Elastically Decoupling Dark Matter

TL;DR

This paper introduces ELDER, a new dark matter candidate whose abundance is set by elastic scattering with Standard Model particles, predicting a mass range of MeV to hundreds of MeV and very small scattering cross-sections.

Contribution

It proposes the ELDER model as a novel dark matter candidate with unique thermal decoupling properties and specific predicted interaction cross-sections.

Findings

Dark matter mass predicted to be 1-1000 MeV.

Elastic scattering cross-section range is 10^{-3} to 1 femtobarn.

The model provides a new mechanism for dark matter relic abundance.

Abstract

We present a novel dark matter candidate, an Elastically Decoupling Relic (ELDER), which is a cold thermal relic whose present abundance is determined by the cross-section of its elastic scattering on Standard Model particles. The dark matter candidate is predicted to have a mass ranging from a few to a few hundred MeV, and an elastic scattering cross-section with electrons, photons and/or neutrinos in the $10^{-3}-1$ fb range.