Monojet searches for momentum-dependent dark matter interactions

TL;DR

This paper investigates how momentum-dependent dark matter interactions affect LHC monojet search sensitivities, showing that such interactions can weaken direct detection constraints and enhance collider detection prospects.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis of LHC constraints and future sensitivities for momentum-dependent dark matter models, contrasting them with conventional momentum-independent interactions.

Findings

LHC is more sensitive to momentum-dependent interactions due to harder jet pT distributions.

Momentum-dependent couplings weaken direct detection constraints.

Future LHC runs can probe smaller cross-sections for momentum-dependent dark matter.

Abstract

We consider minimal dark matter scenarios featuring momentum-dependent couplings of the dark sector to the Standard Model. We derive constraints from existing LHC searches in the monojet channel, estimate the future LHC sensitivity for an integrated luminosity of 300 fb$^{-1}$, and compare with models exhibiting conventional momentum-independent interactions with the dark sector. In addition to being well motivated by (composite) pseudo-Goldstone dark matter scenarios, momentum-dependent couplings are interesting as they weaken direct detection constraints. For a specific dark matter mass, the LHC turns out to be sensitive to smaller signal cross-sections in the momentum-dependent case, by virtue of the harder jet transverse-momentum distribution.