arXiv subjects

Ricardo G. Landim

Publications and source records attributed to Ricardo G. Landim.

28 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Dark photon dark matter and fast radio bursts

The nature of dark matter (DM) is still a mystery that may indicate the necessity for extensions of the Standard Model (SM). Light dark photons (DP) may comprise partially or entirely the observed DM density and existing limits on the DP DM parameter space arise from several cosmological and astrophysical sources. In the present work we investigate DP DM using cosmic transients, specifically fast radio bursts (FRBs). The observed time delay of radio photons with different energies have been used to constrain the photon mass or the Weak Equivalence Principle, for example. Due to the mixing between the visible and the DP, the time delay of photons from these cosmic transients, caused by free electrons in the intergalactic medium, can change and impact those constraints from FRBs. We use five detected FRBs and two associations of FRBs with gamma-ray bursts to investigate the correspondent variation on the time delay caused by the presence of DP DM. The result is virtually independent of the FRB used and this variation is very small, considering the still allowed DP DM parameter space, not jeopardizing current bounds on other contributions of the observed time delay.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2020

Fat brane, dark matter and localized kinetic terms in six dimensions

Extra dimensions (ED) have been used as attempts to explain several phenomena in particle physics over the years. In this paper we investigate the role of an abelian gauge field as mediator of the interaction between dark matter (DM) and Standard Model (SM) particles, in a model with two flat and transverse ED compactified on the chiral square. DM is confined in a thin brane, localized at the origin of the chiral square, while the SM is localized in a finite width brane, lying in the opposite corner of the square. A brane-localized kinetic term is present in the DM brane, while in the fat brane it is not allowed. In this model the kinetic mixing is not required because we assume that the SM particles couple to the mediator through their $B-L$ charges, while DM couples to it via a dark charge. Assuming a complex scalar field as DM candidate it is possible to obtain the observed DM relic abundance and avoid direct detection constraints for some parameter choices.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

Cosmological perturbations and dynamical analysis for interacting quintessence

We present the dynamical analysis for interacting quintessence, considering linear cosmological perturbations. Matter perturbations improve the background analysis and viable critical points describing the transition of the three cosmological eras are found. The stability of those fixed points are similar to previous studies in the literature, for both coupled and uncoupled cases, leading to a late-time attractor.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

Gauge field and brane-localized kinetic terms on the chiral square

Extra dimensions have been used as attempts to explain several phenomena in particle physics. In this paper we investigate the role of brane-localized kinetic terms (BLKT) on thin and thick branes with two flat extra dimensions (ED) compactified on the chiral square, and an abelian gauge field in the bulk. The results for a thin brane have resemblance with the 5-D case, leading to a tower of massive KK particles whose masses depend upon the compactification radius and the BLKT parameter. On the other hand, for the thick brane scenario, there is no solution that satisfy the boundary conditions. Because of this, the mechanism of suppressed couplings due to ED [1902.08339] cannot be extended to 6-D.

hep-th↗

arXiv2019

Thick Branes in Extra Dimensions and Suppressed Dark Couplings

In this paper we show that the interaction between new light dark matter mediators and the SM particles can be naturally suppressed if one employs a single, flat extra dimension (ED). In this setup, the SM fields are localized in a finite width `fat' brane, similar to models of Universal Extra Dimensions (UED), while DM, in turn, is confined to a thin brane at the opposite end of the ED interval. Including brane localized kinetic terms on the fat brane for the mediator fields, the resulting coupling between the SM and these light mediators can be several orders of magnitude smaller than the corresponding ones between the mediators and DM which we assume to be a typical gauge coupling. We investigate the implications of this scenario for both vector (i.e., dark photon, DP) and scalar mediator fields in the 5-D bulk. In this setup kinetic mixing, which is usually employed to suppress light mediator couplings, is not required. Here we assume that the SM particles couple to the DP via their $B-L$ charges while the DP couples to the DM via a dark charge. Both the vector DP couplings and the corresponding Higgs portal couplings with the SM are shown to be natural small in magnitude with a size dependent on ratio of the 5-D compactification radius, $R^{-1} \sim 0.1-1$ GeV, and the SM brane thickness, $L^{-1} \sim 2-10$ TeV, a range chosen to avoid LHC and other experimental constraints. In this framework one can obtain the observed value of the DM relic abundance for a wide range of parameter choices, while the constrains due to direct DM detection and the invisible width of the Higgs do not impose significant challenges to the model. Finally, this mechanism can lead to distinct signatures in both present and upcoming experiments as it combines some common features of UED and DP models in a single ED setup.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2018

Cosmic Transients, Einstein's Equivalence Principle and Dark Matter Halos

Cosmic transients, such as gamma-ray bursts and fast radio bursts, have been used to constrain the Einstein's Equivalence Principle (EEP) through the parametrized-post-Newtonian (PPN) formalism. In this approach, the time delay of photons with different energies from these cosmic transients are used to obtain upper bounds on the difference of the PPN $γ$ parameter. In this work we assume that an important contribution to the time delay is due to the dark matter halo of the Milky Way and consider the dark matter mass distribution given by the Navarro--Frenk--White profile. We obtain the upper limit on the difference of the PPN parameter $γ$ for the polarized gamma-ray emission of GRB 110721A, $Δγ< 1.06 \times 10^{-28}$, the most stringent limit to date on the EEP. In addition, we show that a very similar upper bound is obtained if, instead of having a dark matter component, a visible matter density profile and a non-minimal gravitational coupling between curvature and matter are present.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Dark energy, scalar singlet dark matter and the Higgs portal

One of the simplest extensions of the Standard Model (SM) comprises the inclusion of a massive real scalar field, neutral under the SM gauge groups, to be a dark matter candidate. The addition of a dimension-six term into the potential of the scalar dark matter enables the appearance of a false vacuum that describes the cosmic acceleration. We show that the running of the singlet self-interaction and the Higgs portal coupling differs from the standard scalar singlet dark matter model. If we maintain a positive quartic coupling, it is also possible to describe the accelerated expansion of the Universe through a false vacuum with the addition of a dimension-eight interaction term. In this case, where the potential remains bounded from below at low energies, the false vacuum decay is highly suppressed.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2018

Interacting dark energy in the dark $SU(2)_R$ model

We explore the cosmological implications of the interactions among the dark particles in the dark $SU(2)_R$ model. It turns out that the relevant interaction is between dark energy and dark matter, through a decay process. With respect to the standard $Λ$CDM model, it changes only the background equations. We note that the observational aspects of the model are dominated by degeneracies between the parameters that describe the process. Thus, only the usual $Λ$CDM parameters, such as the Hubble expansion rate and the dark energy density parameter (interpreted as the combination of the densities of the dark energy doublet) could be constrained by observations at this moment.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2017

Coupled quintessence and the impossibility of an interaction: a dynamical analysis study

We analyze the coupled quintessence in the light of the linear dynamical systems theory, with two different interactions: i) proportional to the energy density of the dark energy and ii) proportional to the sum of the energy densities of the dark matter and dark energy. The results presented here enlarge the previous analyses in the literature, wherein the interaction has been only proportional to the energy density of the dark matter. In the first case it is possible to get the well-known sequence of cosmological eras. For the second interaction only the radiation and the dark energy era can be described by the fixed points. Therefore, from the point-of-view of the dynamical system theory, the interaction proportional to the sum of the energy densities of the dark matter and dark energy does not describe the universe we live in.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2016

Metastable dark energy

We build a model of metastable dark energy, in which the observed vacuum energy is the value of the scalar potential at the false vacuum. The scalar potential is given by a sum of even self-interactions up to order six. The deviation from the Minkowski vacuum is due to a term suppressed by the Planck scale. The decay time of the metastable vacuum can easily accommodate a mean life time compatible with the age of the universe. The metastable dark energy is also embedded into a model with $SU(2)_R$ symmetry. The dark energy doublet and the dark matter doublet naturally interact with each other. A three-body decay of the dark energy particle into (cold and warm) dark matter can be as long as large fraction of the age of the universe, if the mediator is massive enough, the lower bound being at intermediate energy level some orders below the grand unification scale. Such a decay shows a different form of interaction between dark matter and dark energy, and the model opens a new window to investigate the dark sector from the point-of-view of particle physics.

hep-ph↗