming constraints on light DM. We will discuss the implications for the core-cusp problem in a follow-up paper. FDM also has interesting baryogenesis implications. One possibility is that both DM and baryon asymmetries are simultaneously diluted by a late entropy dump. Alternatively, FDM is compatible with an elegant non-thermal leptogenesis implementation in which decays of a heavy RH neutrino lead to late time reheating of the Standard Model and provide suitable conditions for creation of a lepton asymmetry.

hep-ph↗

UltraViolet Freeze-in

If dark matter is thermally decoupled from the visible sector, the observed relic density can potentially be obtained via freeze-in production of dark matter. Typically in such models it is assumed that the dark matter is connected to the thermal bath through feeble renormalisable interactions. Here, rather, we consider the case in which the hidden and visible sectors are coupled only via non-renormalisable operators. This is arguably a more generic realisation of the dark matter freeze-in scenario, as it does not require the introduction of diminutive renormalisable couplings. We examine general aspects of freeze-in via non-renormalisable operators in a number of toy models and present several motivated implementations in the context of Beyond the Standard Model physics. Specifically, we study models related to the Peccei-Quinn mechanism and Z' portals.

hep-ph↗

On Baryogenesis from a Complex Inflaton

We derive the particle asymmetry due to inflationary baryogenesis involving a complex inflaton, obtaining a different result to that in the literature. While asymmetries are found to be significantly smaller than previously calculated, in certain parameter regions baryogenesis can still be achieved.

hep-th↗

Towards Cogenesis via Asymmetric Freeze-in: The $χ$ Who Came-in from the Cold

In models of freeze-in the dark matter (DM) is decoupled from the visible sector and initially has a depleted number density. The hidden and visible sectors are connected only via a feeble portal interaction by which DM can be produced. Asymmetric freeze-in (AFI) combines this scenario with ideas from asymmetric DM and provides a potential cogenesis mechanism. However, it has been argued that existing AFI models do not produce suitably large particle asymmetries due to cancellations which arises because the mediator state remains in thermal equilibrium. We examine AFI via an out-of-equilibrium mediator and using a simple scalar model show that in this case sizeable asymmetries may be generated.

hep-ph↗

Fitting the Galactic Center Gamma-Ray Excess with Cascade Annihilations

The apparent excess of gamma rays in an extended region in the direction of the galactic center has a spatial distribution and amplitude that are suggestive of dark matter annihilations. If this excess is indeed due to dark matter annihilations, it would indicate the presence of both dark matter and an additional particle beyond the Standard Model that mediates the interactions between the dark matter and Standard Model states. We introduce reference models describing dark matter annihilation to pairs of these new mediators, which decouples the SM-mediator coupling from the thermal annihilation cross section and easily explains the lack of direct detection signals. We determine the parameter regions that give good descriptions of the gamma ray excess for several motivated choices of mediator couplings to the SM. We find fermion dark matter with mass 7-26 GeV and a dark vector mediator, or scalar dark matter in the 10-50 GeV range (Higgs portal mediator) or 10-65 GeV range (gluophilic mediator) can provide a comparable or improved fit, compared to the case of direct annihilation. We demonstrate that these models can easily satisfy all constraints from collider experiments, direct detection, and cosmology.

hep-ph↗

Annihilation Signals from Asymmetric Dark Matter

In the simplest models of asymmetric dark matter (ADM) annihilation signals are not expected, since the DM is non-self-conjugate and the relic density of anti-DM is negligible. We investigate a new class of models in which a symmetric DM component, in the `low-mass' 1-10 GeV regime favoured for linking the DM and baryon asymmetries, is repopulated through decays. We find that, in models without significant velocity dependence of the annihilation cross section, observational constraints generally force these decays to be (cosmologically) slow. These late decays can give rise to gamma-ray signal morphologies differing from usual annihilation profiles. A distinctive feature of such models is that signals may be absent from dwarf spheroidal galaxies.

hep-ph↗

X-ray lines from R-parity violating decays of keV sparticles

If R-parity is only mildly violated then the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) can be stable over cosmologically time-scales and still account for the dark matter relic density. We examine the possibility of generating detectable X-ray lines from R-parity violating decays of keV-scale LSP dark matter to neutrino-photon pairs. Specifically, we consider scenarios in which the LSP is a light gravitino, bino, or hidden sector photino. Potential signals are discussed in the context of recent claims of an unidentified 3.5 keV X-ray line in studies of stacked galaxy clusters. We comment on the difficulties in obtaining the observed relic density for keV scale bino or hidden photino dark matter and some possible resolutions.

hep-ph↗

Exodus: Hidden origin of dark matter and baryons

We propose a new framework for explaining the proximity of the baryon and dark matter relic densities Ω_{DM} \approx 5Ω_B. The scenario assumes that the number density of the observed dark matter states is generated due to decays from a second hidden sector which simultaneously generates the baryon asymmetry. In contrast to asymmetric dark matter models, the dark matter can be a real scalar or Majorana fermion and thus presents distinct phenomenology. We discuss aspects of model building and general constraints in this framework. We present a simple supersymmetric implementation of this mechanism and show that it can be used to obtain the correct dark matter relic density for a bino LSP.

hep-ph↗

The impact of heavy-quark loops on LHC dark matter searches

If only tree-level processes are included in the analysis, LHC monojet searches give weak constraints on the dark matter-proton scattering cross section arising from the exchange of a new heavy scalar or pseudoscalar mediator with Yukawa-like couplings to quarks. In this letter we calculate the constraints on these interactions from the CMS 5.0/fb and ATLAS 4.7/fb searches for jets with missing energy including the effects of heavy-quark loops. We find that the inclusion of such contributions leads to a dramatic increase in the predicted cross section and therefore a significant improvement of the bounds from LHC searches.

hep-ph↗

Precision Unification in λSUSY with a 125 GeV Higgs

It is challenging to explain the tentative 125 GeV Higgs signal in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) without introducing excessive fine-tuning, and this motivates the study of non-minimal implementations of low energy supersymmetry (SUSY). A term λSH_uH_d involving a Standard Model (SM) singlet state S leads to an additional source for the quartic interaction raising the mass of the lightest SM-like Higgs. However, in order to achieve m_h \approx 125 GeV with light stops and small stop mixing, it is necessary for λ\gtrsim 0.7 and consequently λmay become non-perturbative before the unification scale. Moreover, as argued by Barbieri, Hall, et al. low fine-tuning prefers the region λ~1-2, leading to new or non-perturbative physics involving S below the GUT scale (`λSUSY' models). This raises the concern that precision gauge coupling unification, the prime piece of indirect experimental evidence for low energy SUSY, may be upset. Using the NSVZ exact β-function along with well motivated assumptions on the strong coupling dynamics we show that this is not necessarily the case, but rather there exist classes of UV completions where the strong-coupling effects can naturally correct for the present ~3% discrepancy in the two-loop MSSM unification prediction for α_s. Moreover, we argue that in certain scenarios a period of strong coupling can also be beneficial for t-b unification, while maintaining the small to moderate values of tanβpreferred by the Higgs mass.

hep-ph↗

Closing in on Asymmetric Dark Matter I: Model independent limits for interactions with quarks

It is argued that experimental constraints on theories of asymmetric dark matter (ADM) almost certainly require that the DM be part of a richer hidden sector of interacting states of comparable mass or lighter. A general requisite of models of ADM is that the vast majority of the symmetric component of the DM number density must be removed in order to explain the observed relationship $Ω_B\simΩ_{DM}$ via the DM asymmetry. Demanding the efficient annihilation of the symmetric component leads to a tension with experimental limits if the annihilation is directly to Standard Model (SM) degrees of freedom. A comprehensive effective operator analysis of the model independent constraints on ADM from direct detection experiments and LHC monojet searches is presented. Notably, the limits obtained essentially exclude models of ADM with mass 1GeV$\lesssim m_{DM} \lesssim$ 100GeV annihilating to SM quarks via heavy mediator states. This motivates the study of portal interactions between the dark and SM sectors mediated by light states. Resonances and threshold effects involving the new light states are shown to be important for determining the exclusion limits.

hep-ph↗

A sharp 141 GeV Higgs prediction from environmental selection

We construct an environmentally selected supersymmetric standard model with a single Higgs doublet, in analogy with the work of Hall and Nomura. The low energy spectrum presents only the standard model states with a single Higgs and TeV scale gauginos. The model features a precise Higgs mass prediction m_H=141\pm 2 GeV and the neutral wino provides a viable dark matter candidate.

hep-ph↗

Vacuum stability and the Cholesky decomposition

We discuss how the Cholesky decomposition may be used to ascertain whether a critical point of the field theory scalar potential provides a stable vacuum configuration. We then use this method to derive the stability conditions in a specific example.

hep-ph↗