Topological Portal to the Dark Sector

Area of Science:

• Particle Physics
• Cosmology
• Quantum Field Theory

Background:

• The nature of dark matter remains one of the most significant unsolved problems in physics.
• Understanding the interaction between the visible sector (described by Quantum Chromodynamics) and the dark sector is crucial for a complete cosmological model.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a new theoretical framework connecting Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) and a dark sector.
• To explore the implications of this connection for dark matter properties and detection.
• To identify potential experimental signatures of this proposed interaction.

Main Methods:

• Introducing a topological portal that links QCD and a dark sector with global symmetry breaking.
• Analyzing the resulting particle content, specifically the connection between three QCD pions and two dark pions.
• Gauging the portal to establish it as the primary interaction between the sectors.
• Investigating the consequences for dark matter phenomenology, including annihilation rates and direct detection cross-sections.
• Exploring potential collider signatures at experiments like Belle II.

Main Results:

• The proposed model provides a self-consistent scenario for light, thermal, inelastic dark matter.
• Antisymmetrization within the model leads to suppressed dark matter annihilations at later times.
• Direct detection signals for this dark matter candidate are predicted to be suppressed.
• Novel collider signatures are predicted, offering potential discovery avenues.

Conclusions:

• The topological portal offers an elegant mechanism to connect QCD and the dark sector.
• The model predicts a specific type of dark matter with suppressed late-time annihilations and direct detection signals.
• Particle colliders, particularly Belle II, present promising opportunities for discovering this dark matter scenario through its unique signatures.