Multi-Component Dark Matter

TL;DR

This paper investigates multi-component dark matter models with stable states of different masses, focusing on a specific model where the heavier component explains cosmic ray signals and the lighter component accounts for direct detection signals.

Contribution

It introduces a supersymmetric multi-component dark matter model with distinct stable states, explaining various astrophysical and direct detection signals.

Findings

Heavier dark matter component explains PAMELA, ATIC, and synchrotron signals.

Lighter component may account for DAMA and be detectable in low-threshold experiments.

Model naturally arises in supersymmetric frameworks with multiple symmetries.

Abstract

We explore multi-component dark matter models where the dark sector consists of multiple stable states with different mass scales, and dark forces coupling these states further enrich the dynamics. The multi-component nature of the dark matter naturally arises in supersymmetric models, where both R parity and an additional symmetry, such as a $Z_2$, is preserved. We focus on a particular model where the heavier component of dark matter carries lepton number and annihilates mostly to leptons. The heavier component, which is essentially a sterile neutrino, naturally explains the PAMELA, ATIC and synchrotron signals, without an excess in antiprotons which typically mars other models of weak scale dark matter. The lighter component, which may have a mass from a GeV to a TeV, may explain the DAMA signal, and may be visible in low threshold runs of CDMS and XENON, which search for light dark matter.