Searcharxiv⌕ Search

arXiv subjects

Narendra Sahu

Publications and source records attributed to Narendra Sahu.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

Inelastic Singlet-Doublet Fermion Dark Matter in light of the 248 keV LZ event

Recently, the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) collaboration reported the observation of a single dark matter (DM)-nucleus scattering event at a nuclear recoil energy of $248\pm23_{\rm stat}\pm23_{\rm sys}$ keV, corresponding to an exposure of 2.84 tonne-year. The absence of events at lower nuclear recoil energies in the predicted spectrum is naturally explained if the underlying process is inelastic DM-nucleus scattering. Motivated by this, we investigate the singlet-doublet fermion DM model, in which the DM consists of two pseudo-Dirac states: the Majorana nature of the lighter state forbids tree level $Z$-mediated elastic scattering identically, while the same states enable inelastic DM-nucleus scattering via $Z$ exchange, with any residual elastic scattering proceeding only through a suppressed Higgs-mediated channel. We further extend the model with a $Z_2$-even scalar triplet, which is responsible both for generating the pseudo-Dirac splitting and for realizing Majorana neutrino masses via the Type-II seesaw mechanism.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2026

Singlet-Doublet fermion origin of dark matter, neutrino mass and inverse first-order electroweak phase transition

We study the possibility of an inverse first-order electroweak phase transition (IFOEWPT) and observable gravitational waves (GW) in a radiative neutrino mass model of scotogenic type where singlet-doublet (SD) fermions, the lightest of whom is the dark matter (DM) candidate, generate the necessary seesaw at one-loop level. Considering the possibility of light neutrinos being Dirac for simplicity and additional detection prospects, we extend the standard model (SM) with two generations of $SU(2)_L$ singlet and doublet fermions, one singlet scalar, and three right-handed neutrinos (RHNs). While RHNs provide the right chiral parts of light Dirac neutrinos, the SD fermions and the scalar singlet facilitate the one-loop neutrino mass diagram. The neutral component of the lighter SD fermion, stabilized under a residual $Z_2$ symmetry plays the role of DM while the heavier SD fermions strongly couple to the Higgs leading to an IFOEWPT where the Universe undergoes two different first-order phase transition as it goes from the symmetric to the final broken Higgs phase. We constrain the parameter space from the requirements of generating the correct neutrino mass, DM relic as well as IFOEWPT while incorporating the existing constraints from different experiments. The final allowed parameter space of the model can be probed at collider, direct-detection, GW and cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiments in near future.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2026

Dark Phoenix: dark matter relic from its own decay

We propose a novel mechanism for generating correct relic of dark matter (DM) which otherwise gets thermally overproduced from the conventional freeze-out mechanism. The mechanism, dubbed as {\it Dark Phoenix}, relies on a transient decay window for DM after its freeze-out which brings its relic within observed limits. Due to finite-temperature effects on masses, DM $\psi$ becomes heavier than its dark sector partner $\phi$ in this window allowing it to decay. The decay of DM then stops after $\phi$ gets a sudden jump in its mass from a first-order phase transition (FOPT) driven by another scalar $\eta$. The dark sector partner $\phi$, assumed to be a charged scalar, undergoes sufficient pair annihilation during this epoch such that its late decay into DM does not overproduce the latter again. While direct-detection rates of DM remains suppressed due to small couplings, the charged scalar $\phi$ can have interesting signatures like long-lived charged track at colliders. The associated FOPT can also lead to observable gravitational waves at future experiments like LISA.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2026

Probing Dynamical Inverse Seesaw with Low-frequency Gravitational Waves

We study the possibility of probing the dynamical inverse seesaw mechanism for the origin of light neutrino masses via the detection of stochastic gravitational waves (GW) in the low-frequency regime currently being probed by pulsar timing arrays. As the lepton number-violating term in inverse seesaw typically remains in the sub-MeV ballpark, its dynamical origin naturally brings the possibility of a low-scale first-order phase transition, which can be probed at low-frequency GW experiments. We also find interesting complementarity with heavy neutral lepton searches, as GW experiments remain sensitive to parameter space with small active-sterile mixing, which is out of reach for most particle physics experiments.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2026

Singlet-doublet dark matter induced radiative neutrino mass and TeV scale leptogenesis

