Dirac Neutrinos and Dark Matter Stability from Lepton Quarticity

TL;DR

This paper links dark matter stability to the Dirac nature of neutrinos, proposing a model where a $Z_4$ symmetry ensures both neutrino Diracness and dark matter stability, providing a unified explanation.

Contribution

It introduces a simple scheme connecting Dirac neutrinos and dark matter stability via a $Z_4$ symmetry, with a mechanism for small neutrino masses and a stable WIMP candidate.

Findings

A $Z_4$ symmetry enforces Dirac neutrinos and dark matter stability.

The model naturally produces small Dirac neutrino masses.

A viable WIMP dark matter candidate is identified.

Abstract

We propose to relate dark matter stability to the possible Dirac nature of neutrinos. The idea is illustrated in a simple scheme where small Dirac neutrino masses arise from a type--I seesaw mechanism as a result of a $Z_4$ discrete lepton number symmetry. The latter implies the existence of a viable WIMP dark matter candidate, whose stability arises from the same symmetry which ensures the Diracness of neutrinos.