Sterile neutrino dark matter in the super-weak model

TL;DR

This paper investigates the super-weak model, an extension of the Standard Model, demonstrating that the lightest right-handed neutrino can serve as a sterile neutrino dark matter candidate with mass around 10 MeV, through resonant freeze-out.

Contribution

It introduces the super-weak model with a new dark matter candidate and analyzes its production and experimental constraints, highlighting its viability as sterile neutrino dark matter.

Findings

The lightest right-handed neutrino can be a dark matter candidate.

Resonant freeze-out explains the relic abundance of dark matter.

Parameter space is compatible with current experimental constraints.

Abstract

The super-weak model is a U(1) extension of the Standard Model. In addition to a mediator $Z'$, a singlet scalar field $\chi$ is added to deal with the meta-stability of the SM vacuum, and right-handed neutrinos are introduced to account for the non-vanishing neutrino masses. We demonstrate that the lightest right-handed neutrino is a possible dark matter candidate with masses of $\mathcal{O}(10)~\mathrm{MeV}$ via the resonant freeze-out scenario. The dark matter production is explored and the available parameter space is discussed from the point of view of various experiments and beyond SM aspects.