Closing in on $t$-channel simplified dark matter models

TL;DR

This paper evaluates cosmological and collider constraints on three simplified $t$-channel dark matter models with different dark matter candidates and mediators, showing current experiments largely probe and disfavor thermal dark matter in these models.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis combining collider and cosmological constraints for three specific $t$-channel simplified dark matter models, including future projections.

Findings

Current direct and indirect detection experiments strongly constrain thermal dark matter in these models.

High-luminosity LHC projections show limited improvement over current bounds.

Combined constraints can potentially probe the entire parameter space of these models.

Abstract

A comprehensive analysis of cosmological and collider constraints is presented for three simplified models characterised by a dark matter candidate (real scalar, Majorana fermion and real vector) and a coloured mediator (fermion, scalar and fermion respectively) interacting with the right-handed up quark of the Standard Model. Constraints from dark matter direct and indirect detection and relic density are combined with bounds originating from the re-interpretation of a full LHC run 2 ATLAS search targeting final states with multiple jets and missing transverse energy. Projections for the high-luminosity phase of the LHC are also provided to assess future exclusion and discovery reaches, which show that analogous future search strategies will not allow for a significant improvement compared with the present status. From the cosmological point of view, we demonstrate that thermal dark matter is largely probed (and disfavoured) by constraints from current direct and indirect detection experiments. These bounds and their future projections have moreover the potential of probing the whole parameter space when combined with the expectation of the high-luminosity phase of the LHC.