arXiv subjects

Nicolás Bernal

Publications and source records attributed to Nicolás Bernal.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Boosting Ultraviolet Freeze-in in NO Models

We present a novel UV freeze-in mechanism for enhancing the dark matter abundance in cosmologies where inflation is followed by an epoch dominated by a fluid stiffer than radiation. In such scenarios, even a small radiation abundance, produced for instance by instantaneous preheating effects, will eventually dominate the total energy density of the Universe without the need for a complete inflaton decay. For the sake of concreteness, we focus in non-oscillatory (NO) quintessential inflation models, albeit our treatment is rather general and can be extended to other scenarios. The high temperature of the initial thermal bath together with the absence of subsequent entropy injections into the Standard Model plasma translates into a highly-effective UV DM freeze-in. In particular, we find that, during kination, an enhancement in the DM abundance is generically obtained for any production cross-section not-decreasing with temperature.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

Self-interacting dark matter without prejudice

The existence of dark matter particles that carry phenomenologically relevant self-interaction cross sections mediated by light dark sector states is considered to be severely constrained through a combination of experimental and observational data. The conclusion is based on the assumption of specific dark matter production mechanisms such as thermal freeze-out together with an extrapolation of a standard cosmological history beyond the epoch of primordial nucleosynthesis. In this work, we drop these assumptions and examine the scenario from the perspective of the current firm knowledge we have: results from direct and indirect dark matter searches and cosmological and astrophysical observations, without additional assumptions on dark matter genesis or the thermal state of the very early universe. We show that even in the minimal set-up, where dark matter particles self-interact via a kinetically mixed vector mediator, a significant amount of parameter space remains allowed. Interestingly, however, these parameter regions imply a meta-stable, light mediator, which in turn calls for modified search strategies.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

Light Dark Matter: A Common Solution to the Lithium and ${H_0}$ Problems

Currently, the standard cosmological model faces some tensions and discrepancies between observations at early and late cosmological time. One of them concerns the well-known $H_0$-tension problem, i.e., a $\sim4.4σ$-difference between the early-time estimate and late-time measurements of the Hubble constant, $H_0$. Another puzzling question rests in the cosmological lithium abundance, where again local measurements differ from the one predicted by Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN). In this work, we show that a mechanism of light dark matter production might hold the answer for these questions. If dark matter particles are sufficiently light and a fraction of them was produced non-thermally in association with photons, this mechanism has precisely what is needed to destroy Lithium without spoiling other BBN predictions. Besides, it produces enough radiation that leads to a larger $H_0$ value, reconciling early and late-time measurements of the Hubble expansion rate without leaving sizable spectral distortions in the Cosmic Microwave Background spectrum.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2019

Reconstructing Non-standard Cosmologies with Dark Matter

Once dark matter has been discovered and its particle physics properties have been determined, a crucial question rises concerning how it was produced in the early Universe. If its thermally averaged annihilation cross section is in the ballpark of few$\times 10^{-26}$ cm$^3$/s, the WIMP mechanism in the standard cosmological scenario (i.e. radiation dominated Universe) will be highly favored. If this is not the case one can either consider an alternative production mechanism, or a non-standard cosmology. Here we study the dark matter production in scenarios with a non-standard expansion history. Additionally, we reconstruct the possible non-standard cosmologies that could make the WIMP mechanism viable.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

Ultraviolet Freeze-in and Non-Standard Cosmologies

A notable feature of UV freeze-in is that the relic density is strongly dependent on the highest temperatures of the thermal bath, and a common assumption is that the relevant 'highest temperature' should be the reheating temperature after inflation $T_\text{RH}$. However, the temperature of the thermal bath can be significantly higher in certain scenarios, reaching a value denoted T max , a fact which is only apparent away from the instantaneous decay approximation. Interestingly, it has been shown that if the operators are of sufficiently high mass dimension then the dark matter abundance can be enhanced by a 'boost factor' depending on ($T_\text{max}/T_\text{RH}$) relative to naive estimates assuming instantaneous reheating. We highlight here that in non-standard cosmological histories the critical mass dimension of the operator above at which the instantaneous decay approximation breaks down, and the exponent of the boost factor, depend on the equation of state $ω$ prior to reheating. We highlight four examples in which the dark matter abundance receives a significant enhancement in the context of gravitino dark matter, the moduli portal, the Higgs portal, and the spin-2 portal (as might arise in bimetric gravity models). We comment on the transition from kination domination to radiation domination as a motivated example of non-standard cosmologies.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

