Search

Fluctuations in ultralight dark matter produce significant metric perturbations, which may be detected by monitoring the arrival times of light from millisecond pulsars. While searches using this technique are already underway, they do not consistently account for the statistical properties of the dark matter field. The statistics of this field depend on the velocity dispersion of dark matter and, consequently, its coherence length. In the mass range relevant for pulsar timing arrays, the coherence length is comparable to separations between pulsars, making it crucial to incorporate its effects into the analysis. This work presents a consistent statistical method for gravitational direct detection of ultralight dark matter. Our key result is the derivation of the two-point function of the metric fluctuations, which we apply to pulsar timing and discuss its implementation in future searches., Comment: 9 pages

Cosmologically stable, light particles that came into thermal contact with the Standard Model in the early universe may persist today as a form of hot dark matter. For relics with masses in the eV range, their role in structure formation depends critically on their mass. We trace the evolution of such hot relics and derive their density profiles around cold dark matter halos, introducing a framework for their indirect detection. Applying this framework to axions -- a natural candidate for a particle that can reach thermal equilibrium with the Standard Model in the early universe and capable of decaying into two photons -- we establish stringent limits on the axion-photon coupling $g_{a \gamma} $ using current observations of dwarf galaxies, the Milky Way halo, and galaxy clusters. Our results set new bounds on hot axions in the $\mathcal{O}(1-10)\,$eV range., Comment: 30 pages, 6 figures

Ultralight dark matter induces time-dependent perturbations in the spacetime metric, enabling its gravitational direct detection. In this work, we propose using astrometry to detect dark matter. After reviewing the calculation of the metric in the presence of scalar dark matter, we study the influence of the perturbations on the apparent motion of astrophysical bodies. We apply our results to angular position measurements of quasars, whose vast distances from Earth present an opportunity to discover dark matter with a mass as low as $10^{-33} \, \mathrm{eV} $. We explore the prospects of very long baseline interferometry and optical astrometric survey measurements for detecting ultralight relics, finding that for the smallest masses, current astrometric surveys can detect dark matter moving locally with a velocity of $10^{-3}$ with energy density as low as $ 3 \times 10 ^{ - 11} ~{\rm GeV} / {\rm cm} ^3 $., Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures, 1 appendix

Pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) perform Bayesian posterior inference with expensive MCMC methods. Given a dataset of ~10-100 pulsars and O(10^3) timing residuals each, producing a posterior distribution for the stochastic gravitational wave background (SGWB) can take days to a week. The computational bottleneck arises because the likelihood evaluation required for MCMC is extremely costly when considering the dimensionality of the search space. Fortunately, generating simulated data is fast, so modern simulation-based inference techniques can be brought to bear on the problem. In this paper, we demonstrate how conditional normalizing flows trained on simulated data can be used for extremely fast and accurate estimation of the SGWB posteriors, reducing the sampling time from weeks to a matter of seconds., Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures

A QCD axion with a decay constant below $ 10 ^{ 11} ~{\rm GeV} $ is a strongly-motivated extension to the Standard Model, though its relic abundance from the misalignment mechanism or decay of cosmic defects is insufficient to explain the origin of dark matter. Nevertheless, such an axion may still play an important role in setting the dark matter density if it mediates a force between the SM and the dark sector. In this work, we explore QCD axion-mediated freeze-out and freeze-in scenarios, finding that the axion can play a critical role for setting the dark matter density. Assuming the axion solves the strong CP problem makes this framework highly predictive, and we comment on experimental targets., Comment: 24 pages, 5 figures

Gravitational waves with frequencies below 1~nHz are notoriously difficult to detect. With periods exceeding current experimental lifetimes, they induce slow drifts in observables rather than periodic correlations. Observables with well-known intrinsic contributions provide a means to probe this regime. In this work, we demonstrate the viability of using observed pulsar timing parameters to discover such "ultralow" frequency gravitational waves, presenting two complementary observables for which the systematic shift induced by ultralow-frequency gravitational waves can be extracted. Using existing data for these parameters, we search the ultralow frequency regime for continuous-wave signals, finding a sensitivity near the expected prediction from inspirals of supermassive black holes. We do not see an excess in the data, setting a limit on the strain of $ 1.3 \times 10 ^{ - 12} $ at $ 450~{\rm pHz} $ with a sensitivity dropping approximately quadratically with frequency until $ 10~{\rm pHz}$. Our search method opens a new frequency range for gravitational wave detection and has profound implications for astrophysics, cosmology, and particle physics., Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures, 4 appendices; v2: updated to match PRL