The singlet-doublet dark matter (SDDM) model is a well-motivated WIMP framework that accommodates viable dark matter over a broad range of parameter space. In this work, we explore the possibility of TeV-scale leptogenesis within two realizations of the SDDM setup: Majorana SDDM scenario and Dirac SDDM scenario. The light neutrino mass, in either case, arises radiatively at one loop level. The particles running in the loop are responsible for Dark matter relic and TeV-scale leptogenesis while satisfying other phenomenological constraints. In the Majorana setup, the Standard Model is extended by three generations of singlet fermions $N_i$ and doublet fermions $\Psi_i$, and a singlet scalar $\phi$. The \textit{CP}-violating, out-of-equilibrium decays of the heavier singlets ($N_{2,3}$) generate baryon asymmetry via the leptogenesis route, while the first generation of singlet-doublet fermions give rise to the usual SD Majorana dark matter. In the Dirac setup, the standard model is extended by three generations of complex scalars ($\phi_i$) and right-handed Dirac partners ($\nu_{R_i}$) of SM neutrinos ($\nu_{L_i}$), along with a pair of singlet-doublet fermions $\chi$ and $\Psi$. The \textit{CP}-violating out-of-equilibrium decays of the scalar fields $\phi_i$ generate baryon asymmetry via the Dirac leptogenesis route. We show that in the Majorana setup, successful leptogenesis is possible even in the sub-TeV regime, while in the Dirac setup, the scale of leptogenesis is at a few TeV. With the particle mass at the TeV scale, the model remains promising for collider experiments, particularly through signatures such as prompt decays and displaced vertex searches. In addition, the presence of Dirac neutrinos can contribute to $\Delta N_{\rm eff}$, providing complementary cosmological signatures.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2026

Cogenesis of visible and dark matter in type-I Dirac seesaw

We propose a novel cogenesis framework based on the type-I Dirac seesaw mechanism. The minimal type-I Dirac seesaw with three heavy vector-like fermions $(N)$, one singlet scalar $(\eta)$, and the right-handed counterparts $(\nu_R)$ of the Standard Model (SM) neutrinos is extended to include a Dirac fermion dark matter (DM) $(\chi)$ and its heavier scalar companion ($\phi$). The out-of-equilibrium decays of the vector-like fermion generate asymmetries simultaneously in the visible sector, through decay channels involving $(\nu_R,\eta)$ or lepton, Higgs doublets in the SM, and in the dark sector via decaying into $(\chi,\phi)$. The resulting lepton asymmetry is partially converted into the observed baryon asymmetry by electroweak sphaleron processes, while the dark-sector asymmetry survives to constitute the present-day asymmetric DM relic. The generation of asymmetries in multiple sectors and their mutual washouts provide rich dynamics while also keeping the model testable at different observations involving DM, neutrinos, cosmic microwave background (CMB), as well as gravitational waves (GW). We find that successful cogenesis can be realized for DM masses in the range $100~\mathrm{MeV} \lesssim m_\chi \lesssim 39~\mathrm{TeV}$. The lower bound arises from the requirement that the symmetric component of DM annihilates efficiently before the big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) epoch, while the upper bound is set by unitarity constraints on the asymmetric DM.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2026

Can Dirac neutrinos destabilize $\mathcal{Z}_2$ domain wall network?

In particle physics model building, a discrete $\mathcal{Z}_2$ symmetry is often spontaneously broken for phenomenological reasons. When this breaking occurs dynamically in the early Universe, stable domain wall networks are formed, which can eventually dominate the cosmic energy density. To avoid this problem, explicit $\mathcal{Z}_2$-breaking terms in the scalar potential are usually introduced in an ad hoc manner. In this Letter, we show that if the same $\mathcal{Z}_2$ symmetry is also responsible for generating light Dirac neutrino masses, such explicit breaking terms can instead arise radiatively from the particles involved in the Dirac mass generation. We find that the resulting bias term scales inversely with the cube of the Dirac neutrino mass, leading to a gravitational wave spectrum proportional to the sixth power of the Dirac neutrino mass. This establishes a nontrivial connection between the Dirac seesaw scale, the domain wall annihilation epoch, and the resulting stochastic gravitational wave signal. We further demonstrate that a wide range of Dirac seesaw scales can be probed by upcoming gravitational wave and cosmic microwave background experiments, while part of the parameter space simultaneously explains the observed baryon asymmetry via Dirac leptogenesis.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2026

Baryon-dark matter coincidence in Randall-Sundrum Model

Within the framework of the extra-dimensional Randall-Sundrum set-up, we investigate the freeze-in production of Standard Model (SM) gauge-singlet scalar, fermionic, and massive vector dark matter (DM). Assuming that both the DM and SM fields reside on the IR brane and interact solely through the graviton and radion portal, we demonstrate that the Planck-observed DM relic abundance can be achieved across a wide range of reheating temperatures, all while naturally addressing the hierarchy problem, satisfying constraints from collider and early Universe cosmology. We further show that the same set-up can accommodate TeV-scale leptogenesis capable of generating the observed baryon asymmetry of the Universe. Interestingly, we find that current graviton searches at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) already impose strong constraints on the reheating temperature in this scenario, providing a complementarity between cosmological and collider probes.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2026

