Higgs portals to pulsar collapse

TL;DR

This paper explores how asymmetric fermionic dark matter interacting via a Higgs-mixed scalar could explain pulsar disappearance near galactic centers, resolve the core-cusp problem, and be tested by future detection experiments.

Contribution

It introduces a novel dark matter model involving Higgs portals that can account for pulsar collapse and provides new bounds and predictions for dark sector parameters.

Findings

Dark matter could cause pulsar destruction near galactic centers.

Upcoming experiments may confirm or exclude this dark matter scenario.

Old pulsars outside the galactic center constrain Higgs portal models.

Abstract

Pulsars apparently missing from the galactic center could have been destroyed by asymmetric fermionic dark matter ($m_X = 1-100$ GeV) coupled to a light scalar ($m_{\phi}= 5-20$ MeV), which mixes with the Higgs boson. We point out that this pulsar-collapsing dark sector can resolve the core-cusp problem and will either be excluded or discovered by upcoming direct detection experiments. Another implication is a maximum pulsar age curve that increases with distance from the galactic center, with a normalization that depends on the couplings and masses of dark sector particles. In addition, we use old pulsars outside the galactic center to place bounds on asymmetric Higgs portal models.