R-parity preserving super-WIMP decays

2008/12/31 by Maxim Pospelov, Michael Trott · 30 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Dark Matter and Cosmic Phenomena #Electroweak interaction #Electroweak scale #Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model #Neutrino #Neutrino Physics Research #Observable #Particle decay #Particle physics theoretical and experimental studies #Physics beyond the Standard Model #Scalar (mathematics) #Scaling #Standard Model (mathematical formulation) #hep-ph

paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/1126-6708/2009/04/044

published in Journal of High Energy Physics 2009(04), 044 (Springer Nature) · 14 pages, v3 JHEP version

arxiv created 2009/04/14 · openalex publication_date 2009/04/14 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

We point out that when the decay of one electroweak scale super-WIMP state to another occurs at second order in a super-weak coupling constant, this can naturally lead to decay lifetimes that are much larger than the age of the Universe, and create observable consequences for the indirect detection of dark matter. We demonstrate this in a supersymmetric model with Dirac neutrinos, where the right-handed scalar neutrinos are the lightest and next-to-lightest supersymmetric partners. We show that this model produces a super-WIMP decay rate scaling as m_nu⁴/(weak scale)³, and may significantly enhance the fraction of energetic electrons and positrons over anti-protons in the decay products. Such a signature is consistent with the observations recently reported by the PAMELA experiment.

Citations

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• FIVE-YEARWILKINSON MICROWAVE ANISOTROPY PROBEOBSERVATIONS: COSMOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION