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At least 505 records · Page 28

Search for dark matter produced with an energetic jet or a hadronically decaying W or Z boson at $ \sqrt{s}=13 $ TeV

A search for dark matter particles is performed using events with large missing transverse momentum, at least one energetic jet, and no leptons, in proton-proton collisions at $ \sqrt{s}=13 $ TeV collected with the CMS detector at the LHC. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 12.9 fb$^{−1}$. The search includes events with jets from the hadronic decays of a W or Z boson. The data are found to be in agreement with the predicted background contributions from standard model processes. The results are presented in terms of simplified models in which dark matter particles are produced through interactions involving a vector, axial-vector, scalar, or pseudoscalar mediator. Vector and axial-vector mediator particles with masses up to 1.95 TeV, and scalar and pseudoscalar mediator particles with masses up to 100 and 430 GeV respectively, are excluded at 95% confidence level. The results are also interpreted in terms of the invisible decays of the Higgs boson, yielding an observed (expected) 95% confidence level upper limit of 0.44 (0.56) on the corresponding branching fraction. The results of this search provide the strongest constraints on the dark matter pair production cross section through vector and axial-vector mediators at a particle collider. When compared to the direct detection experiments, the limits obtained from this search provide stronger constraints for dark matter masses less than 5, 9, and 550 GeV, assuming vector, scalar, and axial-vector mediators, respectively. The search yields stronger constraints for dark matter masses less than 200 GeV, assuming a pseudoscalar mediator, when compared to the indirect detection results from Fermi-LAT.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Tensor optimized Fermi sphere method for nuclear matter—Power series correlated wave function and a cluster expansion

A new formalism, called “tensor optimized Fermi sphere (TOFS) method”, is developed to treat the nuclear matter using a bare interaction among nucleons. In this method, the correlated nuclear matter wave function is taken to be a power series type, Ψ{sub N}=[∑{sub n=0}{sup N}(1∕n!)F{sup n}]Φ{sub 0} and an exponential type, Ψ{sub ex}=exp(F)Φ{sub 0}, with the uncorrelated Fermi-gas wave function Φ{sub 0}, where the correlation operator F can induce central, spin–isospin, tensor, etc. correlations, and Ψ{sub ex} corresponds to a limiting case of Ψ{sub N} (N→∞). In the TOFS formalism based on Hermitian form, it is shown that the energy per particle in nuclear matter with Ψ{sub ex} can be expressed in terms of a linked-cluster expansion. On the basis of these results, we present the formula of the energy per particle in nuclear matter with Ψ{sub N}. We call the Nth-order TOFS calculation for evaluating the energy with Ψ{sub N}, where the correlation functions are optimally determined in the variation of the energy. The TOFS theory is applied for the study of symmetric nuclear matter using a central NN potential with short-range repulsion. The calculated results are fairly consistent to those of other theories such as the Brueckner–Hartree–Fock approach etc.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Dark matter is the new BBN

Measurements of the primordial element abundances provide us with an important probe of our universe’s early thermal history, allowing us to constrain the expansion rate and composition of our universe as early as ~ 1 s after the Big Bang. Prior to this time, we have essentially no empirical information on which to base any such claims. In this paper, we imagine a future time in which we have not only detected the particles that make up the dark matter, but have measured their mass and annihilation cross section with reasonable precision. In analogy to the light element abundances, the dark matter abundance in this scenario could be used to study and constrain the expansion rate and composition of our universe at the time of dark matter freeze out, which for a standard thermal relic occurs at T f ~ m χ /20, corresponding to t ~ 4 x 10 -10 s x (TeV/m χ ) 2 , many orders of magnitude prior to the onset of Big Bang nucleosynthesis. Here we consider how such measurements could be used to constrain scenarios which feature exotic forms of radiation or matter, a ultralight scalar, or modifications to gravity, each of which have the potential to be much more powerfully probed with dark matter than with the light element abundances.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Organic matter distribution in the icy environments of Taylor Valley, Antarctica

