New LUX result compensates LHC searches for exotic quarks

TL;DR

This paper shows that dark matter direct detection experiments like LUX can impose stronger constraints on heavy quarks with compressed mass spectra than LHC searches, especially when decay lifetimes are long due to tiny couplings.

Contribution

It demonstrates how dark matter direct detection results can complement collider searches by constraining heavy quark scenarios with compressed spectra and long-lived particles.

Findings

LUX 2016 results tighten heavy quark mass constraints.

Compressed spectra with tiny couplings lead to long-lived heavy quarks.

Dark matter direct detection can surpass LHC limits in certain scenarios.

Abstract

The scenario of the compressed mass spectrum between heavy quark and dark matter is a challenge for LHC searches. However, the elastic scattering cross section between dark matter and nuclei in dark matter direct detection experiments can be enhanced with nearly degenerate masses between heavy quarks and dark matter. In this paper, we illustrate such scenario with a vector dark matter, using the latest result from LUX 2016. The mass constraints on heavy quarks can be more stringent than current limits from LHC, unless the coupling strength is very small. However, the compress mass spectrum with allowed tiny coupling strength makes the decay lifetime of heavy quarks longer than the time scale of QCD hadronization.