Self-Destructing Dark Matter

TL;DR

Self-Destructing Dark Matter (SDDM) models propose dark matter components that transition to short-lived states upon scattering, producing detectable high-energy signals in large neutrino detectors, offering new avenues for dark matter detection.

Contribution

This paper introduces the concept of SDDM, a novel class of dark matter models with unique decay signatures, and explores their phenomenology in large underground detectors.

Findings

SDDM models produce high-energy signals distinguishable in neutrino detectors

Multiple lepton pair signatures with fixed invariant mass and energy are possible

Directional distributions of events can help identify SDDM signals

Abstract

We present Self-Destructing Dark Matter (SDDM), a new class of dark matter models which are detectable in large neutrino detectors. In this class of models, a component of dark matter can transition from a long-lived state to a short-lived one by scattering off of a nucleus or an electron in the Earth. The short-lived state then decays to Standard Model particles, generating a dark matter signal with a visible energy of order the dark matter mass rather than just its recoil. This leads to striking signals in large detectors with high energy thresholds. We present a few examples of models which exhibit self destruction, all inspired by bound state dynamics in the Standard Model. The models under consideration exhibit a rich phenomenology, possibly featuring events with one, two, or even three lepton pairs, each with a fixed invariant mass and a fixed energy, as well as non-trivial directional distributions. This motivates dedicated searches for dark matter in large underground detectors such as Super-K, Borexino, SNO+, and DUNE.