Composite Dark Matter and Puzzles of Dark Matter Searches

Positive results of dark matter searches in DAMA/NaI and DAMA/LIBRA experiments, being put together with the results of other groups, can imply nontrivial particle physics solutions for cosmological dark matter. Stable particles with charge -2, bound with primordial helium in O-helium "atoms" (OHe), represent a specific Warmer than Cold nuclear-interacting form of dark matter. Slowed down in the terrestrial matter, OHe is elusive for direct methods of underground Dark matter detection used in cryogenic experiments. However radiative capture of OHe by Na and I nuclei can lead to annual variations of energy release in the interval of energy 2-5 keV in DAMA/NaI and DAMA/LIBRA experiments.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, Invited contribution to proceeding of the 4th International Workshop on Astronomy and Relativistic Astrophysics (IWARA09

Study of corrections for anomalous coupling limits due to the possible background BSM contributions

The search of the anomalous couplings is one of the possible ways to find any deviation from the Standard Model. The effective field theory is used to parameterize the anomalous couplings in the Lagrangian with the operators of higher dimensions, constructed from the SM fields. In the classical way, the limits on the Wilson coefficients of these operators are set based on beyond the Standard Model contributions induced for signal process, whereas the ones induced for background processes are assumed to be negligible. This article provides a study of the corrections to the limits on Wilson coefficients by accounting beyond the Standard Model contributions induced for background processes. The studies of $Z(\nu\bar{\nu})\gamma jj$ and $W(\ell\nu)\gamma jj$ productions in $pp$ collisions with $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV and conditions of the ATLAS experiment at the LHC are used as example. Cases of collected during Run II and expected from Run III integrated luminosities of 139 fb$^{-1}$ and 300 fb$^{-1}$ are considered. The expected 95% CL limits on coefficients $f_\text{T0}/\Lambda^4$, $f_\text{T5}/\Lambda^4$, $f_\text{M0}/\Lambda^4$ and $f_\text{M2}/\Lambda^4$ are obtained both in classical way and in the way, where the corrections from background anomalous contributions are applied. Corrected one-dimensional limits from $Z(\nu\bar{\nu})\gamma jj$ and $W(\ell\nu)\gamma jj$ productions are up to 9.1% and 4.4% (depending on operator) tighter than the classical ones respectively. Corrected combined limits are up to 3.0% (depending on operator) tighter than the classical ones. Corrections to two-dimensional limits are also obtained, corrected contours are more stringent, than the classical ones, and the maximal improvement is of 17.2%

Towards Nuclear Physics of OHe Dark Matter

The nonbaryonic dark matter of the Universe can consist of new stable charged particles, bound in heavy "atoms" by ordinary Coulomb interaction. If stable particles $O^{--}$ with charge -2 are in excess over their antiparticles (with charge +2), the primordial helium, formed in Big Bang Nucleosynthesis, captures all $O^{--}$ in neutral "atoms" of O-helium (OHe). Interaction with nuclei plays crucial role in the cosmological evolution of OHe and in the effects of these dark atoms as nuclear interacting dark matter. Slowed down in terrestrial matter OHe atoms cause negligible effects of nuclear recoil in underground detectors, but can experience radiative capture by nuclei. Local concentration of OHe in the matter of detectors is rapidly adjusted to the incoming flux of cosmic OHe and possess annual modulation due to Earth's orbital motion around the Sun. The potential of OHe-nucleus interaction is determined by polarization of OHe by the Coulomb and nuclear force of the approaching nucleus. Stark-like effect by the Coulomb force of nucleus makes this potential attractive at larger distances, while change of polarization by the effect of nuclear force gives rise to a potential barrier, preventing merging of nucleus with helium shell of OHe atom. The existence of the corresponding shallow well beyond the nucleus can provide the conditions, at which nuclei in the matter of DAMA/NaI and DAMA/LIBRA detectors have a few keV binding energy with OHe, corresponding to a level in this well. Annual modulation of the radiative capture rate to this level can reproduce DAMA results. The OHe hypothesis can qualitatively explain the controversy in the results of direct dark matter searches by specifics of OHe nuclear interaction with the matter of underground detectors.Comment: to be published in Proceedings of XIV Bled Workshop "What comes beyond the Standard model?" (Bled, Slovenia

Puzzles of Dark Matter - More Light on Dark Atoms?

Positive results of dark matter searches in experiments DAMA/NaI and DAMA/LIBRA confronted with results of other groups can imply nontrivial particle physics solutions for cosmological dark matter. Stable particles with charge -2, bound with primordial helium in O-helium "atoms" (OHe), represent a specific nuclear-interacting form of dark matter. Slowed down in the terrestrial matter, OHe is elusive for direct methods of underground Dark matter detection using its nuclear recoil. However, low energy binding of OHe with sodium nuclei can lead to annual variations of energy release from OHe radiative capture in the interval of energy 2-4 keV in DAMA/NaI and DAMA/LIBRA experiments. At nuclear parameters, reproducing DAMA results, the energy release predicted for detectors with chemical content other than NaI differ in the most cases from the one in DAMA detector. Moreover there is no bound systems of OHe with light and heavy nuclei, so that there is no radiative capture of OHe in detectors with xenon or helium content. Due to dipole Coulomb barrier, transitions to more energetic levels of Na+OHe system with much higher energy release are suppressed in the correspondence with the results of DAMA experiments. The proposed explanation inevitably leads to prediction of abundance of anomalous Na, corresponding to the signal, observed by DAMA.Comment: Contribution to Proceedings of XIII Bled Workshop "What Comes beyond the Standard Model?

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements