General heavy WIMP nucleon elastic scattering

Journal Article · 26 December 2023 · Physical Review. D.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevd.108.116023 · OSTI ID:2000980

Chen, Qing  ^[1]; Ding, Gui-Jun ^[1]; Hill, Richard J.  ^[2]

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1. Univ. of Science and Technology of China, Hefei (China); Peng Huanwu Center for Fundamental Theory, Hefei (China)
2. Univ. of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (United States); Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)

Heavy weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) effective field theory is used to compute the WIMP-nucleon scattering rate for general heavy electroweak multiplets through order $m_W/M$, where $m_W$ and $M$ denote the electroweak and WIMP mass scales. The lightest neutral component of such an electroweak multiplet is a candidate dark matter particle, either elementary or composite. Existing computations for certain representations of electroweak ${\mathrm{SU}\left(2\right)}_W\times {\mathrm{U}\left(1\right)}_Y$ reveal a cancellation of amplitudes from different effective operators at leading and subleading orders in $1/M$, yielding small cross sections that are below current dark matter direct-detection experimental sensitivities. We extend those computations and consider all low-spin (spin-0, spin- $1/2$, spin-1, spin- $3/2$) heavy electroweak multiplets with arbitrary ${\mathrm{SU}\left(2\right)}_W\times {\mathrm{U}\left(1\right)}_Y$ representations and provide benchmark cross section results for dark matter direct detection experiments. For most self-conjugate TeV WIMPs with isospin $\le 3$ the cross sections are below current experimental limits but within reach of next-generation experiments. An exception is the case of pure electroweak doublet, where WIMPs are hidden below the neutrino floor.

• Research Organization: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC02-07CH11359; SC0019095
• OSTI ID: 2000980
• Alternate ID(s): OSTI ID: 2263398
• Report Number(s): USTC-ICTS/PCFT-23-26; FERMILAB-PUB--23-423-T; arXiv:2309.02715; oai:inspirehep.net:2693914
• Journal Information: Physical Review. D., Journal Name: Physical Review. D. Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 108; ISSN 2470-0010
• Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English