Forbidden dark matter assisted by first-order phase transition and associated gravitational waves

We propose a simple yet testable framework for light fermion dark matter (DM) with mass in the MeV--GeV range, charged under a dark $U(1)_D$ gauge symmetry. Before symmetry breaking, DM annihilates excessively into massless dark gauge bosons, resulting in an under-abundant relic and hence creating severe tension with cosmic microwave background (CMB) and indirect detection constraints. This is naturally remedied by a strongly first-order phase transition (FOPT) in the dark sector, triggered by a scalar field $\Phi$, which gives rise to masses for the dark gauge boson ($X_D$) and the physical scalar ($\phi$). To achieve the correct relic abundance while evading indirect detection constraints, the $s$-wave annihilation channel $\chi\bar{\chi} \rightarrow X_D \phi$ is strictly maintained in the kinematically forbidden regime. Crucially, due to the $U(1)_D$ gauge structure, the usual $\chi\bar{\chi} \rightarrow \phi\phi$ annihilation is strictly absent at tree level and only arises at the one-loop level. Within this framework, we explore two distinct possibilities. When the loop-induced $\chi\bar{\chi} \rightarrow \phi\phi$ channel is also kinematically forbidden, it predominantly determines the relic density. Conversely, when the $\chi\bar{\chi} \rightarrow\phi\phi$ channel is kinematically allowed, a rich interplay emerges between the tree-level forbidden $\chi\bar{\chi} \rightarrow X_D \phi$ process and the loop-level allowed $\chi\bar{\chi} \rightarrow\phi\phi$ process, with the dominant contribution being dictated sensitively by the DM mass and gauge coupling. The late-time annihilations are highly suppressed in both of these channels, either by the energetic threshold of the forbidden channel or the $p$-wave velocity suppression of the loop-induced $\chi\bar{\chi} \rightarrow\phi\phi$ final state process, rendering the scenario entirely safe from CMB and indirect search bounds...

hep-ph↗
arXiv2026

Naturally small Dirac neutrino mass and $B-L$ dark matter

In the conventional gauged ${B-L}$ extension of the standard model, the $B-L$ charge of the singlet scalar $\chi$, responsible for the breaking of $U(1)_{B-L}$ symmetry, is taken to be 2 such that it can anchor type-I seesaw by giving Majorana masses to the right-handed neutrinos, $\nu_R$. In this paper, we consider instead the cases $\chi \sim 3$ or 4 under $B-L$, so that $\nu_R$ may not acquire any Majorana mass and neutrinos are Dirac fermions. We then consider a vector-like fermion $S$ with 2 units of $B-L$ charge, which becomes a good candidate for dark matter, either Dirac for $\chi \sim 3$ or Majorana for $\chi \sim 4$. In both cases, spontaneous $B-L$ breaking can induce a strong first-order phase transition, producing stochastic gravitational waves (GW) which can be tested at GW experiments. Moreover, the presence of light $\nu_R$s gives rise to an additional contribution to the effective number of relativistic degrees of freedom, $\Delta{N}_{\rm eff}$, providing complementary constraints from current and upcoming CMB observations.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2026

Anatomy of RHN DM relic in the vanilla scotogenic neutrino mass model

The scotogeneic neutrino mass models are very popular choices to generate light neutrino masses via radiative mechanism. In these models, the particles running in the loop are distinguished from the standard model due to an imposed $\mathcal{Z}_2$ symmetry under which the loop particles are odd. Therefore, the lightest particle running in the loop can be a viable dark matter candidate. In this paper, we revisit the minimal scotogenic neutrino mass model and study the anatomy of right handed neutrino (RHN) DM relic, taking into account contributions from self-annihilation, co-annihilation, conversion-driven processes, as well as production via the freeze-in mechanism. We impose the constraints from direct detection and collider searches of DM including anomalous magnetic moment of muon, charged lepton flavor violation and low-energy neutrino oscillation data to show that the lightest RHN can be a viable DM in the mass range: $M_{h}/2\lesssim M_{\rm DM}\lesssim2000 {\rm GeV}$ (thermal DM) and $0.1 ~{\rm GeV}\lesssim M_{\rm DM}\lesssim 1000 {\rm GeV}$ (non-thermal DM), where $M_h$ denotes the Standard Model Higgs mass and $M_{\rm DM}$ is the RHN dark matter mass. We also find the displaced vertex signatures of long lived particles which can be probed at future colliders.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2025