The detection of massless kinetically-mixed dark photons is notoriously difficult, as the effect of this mixing can be removed by a field redefinition in vacuum. In this work, we study the prospect of detecting massless dark photons in the presence of a cosmic relic directly charged under this dark electromagnetism. Such millicharged particles, in the form of dark matter or dark radiation, generate an effective dark photon mass that drives photon-to-dark photon oscillations in the early universe. We also study the prospect for such models to alleviate existing cosmological constraints on massive dark photons, enlarging the motivation for direct tests of this parameter space using precision terrestrial probes., Comment: 16 pages, 3 appendices, 6 figures; v2, minor improvements to the text, references added, results and conclusions unchanged

A leading direction in the hunt for axion dark matter is to search for its influence on nuclear spins. The detection scheme involves polarizing a sample of nuclei within a strong static magnetic field and then looking for a spin precession induced by the oscillating axion field. We study the axion signal and background contributions that arise in such experiments (a prominent example being CASPEr), finding key differences with the existing literature. Most importantly, in the limit where the transverse spin-relaxation time of the material is the largest timescale of the problem, we show that the induced signal continues to grow even beyond the coherence time of the axion field. As a result, we find that spin-precession instruments are much more sensitive than what has been previously estimated in a sizable range of axion masses, with sensitivity improvement of up to a factor of 100 at an axion mass of 100 neV using a Xenon-129 sample. This improves the detection prospects for the QCD axion, and we estimate the experimental requirements to reach this motivated target. Our results apply to both the axion electric and magnetic dipole moment operators., Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures; updated to match published version

We revisit the theory and constraints on axion-like particles (ALPs) interacting with leptons. We clarify some subtleties in the constraints on ALP parameter space and find several new opportunities for ALP detection. We identify a qualitative difference between weak-violating and weak-preserving ALPs, which dramatically change the current constraints due to possible "energy enhancements" in various processes. This new understanding leads to additional opportunities for ALP detection through charged meson decays (e.g., $\pi^+\to e^+ \nu a$, $K^+\to e^+ \nu a$) and $ W $ boson decays. The new bounds impact both weak-preserving and weak-violating ALPs and have implications for the QCD axion and addressing experimental anomalies using ALPs., Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures; updated to match published version

Theoretical investigations into the evolution of the early universe are an essential part of particle physics that allow us to identify viable extensions to the Standard Model as well as motivated parameter space that can be probed by various experiments and observations. In this white paper, we review particle physics models of the early universe. First, we outline various models that explain two essential ingredients of the early universe (dark matter and baryon asymmetry) and those that seek to address current observational anomalies. We then discuss dynamics of the early universe in models of neutrino masses, axions, and several solutions to the electroweak hierarchy problem. Finally, we review solutions to naturalness problems of the Standard Model that employ cosmological dynamics., Comment: contribution to Snowmass 2021

Supermassive black hole binary mergers generate a stochastic gravitational wave background detectable by pulsar timing arrays. While the amplitude of this background is subject to significant uncertainties, the frequency dependence is a robust prediction of general relativity. We show that the effects of new forces beyond the Standard Model can modify this prediction and introduce unique features into the spectral shape. In particular, we consider the possibility that black holes in binaries are charged under a new long-range force, and we find that pulsar timing arrays are capable of robustly detecting such forces. Supermassive black holes and their environments can acquire charge due to high-energy particle production or dark sector interactions, making the measurement of the spectral shape a powerful test of fundamental physics., Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures. Matched published version

