Vector dark matter production from catalyzed annihilation

TL;DR

This paper introduces a vector dark matter model with a catalyzed annihilation mechanism, analyzing its relic abundance, decay processes, and constraints, revealing viable parameter space for TeV-scale dark matter.

Contribution

It presents a novel vector dark matter model with a catalyzed freeze-out mechanism, including detailed analytical and numerical solutions, and explores decay and detection constraints.

Findings

Dark matter mass > 4.5 TeV can survive with a long-living catalyst.

Decay of the catalyst during annihilation relaxes relic abundance bounds.

The freeze-out temperature is significantly higher than in previous models.

Abstract

We provide a simple model of vector dark matter (DM) which can realize the recently proposed freeze-out mechanism with catalyzed annihilation. In our setup, a vector DM field $X_\mu$ and a catalyst field $C_\mu$ is unified by an SU(2)$_D$ gauge symmetry. These gauge fields acquire their masses via spontaneously symmetry breaking triggered by a doublet and a real triplet scalar fields. The catalyst particle is automatically lighter than the DM since it only acquires mass from the vacuum expectation value of the doublet scalar. We also introduce a dimension-5 operator to generate a kinetic mixing term between $C_\mu$ and the U(1)$_Y$ gauge field $B_\mu$. This mixing term is naturally small due to a suppression with a high UV completion scale, and thus it allows the catalyst to decay after the DM freeze-out. We derive the annihilation cross sections of processes $X^\ast+X\to 2C$ and $3C\to X^\ast+X$ and solve the Boltzmann equations for both the DM and the catalyst. We develop the analytical approximate solutions of the equations and find them matching the numerical solutions well. Constraints from relic abundance and indirect detection of DM are considered. We find that the DM with a mass $m_X\gtrsim4.5$~TeV survives in the case of a long-living catalyst. On the other hand, if the catalyst decays during the catalyzed annihilation era, then the bound can be released. We also discuss two paradigms which can maintain the kinetic equilibrium of DM until the DM freeze-out. In both cases, the freeze-out temperature of DM is an order of magnitude higher than the original model.