Cosmological Probes of Lepton Parity Freeze-in Dark Matter: $\Delta N_{\rm eff}$ & Gravitational Waves

In the canonical type-I seesaw mechanism for neutrino masses, a residual symmetry known as lepton parity: $(-1)^L$, remains preserved. Introducing a Majorana fermion $S$ with even lepton parity renders it naturally stable, making it a viable dark matter (DM) candidate. The addition of a lepton parity odd singlet scalar $\sigma$ allows for the coupling $N S \sigma$, where $N$ is the right-handed neutrino. If $S$ is not thermalized, then DM relic can be produced in two distinct ways: (i) for reheating temperature, $T_{\rm rh}>m_{N}$, dominantly through the decay of $N$ ($N\rightarrow S\sigma$), and (ii) for $T_{\rm EW}<T_{\rm rh}\ll m_{N}$, via standard model Higgs ($h$) decay ($h\rightarrow SS$ at one loop). If the $\sigma-h$ quartic coupling is large, then it can lead to a strong first-order electroweak phase transition even if $\langle\sigma\rangle=0$. Alternatively, if $\sigma-h$ coupling is small, then $\sigma$ can freeze out with a larger abundance, and hence its decay ($\sigma\rightarrow S\nu$) at late epochs can give rise to additional relativistic degrees of freedom ($\Delta{N}_{\rm eff}$). Thus, the framework gives a viable DM with mass range varying from MeV to TeV and leaves observable imprints, via gravitational waves and $\Delta{N}_{\rm eff}$, which offer complementary probes, potentially detectable in future gravitational wave and CMB experiments.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2025

Gravitational Wave Probe of Singlet-Doublet Dark Matter Induced Radiative Neutrino Mass

We investigate an one loop radiative neutrino mass model, where the loop particles, notably a singlet fermion ($\chi$), a doublet fermion ($\Psi$) and three generations of singlet scalars ($\phi_i, i=\{1,2,3\}$) are assumed to be odd under an additional $\mathcal{Z}_2$-symmetry. In this setup, the singlet fermion mixes with the neutral component of the doublet to give rise singlet-doublet Majorana dark matter. The addition of $\mathcal{Z}_2$ odd scalars in the model provides rich phenomenological implications. We find that the quartic interaction terms between the SM Higgs and $\phi_i$s play a significant role in modifying the scalar potential to have a first-order phase transition (FOPT) leading to observable gravitational waves (GWs) spectra. We also examine the non-trivial role played by the singlet-doublet fermion DM and the scalars in loop-induced neutrino mass, $(g-2)_\mu$, and lepton flavor violation. We find that the model is predictive due to the combined constraints and can be verified at different terrestrial experiments.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2025

Impact of conversion-driven processes on singlet-doublet Majorana dark matter relic

The singlet-doublet dark matter model offers a rich framework for exploring the nature of dark matter (DM) through its unique fermion structure. In this model, the important parameters are the singlet-doublet mass splitting $\Delta{M}$, the singlet-doublet mixing angle $\sin\theta$, and the DM mass $M_{\rm DM}$. If the DM is assumed to be of Dirac nature, then the annihilation, co-annihilation, and conversion driven processes combined allow a range of parameter space: $100~{\rm GeV} \lesssim M_{\rm DM}\lesssim750$ GeV and $10^{-6}\lesssim\sin\theta\lesssim0.04$ for $\Delta{M}>1$ GeV. While the nature of DM, either Dirac or Majorana, is not known, in this work, we assume the singlet-doublet DM to be of Majorana type and find that the relic density and direct detection can be satisfied over a larger parameter space. In particular, the allowed ranges of DM mass and $\sin\theta$ are $100~{\rm GeV}\lesssim M_{\rm DM}\lesssim1750$ GeV and $2\times10^{-7}\lesssim\sin\theta\lesssim0.45$ for $\Delta{M}>1$ GeV.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2025

Revisiting the limits on dark matter annihilation cross-section and decay lifetime in light of electron and positron fluxes

