Constraining the parameter space of branon dark matter using white dwarf stars

TL;DR

This study uses white dwarf stars to set new constraints on branon dark matter parameters, especially for light branons, complementing existing detection methods and dark matter abundance limits.

Contribution

First constraints on branon dark matter parameters using white dwarf stars, especially for light branons in the 2 keV to 1 GeV range.

Findings

White dwarfs do not improve bounds for heavy branons ($>10$ GeV) over current detection limits.

Dark matter abundance constrains $f$ as a function of $M$ for light branons ($2$ keV to $1$ GeV).

Limits from white dwarfs are weaker than dark matter abundance constraints.

Abstract

In the present work we study the branon dark matter particles impact on compact objects, and we provide the first constraints of the parameter space using white dwarf stars. The branon dark matter model is characterized by two free parameters, namely the branon mass particle M and the brane tension factor $f$. The latter determines the strength of the interaction of branon dark matter particles with baryons. By considering a typical white dwarf star we were able to obtain constraints on branon dark matter and compare with current limits obtained by direct detection searches and dark matter abundance. In particular our results show that i) for heavy branons with a mass $M > 10 GeV$ white dwarfs fail to provide us with bounds better than current limits from DM direct detection searches, and ii) for light branons in the mass range $2 keV < M < 1 GeV$, which cannot be probed neither with current dark matter experiments nor with the next generation of detectors, the dark matter abundance constrain determines $f$ as a function of $M$ in the range $0.1 GeV < M < 1 GeV$ for the branon mass and $1 GeV < f < 5 GeV$ for the brane tension factor. Furthermore, our findings indicate that the limits from white dwarfs are not stronger than the dark matter abundance constrain.