Detectable Vector Dark Matter

Speaker: David Cyncynates (University of Washington)

Date: Monday, April 22, 2024

Time: 4:00 – 5:00 pm

Location: 472 Willamette Hall

Abstract: Ultralight dark photons are compelling dark matter candidates, but their allowed kinetic mixing with the Standard Model photon is severely constrained by requiring that the dark photons do not collapse into a cosmic string network in the early Universe. In this talk, I will review minimal vector dark matter production from inflationary fluctuations and how the corresponding production of cosmic strings eliminates any prospect of vector dark matter direct detection. This raises the question: “what vector dark matter models are experiments sensitive to?” which I will address with the remainder of the talk. I will begin by introducing a minimally extended model that weakens cosmic string bounds enough to be probed by upcoming SuperCDMS observations. I will then show in a model-independent way how less-minimal post-inflationary vector production can broaden the available parameter space to include all upcoming direct detection experiments. Finally, I will present a concrete realization of these postinflationary dynamics.

Host: Pouya Asadi