Glaciers can accumulate and release organic matter affecting the structure and function of associated terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Here we analyzed 18 ice cores collected from six locations in Taylor Valley (McMurdo Dry Valleys), Antarctica to determine the spatial abundance and quality of organic matter, and the spatial distribution of bacterial density and community structure from the terminus of the Taylor Glacier to the coast (McMurdo Sound). Our results showed that dissolved and particulate organic carbon (DOC and POC) concentrations in the ice core samples increased from the Taylor Glacier to McMurdo Sound, a pattern also shown by bacterial cell density. Fluorescence Excitation Emission Matrices Spectroscopy (EEMs) and multivariate parallel factor (PARAFAC) modeling identified one humic-like (C1) and one protein-like (C2) component in ice cores whose fluorescent intensities all increased from the Polar Plateau to the coast. The fluorescence index showed that the bioavailability of dissolved organic matter (DOM) also decreased from the Polar Plateau to the coast. Partial least squares path modeling analysis revealed that bacterial abundance was the main positive biotic factor influencing both the quantity and quality of organic matter. Marine aerosol influenced the spatial distribution of DOC more than katabatic winds in the ice cores. Certain bacterial taxa showed significant correlations with DOC and POC concentrations. Collectively, our results show the tight connectivity among organic matter spatial distribution, bacterial abundance and meteorology in the McMurdo Dry Valley ecosystem.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Dilemma of organic matter input to mitigate climate impact of rice paddies

Soil can act as either a source or sink of atmospheric carbon (C). Organic matter application can sequester carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) through negative emission technologies. However, in rice paddies, organic matter application can significantly increase methane (CH 4 ) emissions, offsetting potential climate benefits. Here, we compared the effects of organic matter types on net climate impact by quantifying annual gaseous fluxes and soil C stock changes with CO 2 equivalents. All organic amendments increased CH 4 emissions (7–30 Mg CO 2 -eq. ha −1 ) compared with the no organic matter treatment (NPK). However, the increases in soil C stock (9–11 Mg CO 2 -eq. ha −1 ) were insufficient to shift the system from a net C source to a net sink, even when combined with water management strategies. In contrast, biochar increased CH 4 emissions but enhanced soil C stock, leading to a net negative emission effect without compromising rice productivity. Given that rice paddies account for about 11 % of anthropogenic CH 4 emissions, organic matter application requires careful evaluation to avoid exacerbating climatic impacts.

Climate impact↗

An experiment to search for dark-matter interactions using sodium iodide detectors

Observations of galaxies and primordial radiation suggest that the Universe is made mostly of non-luminous dark matter. Several new types of fundamental particle have been proposed as candidates for dark matter, such as weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). These particles would be expected to interact with nuclei in suitable detector materials on Earth, for example, causing them to recoil. However, no definitive signal from such dark-matter interactions has been detected despite concerted efforts by many collaborations. One exception is the much-debated claim by the DAMA collaboration of a statistically significant (more than nine standard deviations) annual modulation in the rate of nuclear interaction events. Annual modulation is expected because of the variation in Earth’s velocity relative to the Galaxy’s dark-matter halo that arises from Earth’s orbital motion around the Sun. DAMA observed a modulation in the rate of interaction events in their detector with a period and phase consistent with that expected for WIMPs. Several groups have been working to develop experiments with the aim of reproducing DAMA’s results using the same target medium (sodium iodide). To determine whether there is evidence for an excess of events above the expected background in sodium iodide and to look for evidence of an annual modulation, the COSINE-100 experiment uses sodium iodide as the target medium to carry out a model-independent test of DAMA’s claim. Here we report results from the initial operation of the COSINE-100 experiment related to the first task. We observe no excess of signal-like events above the expected background in the first 59.5 days of data from COSINE-100. Assuming the so-called standard dark-matter halo model, this result rules out spin-independent WIMP–nucleon interactions as the cause of the annual modulation observed by the DAMA collaboration. The exclusion limit on the WIMP–sodium interaction cross-section is 1.14 × 10 —40 cm 2 for 10-GeV c —2 WIMPs at a 90% confidence level. The COSINE-100 experiment will continue to collect data for two more years, enabling a model-independent test of the annual modulation observed by the DAMA collaboration.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Galaxy formation with wave/fuzzy dark matter: The core-halo structure and the solitonic imprint

