Scalar field dark matter and the Higgs field

TL;DR

This paper explores the hypothesis that dark matter is an oscillating scalar field coupled to the Higgs boson, with potential mass ranges detectable through upcoming CMB experiments, and discusses mechanisms for naturally obtaining such masses.

Contribution

It proposes a novel scalar field dark matter model linked to the Higgs, with specific mass ranges and natural generation mechanisms within extra-dimensional theories.

Findings

Scalar field dark matter can account for current dark matter density.

Mass range $10^{-6} - 10^{-4}$ eV is compatible with inflationary fluctuations.

Natural mass generation mechanisms include Planck-suppressed interactions and Randall-Sundrum scenarios.

Abstract

We discuss the possibility that dark matter corresponds to an oscillating scalar field coupled to the Higgs boson. We argue that the initial field amplitude should generically be of the order of the Hubble parameter during inflation, as a result of its quasi-de Sitter fluctuations. This implies that such a field may account for the present dark matter abundance for masses in the range $10^{-6} - 10^{-4}$ eV, if the tensor-to-scalar ratio is within the range of planned CMB experiments. We show that such mass values can naturally be obtained through either Planck-suppressed non-renormalizable interactions with the Higgs boson or, alternatively, through renormalizable interactions within the Randall-Sundrum scenario, where the dark matter scalar resides in the bulk of the warped extra-dimension and the Higgs is confined to the infrared brane.