Dark Matter Effective Theory

TL;DR

This paper develops a comprehensive effective field theory framework for complex scalar dark matter particles with various weak isospin assignments, enabling model-independent analysis of their interactions and potential flavor-changing effects.

Contribution

It introduces a systematic classification of effective interaction operators for scalar dark matter, including flavor-changing operators, ordered by the cutoff scale, under Lorentz, color, and charge neutrality assumptions.

Findings

Provides a complete operator basis for scalar dark matter interactions.

Includes flavor-changing operators relevant for dark matter phenomenology.

Facilitates model-independent studies of dark matter properties.

Abstract

We organize the effective (self)interaction terms for complex scalar dark matter candidates which are either an isosinglet, isodoublet or an isotriplet with respect to the weak interactions. The classification has been performed ordering the operators in inverse powers of the dark matter cutoff scale. We assume Lorentz invariance, color and charge neutrality. We also introduce potentially interesting dark matter induced flavor-changing operators. Our general framework allows for model independent investigations of dark matter properties.