Direct detection of fermion dark matter in the radiative seesaw model

TL;DR

This paper investigates the direct detection prospects of fermion dark matter within the radiative seesaw model, analyzing parameter space compatibility with neutrino data, lepton decay limits, and dark matter abundance, and calculating scattering cross sections.

Contribution

It identifies viable parameter regions in the radiative seesaw model for fermion dark matter and computes their direct detection cross sections, linking neutrino physics and dark matter searches.

Findings

Predicted cross sections are below current LUX limits.

Some parameter choices could be detectable by XENON1T or LZ.

Parameter space consistent with neutrino data and dark matter abundance.

Abstract

We consider the scenario in the radiative seesaw model where the dark matter particle is the lightest $Z_2$-odd fermion. We identify the regions of the parameter space of the model compatible with neutrino oscillation data, with the upper limits from rare charged lepton decays and with the observed dark matter abundance via thermal freeze-out, and we compute the dark matter scattering cross section with nuclei via the one-loop exchange of a photon, a $Z^0$-boson or a Higgs boson. We find that the predicted spin-independent cross section lies below the current LUX limit, although, for some choices of parameters, above the expected sensitivity of XENON1T or LZ.