Primordial Gravitational Waves in Nonstandard Cosmologies

Assuming that inflation is followed by a phase where the energy density of the Universe is dominated by a component with a general equation of state, we evaluate the spectrum of primordial gravitational waves induced in the post-inflationary Universe. We show that if the energy density of the Universe is dominated by a component $ϕ$ before Big Bang nucleosynthesis, its equation of state could be constrained by gravitational wave experiments depending on the ratio of energy densities of $ϕ$ and radiation, and also the temperature at the end of the $ϕ$ dominated era. Also, we discuss the impact of scale dependence of tensor modes on the primordial gravitational wave spectrum during the $ϕ$-domination. These models are motivated by beyond Standard Model physics and scenarios for non-thermal production of dark matter in the early Universe. We also constrain the parameter space of the tensor spectral index and the tensor-to-scalar ratio, using the experimental limits from gravitational wave experiments.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2019

Hidden Inflaton Dark Matter

If cosmic inflation was driven by an electrically neutral scalar field stable on cosmological time scales, the field necessarily constitutes all or part of dark matter (DM). We study this possibility in a scenario where the inflaton field $s$ resides in a hidden sector, which is coupled to the Standard Model sector through the Higgs portal $λ_{hs} s^2\mathcal{H}^\dagger\mathcal{H}$ and non-minimally to gravity via $ξ_s s^2 R$. We study scenarios where the field $s$ first drives inflation, then reheats the Universe, and later constitutes all DM. We consider two benchmark scenarios where the DM abundance is generated either by production during reheating or via non-thermal freeze-in. In both cases, we take into account all production channels relevant for DM in the mass range from keV to PeV scale. On the inflationary side, we compare the dynamics and the relevant observables in two different but well-motivated theories of gravity (metric and Palatini), discuss multifield effects in case both fields ($s$ and $h$) were dynamical during inflation, and take into account the non-perturbative nature of particle production during reheating. We find that, depending on the initial conditions for inflation, couplings and the DM mass, the scenario works well especially for large DM masses, $10^2$ GeV$\lesssim m_{s}\lesssim 10^6$ GeV, although there are also small observationally allowed windows at the keV and MeV scales. We discuss how the model can be tested through astrophysical observations.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

Phenomenology of Self-Interacting Dark Matter in a Matter-Dominated Universe

We study production of self-interacting dark matter (DM) during an early matter-dominated phase. As a benchmark scenario, we consider a model where the DM consists of singlet scalar particles coupled to the visible Standard Model (SM) sector via the Higgs portal. We consider scenarios where the initial DM abundance is set by either the usual thermal freeze-out or an alternative freeze-in mechanism, where DM was never in thermal equilibrium with the SM sector. For the first time, we take the effect of self-interactions within the hidden sector into account in determining the DM abundance, reminiscent to the Strongly Interacting Massive Particle (SIMP) scenario. In all cases, the number density of DM may change considerably compared to the standard radiation-dominated case, having important observational and experimental ramifications.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

Inclusive Displaced Vertex Searches for Heavy Neutral Leptons at the LHC

The inclusion of heavy neutral leptons to the Standard Model particle content could provide solutions to many open questions in particle physics and cosmology. The modification of the charged and neutral currents from active-sterile mixing of neutral leptons can provide novel signatures in Standard Model processes. We revisit the displaced vertex signature that could occur in collisions at the LHC via the decay of heavy neutral leptons with masses of a few GeV emphasizing the implications of flavor, kinematics, inclusive production and number of these extra neutral fermions. We study in particular the implication on the parameter space sensitivity when all mixings to active flavors are taken into account. We also discuss alternative cases where the new particles are produced in a boosted regime.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