Dark matter-dominated cores have long been claimed for the well-studied local group dwarf galaxies. More recently, extended stellar halos have been uncovered around several of these dwarfs through deeper imaging and spectroscopy. Such core-halo structures (inner flat core and a characteristic r −3 asymptotic outer halo profile) are not a feature of conventional cold dark matter (CDM). In contrast, smooth and prominent dark matter cores are predicted for wave/fuzzy dark matter (ψDM). The question arises as to what extent the visible stellar profiles should reflect this dark matter core structure. Here we compare cosmological hydrodynamical simulations of CDM, “WDM” (model used as a proxy for ψDM) & ψDM, aiming to predict the stellar profiles for these three DM scenarios. We show that cores surrounded by extended halos are distinguishable for ψDM, where the stellar density is enhanced in the core due to the presence of the relatively dense soliton. Our analysis demonstrates that, in our simulations, a distinctive core-halo structure does not appear in the case of CDM in the DM, gas, or stars. Whereas we do find a core-halo transition for DM, gas, and stars for ψDM, and the scale of this transition is in line with the predicted core radius set by the soliton scale anticipated for the adopted boson mass of 2.5×10 −22 eV. The presence of a core-halo structure in the stellar profile for Galaxy 1 for ψDM is visible for the most massive and the first galaxy to form in the simulation. Clearly, further simulations are needed to establish how strict this possible relationship is between the DM and stellar core-halo profile as a potential observational discriminator. Furthermore, we observe the anticipated asymmetry for ψDM due to the soliton's motion (jumping and random walk), a distinctive characteristic not found in the symmetric distributions of stars in the warm and CDM models.

dark matter↗

Dark matter from gravitational particle production at reheating

We show that curvature induced particle production at reheating generates adiabatic dark matter if there are non-minimally coupled spectator scalars weakly coupled to visible matter. The observed dark matter abundance implies an upper bound on spectator masses m and non-minimal coupling values ξ. For example, assuming quadratic inflation, instant reheating and a single spectator scalar with only gravitational couplings, the observed dark matter abundance is obtained for m ∼ 0.1 GeV and ξ ∼ 1. Larger mass and coupling values of the spectator are excluded as they would lead to overproduction of dark matter.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Dark matter properties implied by gamma ray interstellar emission models

We infer dark matter properties from gamma ray residuals extracted using eight different interstellar emission scenarios proposed by the Fermi-LAT Collaboration to explain the Galactic Center gamma ray excess. Adopting the most plausible simplified ansatz, we assume that the dark matter particle is a Majorana fermion interacting with standard fermions via a scalar mediator. To trivially respect flavor constraints, we only couple the mediator to third generation fermions. Using this theoretical hypothesis, and the Fermi residuals, we calculate Bayesian evidences, including Fermi-LAT exclusion limits from 15 dwarf spheroidal galaxies as well. Our evidence ratios single out one of the Fermi scenarios as most compatible with the simplified dark matter model. In this scenario the dark matter (mediator) mass is in the 25-200 (1-1000) GeV range and its annihilation is dominated by bottom quark final state. Our conclusion is that the properties of dark matter extracted from gamma ray data are highly sensitive to the modeling of the interstellar emission.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Effect of electromagnetic dipole dark matter on energy transport in the solar interior

In recent years, a revised set of solar abundances has led to a discrepancy in the sound-speed profile between helioseismology and theoretical solar models. Conventional solutions require additional mechanisms for energy transport within the Sun. Vincent et al. have recently suggested that dark matter with a momentum or velocity dependent cross section could provide a solution. In this work, we consider three models of dark matter with such cross sections and their effect on the stellar structure. In particular, the three models incorporate dark matter particles interacting through an electromagnetic dipole moment: an electric dipole, a magnetic dipole or an anapole. Each model is implemented in the DarkStec stellar evolution program, which incorporates the effects of dark matter capture and heat transport within the solar interior. We show that dark matter with an anapole moment of ∼ 1 GeV{sup −2} or magnetic dipole moment of ∼ 10{sup −3}μ {sub p} can improve the sound-speed profile, small frequency separations and convective zone radius with respect to the Standard Solar Model. However, the required dipole moments are strongly excluded by direct detection experiments.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