We revisit the upper bound on the annihilation cross-section, $\langle\sigma v\rangle$ of a stable dark matter (DM) of mass $500-10^{14}$ GeV by considering five different channels: $W^+W^-$, $b\bar{b}$, $\mu^+\mu^-$, $\tau^+\tau^-$, and $e^+e^-$. We use the observed electron and positron fluxes from CALET, DAMPE, HESS, positron flux from AMS-02, and gamma-ray flux from HAWC, GRAPES-3, CASA-MIA to constrain the annihilation cross-section. We also consider unstable DM of mass $10^3-10^{16}$~GeV decaying to $W^+W^-$, $b\bar{b}$, $\mu^+\mu^-$, $\tau^+\tau^-$, and $e^+e^-$ and derive the corresponding lower bound on the DM lifetime, $\tau_{\rm DM}$. We find that the latest AMS-02 data provide the most stringent constraints on $\langle\sigma v\rangle$ for DM masses below 2 TeV, while HESS yields the strongest limits for $M_{\rm DM}\gtrsim2$ TeV. The HESS gives a much more stringent limit on the DM lifetime, excluding $\tau_{\rm DM\rightarrow\mu^+\mu^-}\lesssim\mathcal{O}(10^{30})$ s for a 10 TeV mass of DM. The limits on $\langle\sigma v\rangle$ derived from the $e^+e^-$ flux are competitive with those from $\gamma$-ray and neutrino observations for DM masses in the range $10^5$--$10^{11}$ GeV, and become the most stringent beyond this range. For decaying DM, the $e^+e^-$ flux provides the strongest constraints on the DM lifetime over the mass range $10^3$--$10^9$ GeV.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2025

Light thermal dark matter models in the light of DAMIC-M 2025 constraints

We study the viability of light thermal dark matter (DM) in sub-GeV mass range in view of the stringent new DAMIC-M limits on DM-electron scattering. Considering a Dirac fermion singlet DM charged under a new Abelian gauge symmetry $U(1)$, we outline two possibilities: (i) family non-universal $U(1)$ gauge coupling with resonantly enhanced DM annihilation into standard model (SM) fermions and (ii) family universal dark $U(1)$ gauge symmetry where relic is set by DM annihilation into light gauge bosons. As an illustrative example of the first class of models, we consider a gauged $L_\mu-L_\tau$ extension of the SM having interesting detection prospects at several experiments. While both of these class of models lead to observed DM relic and consistency with DAMIC-M together with other experimental limits, the second class of models also lead to strong DM self-interactions, potentially solving the small-scale structure issues of cold dark matter. While a vast part of the parameter space in both the models is already ruled out, the current allowed region of parameter space can be further probed at ongoing or future experiments keeping the models testable.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2025

Lepton parity dark matter and naturally unstable domain walls

We propose a simple and predictive setup that connects neutrino masses, dark matter (DM), and gravitational waves. A minimal lepton parity DM scenario is considered where the residual symmetry $(-1)^L$ from the type I seesaw acts as the dark parity $D=(-1)^{L+2j}$, ensuring DM stability without imposing any new symmetry. A singlet Majorana fermion $S$ with even lepton parity serves as the DM candidate, interacting via a real scalar $\sigma$ which is also even lepton parity. The scalar potential possesses an accidental $\mathcal{Z}_2$ symmetry, whose spontaneous breaking gives rise to unstable domain walls (DW) in the presence of explicit $\mathcal{Z}_2$ breaking terms allowed by the lepton parity. The subsequent DW annihilation generates a stochastic gravitational wave (GW) background potentially observable at different GW experiments.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2025

Self-interacting dark matter with observable $\Delta N_{\rm eff}$

We propose a GeV-scale self-interacting dark matter (SIDM) candidate within a dark $U(1)_D$ gauged extension of the Standard Model (SM), addressing small-scale structure issues in $\Lambda$CDM while predicting an observable contribution to $\Delta N_{\rm eff}$ in the form of dark radiation. The model introduces a fermionic DM candidate $\chi$ and a scalar $\phi$, both charged under an unbroken $U(1)_D$ gauge symmetry. The self-interactions of $\chi$ are mediated by a light vector boson $X^\mu$, whose mass is generated via the Stueckelberg mechanism. The relic abundance of $\chi$ is determined by thermal freeze-out through annihilations into $X^\mu$, supplemented by a non-thermal component from the late decay of $\phi$. Crucially, $\phi$ decays after the Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) but before the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) epoch, producing additional $\chi$ and a dark radiation species ($\nu_S$). This late-time production compensates for thermal underabundance due to efficient annihilation into light mediators, while remaining consistent with structure formation constraints. The accompanying dark radiation yields a detectable $\Delta N_{\rm eff}$, compatible with Planck 2018 bounds and within reach of next-generation experiments such as SPT-3G, CMB-S4, and CMB-HD.

hep-ph↗