Scalar singlet dark matter in non-standard cosmologies

We study production of dark matter (DM) in models with a non-standard expansion history. We consider both freeze-out and freeze-in mechanisms for producing the observed DM abundance in a model where the DM consists of scalar singlet particles coupled to the Standard Model sector via the Higgs portal. We show that a non-standard expansion phase can lead to a significant change in the DM abundance and therefore to observational ramifications. For example, for DM freeze-in the required portal coupling can be much larger, whereas for DM freeze-out much smaller values become allowed. We evaluate the relevant constraints and discuss prospects for direct detection of such DM.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2018

Searching for Heavy Neutral Leptons with Displaced Vertices at the LHC

Heavy Neutral Leptons are naturally present in many well-motivated extensions of the Standard Model. If their mass is of few dozens of GeVs, they can be long-lived and lead to events with displaced vertices, giving rise to promising signatures due to the low background. We revisit the opportunities offered by the LHC to discover these long-lived states via searches with displaced vertices. We study in particular the implication on the parameter space sensitivity when all mixings to active flavors are taken into account.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2018

Non-thermal production of Dark Matter after Inflation

The existence of Dark Matter (DM) has been well established from various cosmological and astrophysical evidences. However, the particle properties of DM are largely undetermined and attempts to probe its interactions with the Standard Model (SM) particles have, so far, not met with any success. The stringent constraints on the DM-SM interactions, while does not exclude the standard lore of producing weakly massive interacting particle DM candidates through thermal freeze-out mechanism in its entirety, have certainly cast shadow on the same. In this work, we consider non-thermal production of DM within a simple extension of the SM including an inflaton field and a scalar DM candidate. Assuming negligible interactions between the SM particles and the DM, we study the production of the latter at the end of inflation, during the (p)reheating epoch. In this context, we explore the role of DM self-interactions and its interaction with the inflaton field, and find that DM can be over produced in a significant region of the parameter space. We further demonstrate that large self-interaction of the DM can suppress its abundance during preheating and to a certain extent helps to achieve the observed relic abundance via cannibalization.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2018

Non-minimally Coupled Pseudoscalar Inflaton

We consider a scenario in which the inflaton $ϕ$ is a pseudoscalar field non-minimally coupled to gravity through a term of the form ${\cal X} R ϕ^2$. The pseudoscalar is also coupled to a $U(1)$ gauge field (or an ensemble of ${\cal N}$ gauge fields) through an axial coupling of the form $ϕF \tilde{F}$. After M. M. Anber and L. Sorbo, Phys. Rev. D 81, 043534 (2010), Ref. [1], it is well known that this axial coupling leads to a production of gauge particles which acts as a friction term in the dynamics of the inflaton, producing a slow-roll regime even in presence of a steep potential. A remarkable result in this scenario, is that the spectrum of the chiral gravitational waves sourced by the scalar-gauge field interplay can be enhanced due to the non-minimal coupling with gravity, leading to measurable signatures, while maintaining agreement with current observational constraints on $n_s$ and $r$. The inclusion of non-minimal coupling could be helpful to alleviate tensions with non-Gaussianity bounds in models including axial couplings.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2018

Sharing but not Caring: Collider Phenomenology

Based on a previous work on scenarios where the Standard Model and dark matter particles share a common asymmetry through effective operators at early time in the Universe and later on decouple from each other (not care), in this work, we study in detail the collider phenomenology of these scenarios. In particular, we use the experimental results from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) to constrain the viable parameter space. Besides effective operators, we also constrain the parameter space of some representative ultraviolet complete models with experimental results from both the LHC and the Large Electron-Positron Collider. Specifically, we use measurements related to jets + missing transverse energy (MET), di-jets and photon + MET. In the case of ultraviolet models, depending on the assumptions on the couplings and masses of mediators, the derived constraints can become more or less stringent. We consider also the situation where one of the mediators has mass below 100 GeV, in this case we use the ultraviolet model to construct a new effective operator responsible for the sharing of the asymmetry and study its phenomenology.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2018

Fermion Masses and Mixings and Dark Matter Constraints in a Model with Radiative Seesaw Mechanism

