Dark Matter Bound States: A Window into the Early Universe

TL;DR

This paper explores the potential of dark matter bound states as a means to understand complex dark sectors and improve experimental detection methods, addressing current theoretical and sensitivity limitations.

Contribution

It introduces the study of dark matter bound states as a new approach to probe complex dark sectors and develop tools for experimental testing.

Findings

Bound states provide a new testing ground for dark sector models.

Development of theoretical tools for understanding dark matter bound states.

Potential to enhance experimental sensitivity to complex dark matter scenarios.

Abstract

Despite significant experimental sensitivity to point-like, weakly interacting particles at the electroweak mass scale, dark matter has not been found yet. This could hint at a more complex dark sector with multiple states or composite dark particles, much like the complexity of the standard model. Currently, our experimental sensitivity to such scenarios is limited by a lack of theoretical understanding. The investigation of Dark Matter systems with unstable or stable bound states provides a playground that leads to the development of important tools needed for the understanding of dark sectors with complex phenomena and allows to experimentally test well-motivated DM scenarios.