General calculation of the cross section for dark matter annihilations into two photons

Assuming that the underlying model satisfies some general requirements such as renormalizability and CP conservation, we calculate the non-relativistic one-loop cross section for any self-conjugate dark matter particle annihilating into two photons. We accomplish this by carefully classifying all possible one-loop diagrams and, from them, reading off the dark matter interactions with the particles running in the loop. Our approach is general and leads to the same results found in the literature for popular dark matter candidates such as the neutralinos of the MSSM, minimal dark matter, inert Higgs and Kaluza-Klein dark matter.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Asymmetric dark matter and baryogenesis from pseudoscalar inflation

We show that both the baryon asymmetry of the Universe and the dark matter abundance can be explained within a single framework that makes use of maximally helical hypermagnetic fields produced during pseudoscalar inflation and the chiral anomaly in the Standard Model. We consider a minimal asymmetric dark matter model free from anomalies and constraints. We find that the observed baryon and the dark matter abundances are achieved for a wide range of inflationary parameters, and the dark matter mass ranges between 7–15 GeV . The novelty of our mechanism stems from the fact that the same source of CP violation occurring during inflation explains both baryonic and dark matter in the Universe with two inflationary parameters, hence addressing all the initial condition problems in an economical way.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The ALP miracle: unified inflaton and dark matter

We propose a scenario where both inflation and dark matter are described by a single axion-like particle (ALP) in a unified manner. In a class of the minimal axion hilltop inflation, the effective masses at the maximum and mimimum of the potential have equal magnitude but opposite sign, so that the ALP inflaton is light both during inflation and in the true vacuum. After inflation, most of the ALPs decay and evaporate into plasma through a coupling to photons, and the remaining ones become dark matter. We find that the observed CMB and matter power spectrum as well as the dark matter abundance point to an ALP of mass m {sub φ} = O(0.01) eV and the axion-photon coupling g {sub φ} {sub γ} {sub γ} = O(10{sup −11}) GeV{sup −1}: the ALP miracle . The suggested parameter region is within the reach of the next generation axion helioscope, IAXO, and high-intensity laser experiments in the future. Furthermore, thermalized ALPs contribute to hot dark matter and its abundance is given in terms of the effective number of extra neutrino species, Δ N {sub eff} ≅ 0.03, which can be tested by the future CMB and BAO observations. We also discuss a case with multiple ALPs, where the coupling to photons can be enhanced in the early Universe by an order of magnitude or more, which enlarges the parameter space for the ALP miracle. The heavy ALP plays a role of the waterfall field in hybrid inflation, and reheats the Universe, and it can be searched for in various experiments such as SHiP.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Solar Extreme UV radiation and quark nugget dark matter model

We advocate the idea that the surprising emission of extreme ultra violet (EUV) radiation and soft x-rays from the Sun are powered externally by incident dark matter (DM) particles. The energy and the spectral shape of this otherwise unexpected solar irradiation is estimated within the quark nugget dark matter model. This model was originally invented as a natural explanation of the observed ratio Ω{sub dark} ∼ Ω{sub visible} when the DM and visible matter densities assume the same order of magnitude values. This generic consequence of the model is a result of the common origin of both types of matter which are formed during the same QCD transition and both proportional to the same fundamental dimensional parameter Λ{sub QCD}. We also present arguments suggesting that the transient brightening-like 'nanoflares' in the Sun may be related to the annihilation events which inevitably occur in the solar atmosphere within this dark matter scenario.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

A gradient based method for modeling baryons and matter in halos of fast simulations

