A Theory of Dark Matter

Abstract

We propose a comprehensive theory of dark matter that explains the recent proliferation of unexpected observations in high-energy astrophysics. Cosmic ray spectra from ATIC and PAMELA require a WIMP with mass M_chi ~ 500 - 800 GeV that annihilates into leptons at a level well above that expected from a thermal relic. Signals from WMAP and EGRET reinforce this interpretation. Taken together, we argue these facts imply the presence of a GeV-scale new force in the dark sector. The long range allows a Sommerfeld enhancement to boost the annihilation cross section as required, without altering the weak scale annihilation cross section during dark matter freezeout in the early universe. If the dark matter annihilates into the new force carrier, phi, its low mass can force it to decay dominantly into leptons. If the force carrier is a non-Abelian gauge boson, the dark matter is part of a multiplet of states, and splittings between these states are naturally generated with size alpha m_phi ~ MeV, leading to the eXciting dark matter (XDM) scenario previously proposed to explain the positron annihilation in the galactic center observed by the INTEGRAL satellite. Somewhat smaller splittings would also be expected, providing a natural source for the parameters of the inelastic dark matter (iDM) explanation for the DAMA annual modulation signal. Since the Sommerfeld enhancement is most significant at low velocities, early dark matter halos at redshift ~10 potentially produce observable effects on the ionization history of the universe, and substructure is more detectable than with a conventional WIMP. Moreover, the low velocity dispersion of dwarf galaxies and Milky Way subhalos can greatly increase the substructure annihilation signal.

22 pages, 7 figures, accepted by PRD. Version 2 corrects two equations and clarifies saturation of Sommerfeld enhancement at low velocity. Version 3 is the final journal version

References in corpus (9)

• Secluded WIMP Dark Matter
• First results from DAMA/LIBRA and the combined results with DAMA/NaI
• Cosmology and Astrophysics of Minimal Dark Matter
• Exciting Dark Matter and the INTEGRAL/SPI 511 keV signal
• Cosmic-ray positron fraction measurement from 1 to 30 GeV with AMS-01
• Evidence Of Dark Matter Annihilations In The WMAP Haze
• Pre-launch estimates for GLAST sensitivity to Dark Matter annihilation signals
• Gamma-ray continuum emission from the inner Galactic region as observed with INTEGRAL/SPI
• Conservative Constraints on Dark Matter Annihilation into Gamma Rays

Cited by in corpus (68)

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• Probing Dark Forces and Light Hidden Sectors at Low-Energy e+e- Colliders
• Kinetic Mixing as the Origin of Light Dark Scales
• Pulsars versus Dark Matter Interpretation of ATIC/PAMELA
• Dark matter interpretation of recent electron and positron data
• Inverse Compton constraints on the Dark Matter e+e- excesses
• Candidates for Inelastic Dark Matter
• Direct Detection of Multi-component Secluded WIMPs
• Constraints on Dark Matter annihilations from reionization and heating of the intergalactic gas
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• Bounds on Cross-sections and Lifetimes for Dark Matter Annihilation and Decay into Charged Leptons from Gamma-ray Observations of Dwarf Galaxies
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• Dark Matter Signals from Cascade Annihilations
• Positrons and antiprotons from inert doublet model dark matter
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• Breaking the Dark Force
• Discriminating different scenarios to account for the cosmic $e^{\pm }$ excess by synchrotron and inverse Compton radiation
• Dark matter and sub-GeV hidden U(1) in GMSB models
• Decaying Dark Matter as a Probe of Unification and TeV Spectroscopy
• Extragalactic Inverse Compton Light from Dark Matter Annihilation and the Pamela Positron Excess
• Sommerfeld corrections to type-II and III leptogenesis
• The Leptonic Higgs as a Messenger of Dark Matter
• How Dark Matter Reionized The Universe
• TeV Scale Singlet Dark Matter
• Capture of Inelastic Dark Matter in the Sun
• Phenomenology of Dark Matter annihilation into a long-lived intermediate state
• PAMELA, DAMA, INTEGRAL and Signatures of Metastable Excited WIMPs
• Mirage in the Sky: Non-thermal Dark Matter, Gravitino Problem, and Cosmic Ray Anomalies
• Substructure Boosts to Dark Matter Annihilation from Sommerfeld Enhancement
• TASI 2008 Lectures on Dark Matter
• ATIC, PAMELA, HESS, Fermi and nearby Dark Matter subhalos
• Prospects for Detecting Neutrino Signals from Annihilating/Decaying Dark Matter to Account for the PAMELA and ATIC results
• Extended MSSM Neutralinos as the Source of the PAMELA Positron Excess
• Measuring the Dark Force at the LHC
• Search for Dark Matter
• Muon Fluxes From Dark Matter Annihilation
• Local Models in F-Theory and M-Theory with Three Generations
• Neutralino Dark Matter with Inert Higgsinos and Singlinos
• The PAMELA excess from neutralino annihilation in the NMSSM
• Galactic Signatures of Decaying Dark Matter
• PAMELA/ATIC anomaly from the meta-stable extra dark matter component and the leptophilic Yukawa interaction
• R-parity preserving super-WIMP decays
• ATIC and PAMELA Results on Cosmic e^\pm Excesses and Neutrino Masses
• Type II Seesaw and the PAMELA/ATIC Signals
• Probing Dark Matter Dynamics via Earthborn Neutrinos at IceCube
• Constraints on Dark Matter Annihilation Cross Section in Scenarios of Brane-World and Quintessence
• Dark Strings
• Cosmic strings interacting with dark strings
• Effective Theory for Dark Matter and a New Force in the Dark Matter Sector
• Cosmic Ray Positrons from Annihilations into a New, Heavy Lepton
• Diffuse gamma-ray background and cosmic-ray positrons from annihilating dark matter
• Pseudomoduli Dark Matter
• Gamma Ray Spectra from Dark Matter Annihilation and Decay
• Dark Matter and Pseudo-flat Directions in Weakly Coupled SUSY Breaking Sectors
• Sommerfeld enhancement for a Yukawa potential
• Enhanced Dark Matter Annihilation Rate for Positron and Electron Excesses from Q-ball Decay
• Dark Matter with Time-Varying Leptophilic Couplings
• Flesh and Blood, or Merely Ghosts? Some Comments on the Multi-Muon Study at CDF
• CDF Multi-Muon Events and Singlet Extensions of the MSSM
• Analysis of the Positron Fraction and the Spectrum of the Electronic Component in Cosmic Rays
• Muon Excess in Cosmic Rays and at CDF: Signs for a Hidden Sector?
• Some Aspects of New CDM Models and CDM Detection Methods
• Dark matter annihilation into gamma-ray line generated by anomalies