# Dark Matter from self-dual gauge/Higgs dynamics

## TL;DR

This paper explores how certain gauge theories with scalar fields naturally produce stable dark matter candidates, with unique phenomenological features depending on the gauge group, and discusses their cosmological implications.

## Contribution

It provides a general criterion for self-duality in various gauge theories with scalars, leading to novel dark matter candidates with distinctive stability mechanisms.

## Key findings

- SU(N) has an accidental dark baryon number
- SO(2N+1) yields stable glue-balls due to parity
- G_2 leads to a neutral kaon-like dark matter system

## Abstract

We show that a new gauge group with one new scalar leads to automatically stable Dark Matter candidates. We consider theories where the Higgs phase is dual to the confined phase: it is known that SU(2) gauge theories with a scalar doublet (like the Standard Model) obey this non-trivial feature. We provide a general criterion, showing that this self-duality holds for SU(N), SO(N), Sp(N) and G_2 gauge dynamics with a scalar field in the fundamental representation. The resulting Dark Matter phenomenology has non-trivial features that are characteristic of the group, and that we discuss case by case. Just to mention a few, SU(N) has an accidental conserved dark baryon number, SO(2N+1) leads to stable glue-balls thanks to a special parity, G_2 leads to a Dark Matter system analogous to neutral kaons. The cosmological Dark Matter abundance is often reproduced for masses around 100 TeV: all constraints are satisfied and lighter dark glue-balls can affect Higgs physics. These theories acquire additional interest and predictivity assuming that both the dark and weak scales are dynamically generated.