Fast N-body PM simulations with a small number of time steps such as FastPM or COLA have been remarkably successful in modeling the galaxy statistics, but their lack of small scale force resolution and long time steps cannot give accurate halo matter profiles or matter power spectrum. High resolution N-body simulations can improve on this, but lack baryonic effects, which can only be properly included in hydro simulations. Here we present a scheme to calibrate the fast simulations to mimic the precision of the hydrodynamic simulations or high resolution N-body simulations. The scheme is based on a gradient descent of either effective gravitational potential, which mimics the short range force, or of effective enthalpy, which mimics gas hydrodynamics and feedback. The scheme is fast and differentiable, and can be incorporated as a post-processing step into any simulation. It gives very good results for the matter power spectrum for several of the baryonic feedback and dark matter simulations, and also gives improved dark matter halo profiles. The scheme is even able to find the large subhalos, and increase the correlation coefficient between the fast simulations and the high resolution N-body or hydro simulations. It can also be used to add baryonic effects to the high resolution N-body simulations. While the method has free parameters that can be calibrated on various simulations, they can also be viewed as astrophysical nuisance parameters describing baryonic effects that can be marginalized over during the data analysis. In this view these parameters can be viewed as an efficient parametrization of baryonic effects.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Gravitational baryogenesis and dark matter from light black holes

Here we study a scenario in which the baryon asymmetry is created through Hawking radiation from primordial black holes via a dynamically-generated chemical potential. This mechanism can also be used to generate the observed dark matter abundance, regardless of whether or not the black holes fully evaporate. In the case that evaporation ceases, the observed dark matter abundance is generically comprised of both relic black holes and an asymmetric dark matter component. We show that this two-component dark matter scenario can simultaneously account for the observed baryon asymmetry and the cosmological dark matter, a possibility which evades constraints on either individual candidate.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Hazma meets HERWIG4DM: precision gamma-ray, neutrino, and positron spectra for light dark matter

Herein we present a new open-source package, Hazma 2, that computes accurate spectra relevant for indirect dark matter searches for photon, neutrino, and positron production from vector-mediated dark matter annihilation and for spin-one dark matter decay. The tool bridges across the regimes of validity of two state of the art codes: Hazma 1, which provides an accurate description below hadronic resonances up to center-of-mass energies around 250 MeV, and Herwig4DM, which is based on vector meson dominance and measured form factors, and accurate well into the few GeV range. The applicability of the combined code extends to approximately 1.5 GeV, above which the number of final state hadrons off of which we individually compute the photon, neutrino, and positron yield grows exceedingly rapidly. We provide example branching ratios, particle spectra and conservative observational constraints from existing gamma-ray data for the well-motivated cases of decaying dark photon dark matter and vector-mediated fermionic dark matter annihilation. Finally, we compare our results to other existing codes at the boundaries of their respective ranges of applicability. Hazma 2 is freely available on GitHub athttps://github.com/LoganAMorrison/Hazma.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Constraints on dark matter scattering with long lived mediators from observations of the Sun with the Fermi Large Area Telescope

The Sun represents a promising target for indirect dark matter searches, as dark matter particles from the Galactic halo can be gravitationally trapped in its core or in external orbits, and their annihilations can lead to final states with standard model particles that are able to reach the Earth. In this work we have considered a scenario in which dark matter particles can annihilate into pairs of long-lived mediators, which in turn can escape from the Sun and decay into pairs of gamma rays or into the bb̅, τ+τ-, μ+μ- channels, with the production of gamma rays in the final states. All these processes are expected to yield an excess in the energy spectrum of gamma rays towards the Sun. We have therefore analyzed the data collected by the Fermi Large Area Telescope during its first 13.5 years of operation, searching for possible excesses in the solar gamma-ray spectrum. Since no statistically significant excess is found, we have set constraints on the dark matter-nucleon scattering cross sections in both the spin-dependent and spin-independent cases. For all the mediator decay channels explored and for dark matter masses between a few GeV/c 2 and 1 TeV/c 2 , we have found that the upper limits on the spin-dependent and spin-independent cross sections are in the ranges from 10 -45 to 10 -39 cm 2 and from 10 -47 up to 10 -42 cm 2 , respectively.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