The gravitational redshift induced by stellar surface gravity is notoriously difficult to measure for non-degenerate stars, since its amplitude is small in comparison with the typical Doppler shift induced by stellar radial velocity. In this study, we make use of the large observational data set of the Gaia mission to achieve a significant reduction of noise caused by these random stellar motions. By measuring the differences in velocities between the components of pairs of co-moving stars and wide binaries, we are able to statistically measure the combined effects of gravitational redshift and convective blueshifting of spectral lines, and nullify the effect of the peculiar motions of the stars. For the subset of stars considered in this study, we find a positive correlation between the observed differences in Gaia radial velocities and the differences in surface gravity and convective blueshift inferred from effective temperature and luminosity measurements. The results rule out a null signal at the $5\sigma$ level for our full data-set. Additionally, we study the sub-dominant effects of binary motion, and possible systematic errors in radial velocity measurements within Gaia. Results from the technique presented in this study are expected to improve significantly with data from the next Gaia data release. Such improvements could be used to constrain the mass-luminosity relation and stellar models which predict the magnitude of convective blueshift., Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures MNRAS accepted version

Existing searches for cosmic axions relics have relied heavily on the axion being non-relativistic and making up dark matter. However, light axions can be copiously produced in the early Universe and remain relativistic today, thereby constituting a Cosmic $\textit{axion}$ Background (C$a$B). As prototypical examples of axion sources, we consider thermal production, dark-matter decay, parametric resonance, and topological defect decay. Each of these has a characteristic frequency spectrum that can be searched for in axion direct detection experiments. We focus on the axion-photon coupling and study the sensitivity of current and future versions of ADMX, HAYSTAC, DMRadio, and ABRACADABRA to a C$a$B, finding that the data collected in search of dark matter can be repurposed to detect axion energy densities well below limits set by measurements of the energy budget of the Universe. In this way, direct detection of relativistic relics offers a powerful new opportunity to learn about the early Universe and, potentially, discover the axion., Comment: 31 pages, 11 figures, v3: corrected the source term for resonant cavity instruments, conclusions unchanged

We study a new class of signals where fermionic dark matter is absorbed by bound electron targets. Fermionic absorption signals in direct detection and neutrino experiments are sensitive to dark matter with sub-MeV mass, probing a region of parameter space in which dark matter is otherwise challenging to detect. We calculate the rate and energy deposition spectrum in xenon-based detectors, making projections for current and future experiments. We present two possible models that display fermionic absorption by electrons and study the detection prospects in light of other constraints., Comment: 8+4 pages, 5 figures; v3: corrected decay rate expressions and figures; conclusions unchanged

A number of proposed and ongoing experiments search for axion dark matter with a mass nearing the limit set by small scale structure (${\cal O} ( 10 ^{ - 21 } {\rm eV} ) $). We consider the late universe cosmology of these models, showing that requiring the axion to have a matter-power spectrum that matches that of cold dark matter constrains the magnitude of the axion couplings to the visible sector. Comparing these limits to current and future experimental efforts, we find that many searches require axions with an abnormally large coupling to Standard Model fields, independently of how the axion was populated in the early universe. We survey mechanisms that can alleviate the bounds, namely, the introduction of large charges, various forms of kinetic mixing, a clockwork structure, and imposing a discrete symmetry. We provide an explicit model for each case and explore their phenomenology and viability to produce detectable ultralight axion dark matter., Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures

$SU(2)_L \times SU(2)_R$ gauge symmetry requires three right-handed neutrinos ($ N _i $), one of which, $N_1$, can be sufficiently stable to be dark matter. In the early universe, $ W _R $ exchange with the Standard Model thermal bath keeps the right-handed neutrinos in thermal equilibrium at high temperatures. $N_1$ can make up all of dark matter if they freeze-out while relativistic and are mildly diluted by subsequent decays of a long-lived and heavier right-handed neutrino, $N_2$. We systematically study this parameter space, constraining the symmetry breaking scale of $SU(2)_R$ and the mass of $N_1$ to a triangle in the $(v_R,M_1)$ plane, with $v_R = (10^6 - 3 \times 10^{12})$ GeV and $M_1 = (2\, {\rm keV} - 1 \, {\rm MeV)}$. Much of this triangle can be probed by signals of warm dark matter, especially if leptogenesis from $N_2$ decay yields the observed baryon asymmetry. The minimal value of $v_R$ is increased to $10^8 \, {\rm GeV}$ for doublet breaking of $SU(2)_R$, and further to $10^9 \, {\rm GeV}$ if leptogenesis occurs via $N_2$ decay, while the upper bound on $M_1$ is reduced to 100 keV. In addition, there is a component of hot $N_1$ dark matter resulting from the late decay of $N_2 \rightarrow N_1 \ell^+ \ell^-$ that can be probed by future cosmic microwave background observations. Interestingly, the range of $v_R$ allows both precision gauge coupling unification and the Higgs Parity understanding of the vanishing of the Standard Model Higgs quartic at scale $v_R$. Finally, we study freeze-in production of $N_1$ dark matter via the $W_R$ interaction, which allows a much wider range of $(v_R,M_1)$., Comment: 31 pages, 5 figures. Matches published version. Added references and clarifications

Differences in lepton number (i.e., $ L _e - L _\mu $, $ L _e - L _\tau $, $ L_\mu - L _\tau $, or combinations thereof) are not conserved charges in the Standard Model due to the observation of neutrino oscillations. We compute the divergence of the corresponding currents in the case of Majorana or Dirac-type neutrinos and show that, in the high energy limit, the vector interactions map onto those of a light scalar coupled to neutrinos with its coupling fixed by the observed neutrino masses and mixing. This leads to amplitudes with external light vectors that scale inversely with the vector mass. By studying these processes, we set new constraints on $ L _i - L _j $ through a combination of semi-leptonic meson decays, invisible neutrino decays, neutrinoless double beta decays, and observations of Big Bang Nucleosynthesis/supernova, which can be much stronger than previous limits for vector masses below an eV. These bounds have important implications on the experimental prospects of detecting $ L _i - L _j $ long-range forces., Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures; matches journal version

We show that gravitational wave emission from neutron star binaries can be used to discover any generic long-ranged muonic force due to the large inevitable abundance of muons inside neutron stars. As a minimal consistent example, we focus on a gauged U(1)$_{L_\mu - L_\tau}$ symmetry. In pulsar binaries, such U(1)$_{L_\mu - L_\tau}$ vectors induce an anomalously fast decay of the orbital period through the emission of dipole radiation. We study a range of different pulsar binaries, finding the most powerful constraints for vector masses below ${\cal O}(10^{-18} {\rm eV})$. For merging binaries the presence of muons in neutron stars can result in dipole radiation as well as a modification of the chirp mass during the inspiral phase. We make projections for a prospective search using both the GW170817 and S190814bv events and find that current data can discover light vectors with masses below ${\cal O}(10^{-10} {\rm eV})$. In both cases, the limits attainable with neutron stars reach gauge coupling $g^\prime\lesssim 10^{-20}$, which are many orders of magnitude stronger than previous constraints. We also show projections for next generation experiments, such as Einstein Telescope and Cosmic Explorer., Comment: v2: 12 pages, 5 figures. Discussion lengthened and typos corrected. Conclusions unchanged. Matches journal version

Absorption of fermionic dark matter leads to a range of distinct and novel signatures at dark matter direct detection and neutrino experiments. We study the possible signals from fermionic absorption by nuclear targets, which we divide into two classes of four Fermi operators: neutral and charged current. In the neutral current signal, dark matter is absorbed by a target nucleus and a neutrino is emitted. This results in a characteristically different nuclear recoil energy spectrum from that of elastic scattering. The charged current channel leads to induced $\beta$ decays in isotopes which are stable in vacuum as well as shifts of the kinematic endpoint of $ \beta$ spectra in unstable isotopes. To confirm the possibility of observing these signals in light of other constraints, we introduce UV completions of example higher dimensional operators that lead to fermionic absorption signals and study their phenomenology. Most prominently, dark matter which exhibits fermionic absorption signals is necessarily unstable leading to stringent bounds from indirect detection searches. Nevertheless, we find a large viable parameter space in which dark matter is sufficiently long lived and detectable in current and future experiments., Comment: 30 pages plus appendices, 8 figures, 3 tables. v2: published in JHEP with minor revisions (no change to results)

We present the possibility that the seesaw mechanism with thermal leptogenesis can be tested using the stochastic gravitational background. Achieving neutrino masses consistent with atmospheric and solar neutrino data, while avoiding non-perturbative couplings, requires right-neutrinos lighter than the typical scale of grand unification. This scale separation suggests a symmetry protecting the right handed neutrinos from getting a mass. Thermal leptogenesis would then require that such a symmetry be broken below the reheating temperature. We enumerate all such possible symmetries consistent with these minimal assumptions and their corresponding defects, finding that in many cases, gravitational waves from the network of cosmic strings should be detectable. Estimating the predicted gravitational wave background we find that future space-borne missions could probe the entire range relevant for thermal leptogenesis., Comment: 6 pages, 1 figures, published version

We present a new class of direct detection signals; absorption of fermionic dark matter. We enumerate the operators through dimension six which lead to fermionic absorption, study their direct detection prospects, and summarize additional constraints on their suppression scale. Such dark matter is inherently unstable as there is no symmetry which prevents dark matter decays. Nevertheless, we show that fermionic dark matter absorption can be observed in direct detection and neutrino experiments while ensuring consistency with the observed dark matter abundance and required lifetime. For dark matter masses well below the GeV scale, dedicated searches for these signals at current and future experiments can probe orders of magnitude of unexplored parameter space., Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures. v2: published in PRL with minor revisions and changes to Fig 2 (no change to results)

Pulsars act as accurate clocks, sensitive to gravitational redshift and acceleration induced by transiting clumps of matter. We study the sensitivity of pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) to single transiting compact objects, focusing on primordial black holes and compact subhalos in the mass range from $10^{-12} M _{\odot}$ to well above $100~M_\odot$. We find that the Square Kilometer Array can constrain such objects to be a subdominant component of the dark matter over this entire mass range, with sensitivity to a dark matter sub-component reaching the sub-percent level over significant parts of this range. We also find that PTAs offer an opportunity to probe substantially less dense objects than lensing because of the large effective radius over which such objects can be observed, and we quantify the subhalo concentration parameters which can be constrained., Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures

If supersymmetry exists at any scale, regardless of whether it is restored around the weak scale, it may be a good symmetry of the dark sector, enforcing a degeneracy between its lowest lying fermions and bosons. We explore the implications of this scenario for the early universe and dark matter, as well as the corresponding signatures. In particular we show that the thermal history of the dark sector results in co-decaying dark matter in much of the parameter space. This implies new phenomenological signatures and presents a new way to discover high scale supersymmetry., Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures

New spin-1 particles with masses below the weak scale are present in many theories of beyond Standard Model (SM) physics. In this work, we extend previous analyses by systematically considering the couplings of such a vector to the bosonic sector of the SM, focusing on models that lead to mass-mixing with the Z boson. These couplings generically lead to enhanced emission of the vector's longitudinal mode, both in Higgs decays and in flavor changing meson decays. We present bounds in the SM+X effective theory and investigate their model-dependence. For the case of Higgs decays, we point out that tree-level vector emission is, depending on the model, not always enhanced, affecting the constraints. For meson decays, which are the dominant constraints at small vector masses, we find that while $B$ decay constraints can be weakened by fine-tuning UV parameters, it is generically difficult to suppress the stringent constraints from kaon decays., Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures; v2: Fixed CHARM bounds and updated Fig 3 and 5 accordingly

Vector bosons heavier than $10^{-22}$ eV can be viable dark matter candidates with distinctive experimental signatures. Ultralight dark matter generally requires a non-thermal origin to achieve the observed density, while still behaving like a pressureless fluid at late times. We show that such a production mechanism naturally occurs for vectors whose mass originates from a dark Higgs. If the dark Higgs has a large field value after inflation, the energy in the Higgs field can be efficiently transferred to vectors through parametric resonance. Computing the resulting abundance and spectra requires careful treatment of the transverse and longitudinal components, whose dynamics are governed by distinct differential equations. We study these equations in detail and find that the mass of the vector may be as low as $10 ^{ - 18 }$ eV, while making up the dominant dark matter abundance. This opens up a wide mass range of vector dark matter as cosmologically viable, further motivating their experimental search., Comment: discussion clarified, matches publication in PRD

We examine the theoretical motivations for long-lived particle (LLP) signals at the LHC in a comprehensive survey of Standard Model (SM) extensions. LLPs are a common prediction of a wide range of theories that address unsolved fundamental mysteries such as naturalness, dark matter, baryogenesis and neutrino masses, and represent a natural and generic possibility for physics beyond the SM (BSM). In most cases the LLP lifetime can be treated as a free parameter from the $\mu$m scale up to the Big Bang Nucleosynthesis limit of $\sim 10^7$m. Neutral LLPs with lifetimes above $\sim$ 100m are particularly difficult to probe, as the sensitivity of the LHC main detectors is limited by challenging backgrounds, triggers, and small acceptances. MATHUSLA is a proposal for a minimally instrumented, large-volume surface detector near ATLAS or CMS. It would search for neutral LLPs produced in HL-LHC collisions by reconstructing displaced vertices (DVs) in a low-background environment, extending the sensitivity of the main detectors by orders of magnitude in the long-lifetime regime. In this white paper we study the LLP physics opportunities afforded by a MATHUSLA-like detector at the HL-LHC. We develop a model-independent approach to describe the sensitivity of MATHUSLA to BSM LLP signals, and compare it to DV and missing energy searches at ATLAS or CMS. We then explore the BSM motivations for LLPs in considerable detail, presenting a large number of new sensitivity studies. While our discussion is especially oriented towards the long-lifetime regime at MATHUSLA, this survey underlines the importance of a varied LLP search program at the LHC in general. By synthesizing these results into a general discussion of the top-down and bottom-up motivations for LLP searches, it is our aim to demonstrate the exceptional strength and breadth of the physics case for the construction of the MATHUSLA detector., Comment: 213 pages, 73 figures. Extended Section 2 to add more detailed discussion of LLP reconstruction and analysis, and background rejection. Updated comparison of MATHUSLA RH neutrino sensitivity to other experiments. Updated analysis of long-lived ALPs produced in weak-scale processes and decaying to jets. Various clarifications, fixed typos, and added references. Results and conclusions unchanged

We study the cosmological consequences of co-decaying dark matter - a recently proposed mechanism for depleting the density of dark matter through the decay of nearly degenerate particles. A generic prediction of this framework is an early dark matter dominated phase in the history of the universe, that results in the enhanced growth of dark matter perturbations on small scales. We compute the duration of the early matter dominated phase and show that the perturbations are robust against washout from free-streaming. The enhanced small scale structure is expected to survive today in the form of compact micro-halos and can lead to significant boost factors for indirect detection experiments, such as FERMI, where dark matter would appear as point sources., Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures

New light vectors with dimension-4 couplings to Standard Model states have (energy / vector mass)^2 enhanced production rates unless the current they couple to is conserved. These processes allow us to derive new constraints on the couplings of such vectors, that are significantly stronger than the previous literature for a wide variety of models. Examples include vectors with axial couplings to quarks and vectors coupled to currents (such as baryon number) that are only broken by the chiral anomaly. Our new limits arise from a range of processes, including rare Z decays and flavor changing meson decays, and rule out a number of phenomenologically-motivated proposals., Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures; v3: Fixed factor of 4 error in Eq 14, CHARM bounds, and updated Fig 1 and Fig 3 accordingly

We derive new constraints on light vectors coupled to Standard Model (SM) fermions, when the corresponding SM current is broken by the chiral anomaly. Cancellation of the anomaly by heavy fermions results, in the low-energy theory, in Wess-Zumino type interactions between the new vector and the SM gauge bosons. These interactions are determined by the requirement that the heavy sector preserves the SM gauge groups, and lead to (energy / vector mass)^2 enhanced rates for processes involving the longitudinal mode of the new vector. Taking the example of a vector coupled to baryon number, Z decays and flavour changing neutral current meson decays via the new vector can occur with (weak scale / vector mass)^2 enhanced rates. These processes place significantly stronger coupling bounds than others considered in the literature, over a wide range of vector masses., Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure; v3: Corrected missing factor of 4 in Eq (7), CHARM bounds, and updated Figure 1 accordingly

We propose a new mechanism for thermal dark matter freezeout, termed Co-Decaying Dark Matter. Multi-component dark sectors with degenerate particles and out-of-equilibrium decays can co-decay to obtain the observed relic density. The dark matter density is exponentially depleted through the decay of nearly degenerate particles, rather than from Boltzmann suppression. The relic abundance is set by the dark matter annihilation cross-section, which is predicted to be boosted, and the decay rate of the dark sector particles. The mechanism is viable in a broad range of dark matter parameter space, with a robust prediction of an enhanced indirect detection signal. Finally, we present a simple model that realizes co-decaying dark matter., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures; matches version on PRL with updated references

We study a simple, well-motivated model based on a custodial symmetry which describes the tree-level production of a 750 GeV diphoton resonance from a decay of a singly produced vector-like quark. The model has several novel features. The identification of the resonance as an SU(2)$_R$ triplet provides a symmetry explanation for suppression of its decays to hh, WW, and gg. Moreover, the ratio of the 13 TeV to 8 TeV cross sections can be larger than single production of a 750 GeV resonance, reaching ratios of up to 7 for TeV scale vector-like quark masses. This eliminates any tension between the results from Run I and Run II diphoton searches. Lastly, we study the kinematics of our signal and conclude that the new production mechanism is consistent with available experimental distributions in large regions of parameter space but, depending on the mass of the new vector-like quarks, can be differentiated from the background with more statistics., Comment: 24 pages, 10 figures; matches version published in PRD

We study several aspects of supersymmetric models with a $U(1)_R$ symmetry where the Higgs doublet is identified with the superpartner of a lepton. We derive new, stronger bounds on the gaugino masses based on current measurements, and also propose ways to probe the model up to scales of $\mathcal{O}(10\, \textrm{TeV})$ at future $e^+e^-$ colliders. Since the $U(1)_R$ symmetry cannot be exact, we analyze the effects of $R$-symmetry breaking on neutrino masses and proton decay. In particular, we find that getting the neutrino mixing angles to agree with experiments in a minimal model requires a UV cutoff for the theory at around $ 10 \text{ TeV} $., Comment: 33 pages, 5 figures; v2: added reference. Matches version published in JHEP

Deviations of the top electroweak couplings from their Standard Model values imply that certain amplitudes for the scattering of third generation fermions and longitudinally polarized vector bosons or Higgses diverge quadratically with momenta. This high-energy growth is a genuine signal of models where the top quark is strongly coupled to the sector responsible for electroweak symmetry breaking. We propose to profit from the high energies accessible at the LHC to enhance the sensitivity to non-standard top-$Z$ couplings, which are currently very weakly constrained. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach, we perform a detailed analysis of $tW \to tW$ scattering, which can be probed at the LHC via $pp\to t\bar{t}Wj$. By recasting a CMS analysis at 8 TeV, we derive the strongest direct bounds to date on the $Ztt$ couplings. We also design a dedicated search at 13 TeV that exploits the distinctive features of the $t\bar{t}Wj$ signal. Finally, we present other scattering processes in the same class that could provide further tests of the top-Higgs sector., Comment: 37 pages, 10 figures; v2: minor improvements in the discussion, references added. Matches version published in JHEP

The ATLAS experiment has recently observed a 3-sigma excess in a channel with a leptonically decaying Z, jets, and ETmiss. It is tantalizing to interpret the signal as the first sign of a natural supersymmetric spectrum. We study such a possibility in a minimal model containing light stops and a neutralino LSP. The signal is characterized by a novel topology (compared to previous attempts) where the Z is emitted from a colored particle in the first step of a decay chain, namely t2 -> t1 Z which is characteristic of mixed stops. We show that the excess is compatible with a compressed stop spectrum and is not excluded by any other relevant search, finding some regions of parameter space with signal strength within 1-sigma of that measured by the ATLAS collaboration. In addition, we notice that the corresponding CMS search could be prone to background contamination in unexpected topologies of this kind., Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures. v3: final revision with minor additions, matches the version published on PRD

Recent searches for first-generation leptoquarks and heavy right-handed $W_R$ bosons have seen excesses in final states with electrons and jets. A bizarre property of these excesses is that they appear to violate lepton universality. With these results in mind, we study the phenomenology of supersymmetric models in which the Higgs arises as the sneutrino in an electron supermultiplet. Since the electron is singled out in this approach, one can naturally account for the lepton flavor structure of the excesses. In this work, we show that in such a framework, one can significantly alleviate the tension between the Standard Model and the data and yet evade current constraints from other searches. Lastly we point out that correlated excesses are expected to be seen in future multilepton searches., Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures

If new TeV scale particles are discovered, it will be important to determine their width. There is, however, a problematic region, where the width is too small to be determined directly, and too large to generate a secondary vertex. For a collection of colored, spin polarized particles, hadronization depolarizes the particles prior to their decay. The amount of depolarization can be used to probe the lifetime in the problematic region. In this paper we apply this method to a realistic scenario of a top-like particle that can be produced at the LHC. We study how depolarization affects the angular distributions of the decay products and derive an equation for the distributions that is sensitive to the lifetime., Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures, JHEP version