We formulate a predictive model of fermion masses and mixings based on a $Δ(27)$ family symmetry. In the quark sector the model leads to the viable mixing inspired texture where the Cabibbo angle comes from the down quark sector and the other angles come from both up and down quark sectors. In the lepton sector the model generates a predictive structure for charged leptons and, after radiative seesaw, an effective neutrino mass matrix with only one real and one complex parameter. We carry out a detailed analysis of the predictions in the lepton sector, where the model is only viable for inverted neutrino mass hierarchy, predicting a strict correlation between $θ_{23}$ and $θ_{13}$. We show a benchmark point that leads to the best-fit values of $θ_{12}$, $θ_{13}$, predicting a specific $\sin^2θ_{23} \simeq 0.51$ (within the $3 σ$ range), a leptonic CP-violating Dirac phase $δ\simeq 281.6 ^\circ$ and for neutrinoless double-beta decay $m_{ee} \simeq 41.3$ meV. We turn then to an analysis of the dark matter candidates in the model, which are stabilized by an unbroken $\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry. We discuss the possibility of scalar dark matter, which can generate the observed abundance through the Higgs portal by the standard WIMP mechanism. An interesting possibility arises if the lightest heavy Majorana neutrino is the lightest $\mathbb{Z}_2$-odd particle. The model can produce a viable fermionic dark matter candidate, but only as a feebly interacting massive particle (FIMP), with the smallness of the coupling to the visible sector protected by a symmetry and directly related to the smallness of the light neutrino masses.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2018

Hot Leptogenesis from Thermal Dark Matter

In this work, we investigate a scenario in which heavy Majorana Right-Handed Neutrinos (RHNs) are in thermal equilibrium with a dark sector with temperature higher than the Standard Model (SM) thermal bath. Specifically, we consider the scenario in which thermal Dark Matter (DM) abundance is fixed from the freeze-out of DM annihilations into RHNs. Due to the inert nature of the RHNs, we show that it is possible for the two sectors to remain thermally decoupled by having more than two generations of the RHNs. The hotter temperature implies higher abundances of DM and RHNs with the following consequences. For leptogenesis, an enhancement in efficiency up to a factor of 51.6 can be obtained, though a resonant enhancement of CP violation is still required due to an upper mass bound of about 4 TeV for the RHNs. For the DM, an enhanced annihilation cross section up to a factor of 51.6 is required to obtain the correct DM abundance. This scenario can be probed via indirect detection of DM annihilating into RHNs, which then decay into $h\,ν$, $Z\,ν$ and $W^{\pm} \ell^{\mp}$ with an enhanced annihilation cross section above the typical thermal value.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2017

The Dawn of FIMP Dark Matter: A Review of Models and Constraints

We present an overview of scenarios where the observed Dark Matter (DM) abundance consists of Feebly Interacting Massive Particles (FIMPs), produced non-thermally by the so-called freeze-in mechanism. In contrast to the usual freeze-out scenario, frozen-in FIMP DM interacts very weakly with the particles in the visible sector and never attained thermal equilibrium with the baryon-photon fluid in the early Universe. Instead of being determined by its annihilation strength, the DM abundance depends on the decay and annihilation strengths of particles in equilibrium with the baryon-photon fluid, as well as couplings in the DM sector. This makes frozen-in DM very difficult but not impossible to test. In this review, we present the freeze-in mechanism and its variations considered in the literature (dark freeze-out and reannihilation), compare them to the standard DM freeze-out scenario, discuss several aspects of model building, and pay particular attention to observational properties and general testability of such feebly interacting DM.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2017

Simply split SIMPs

Dark Matter which interacts strongly with itself, but only feebly with the Standard Model is a possibility that has been entertained to solve apparent small-scale structure problems that are pertinent to the non-interacting cold Dark Matter paradigm. In this paper, we study the simple case in which the self-scattering rate today is regulated by kinematics and/or the abundance ratio, through the mass-splitting of nearly degenerate pseudo-Dirac fermions $χ_1$ and $χ_2$ or real scalars $ϕ_1$ and $ϕ_2$. We calculate the relic density of these states in a scenario where self-scattering proceeds through off-diagonal couplings with a vector particle $V$ (Dark Photon) and where the abundance is set through number-depleting 4-to-2 reactions in the hidden sector, or, alternatively, via freeze-in. We study the implications of the considered models and their prospect of solving astrophysical small-scale structure problems. We also show how the introduction of the (meta-)stable heavier state may be probed in future dark matter searches.

hep-ph↗