
TL;DR
This paper proposes that six-flavor quark matter nuggets, formed due to a first-order QCD phase transition induced by new physics, could be a viable dark matter candidate with detectable signatures.
Contribution
It introduces a scenario where new physics causes a first-order QCD transition with six massless quarks, enabling quark nuggets to survive as dark matter.
Findings
6FQM nuggets could have masses around 10^{10} grams.
Relic abundance matches observed dark matter density.
Potential signatures include gravitational waves and lensing.
Abstract
Macroscopic nuggets of quark matter were proposed several decades ago as a candidate for dark matter. The formation of these objects in the early universe requires the QCD phase transition to be first order - a requirement that is not satisfied in the Standard Model where lattice simulations reveal a continuous crossover instead. In this article we point out that new physics may supercool the electroweak phase transition to below the QCD scale, and the QCD phase transition with six massless quarks becomes first-order. As a result, the quark nuggets composed of six-flavor quark matter (6FQM) may survive as a viable dark matter candidate. The size of a 6FQM nugget is estimated to be around grams in mass and cm in radius. The calculated relic abundance of 6FQM nuggets is comparable to the observed dark matter energy density; therefore, this scenario provides a…
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