Dark matter and long-lived particles at the LHC

TL;DR

This paper reviews dark matter models predicting long-lived particles at the LHC, emphasizing non-standard signatures in scenarios with a $Z_2$-odd dark sector, including coannihilation, conversion-driven freeze-out, and superWIMP/freeze-in.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive discussion of phenomenology for dark matter models with long-lived particles, highlighting various scenarios with a $Z_2$-odd dark sector.

Findings

Identifies key signatures of long-lived particles at the LHC.

Analyzes different dark matter production mechanisms.

Highlights experimental challenges and prospects.

Abstract

While the paradigm of a weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) has guided our search strategies for dark matter in the past decades, their null-results have stimulated growing interest in alternative explanations pointing towards non-standard signatures. In this article we discuss the phenomenology of dark matter models that predict long-lived particle at the LHC. We focus on models with a $Z_2$-odd dark sector where - in decreasing order of the dark matter coupling - a coannihilation, conversion-driven freeze-out or superWIMP/freeze-in scenario could be realized.