Dark matter direct detection constraints from gauge bosons loops

TL;DR

This paper investigates how certain dark matter interactions involving gauge boson loops can enhance direct detection signals, leading to new constraints from upcoming experiments that surpass previous collider bounds.

Contribution

It identifies a novel loop effect that boosts direct detection rates for specific velocity-suppressed dark matter annihilation operators, providing new experimental constraints.

Findings

Enhanced direct detection rates for certain operators due to loop effects

Next-generation experiments can now constrain DM-SM interactions previously limited to collider bounds

Identified a new class of loop effects affecting dark matter detection

Abstract

While many interactions of dark matter (DM) with the standard model (SM) affect direct detection and LHC searches, there are only a few operators generating annihilation of DM into photons. All of these operators, except four of them, give rise to unsuppressed rates, rendering indirect detection superior to other search strategies. For two of the four effective interactions with velocity-suppressed annihilation cross sections, we identify a new type of loop effect which significantly enhances the associated direct detection rates. As a result, relevant constraints from next-generation direct detection experiments on DM-SM interactions, so far only bounded by the LHC, are obtained.