From oversimplified to overlooked: The case for exploring rich dark sectors
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The Standard Model (SM) of particle physics provides a very successful description of fundamental particles and their interactions but it is incomplete, as neutrino masses, dark matter and the baryon asymmetry of the Universe indicate. In addition, the origin of masses and of the approximate fundamental symmetries call out for deeper explanations. The quest for a New SM Theory, that extends the SM to a more general theory, is ongoing. For decades the main focus has been on the TeV scale, but despite an impressive theoretical and experimental effort, no hints of new physics at such scale has been found in experiments. Dark sectors provide an interesting alternative to TeV scale extensions of the SM to explain the open questions in particle and astroparticle physics. Going beyond minimal models, rich dark sectors extend the SM to a complex theory with multiple particles and interactions, in analogy to the SM itself. They have a wealth of theoretical and astrophysical/cosmological consequences and can lead to phenomenological signatures that can be markedly different to that of minimal ones. These include short-lived particles and semi-visible decay signatures, as opposed to minimal models where new states are typically long-lived and purely visible or invisible resonances. Given the experimental configurations and analysis strategies, current dark sector searches might miss such signatures. We advocate a dedicated programme of searches for rich dark sectors that overcomes the assumptions on minimality and on the long lifetime of particles and encompasses a broader range of possibilities. Here, we discuss a prototype model that includes a complex structure akin to the SM: multiple generations of fermions charged under a new spontaneously-broken gauge symmetry.
Source: Nuclear Physics B
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
Funders: CERN, European Commission, European Cooperation in Science and Technology, Ministerstvo Školství, Mládeže a Tělovýchovy, Narodowe Centrum Nauki, Narodowym Centrum Nauki, Forskningsrådet om Hälsa, Arbetsliv och Välfärd, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme, Instituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, European Regional Development Fund, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Fermilab, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, HORIZON EUROPE Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Awards: G1622782223, G1764267590, G2262748287, G2430681607, G2554159582, G2825572829, G282847690, G2970403652, Hunting Invisibles: Dark sectors, Dark matter and Neutrinos, G3480869486, G3681454997, G4042783231, G425668148, G4442677895, G451917667, G4526231891, Neutrino experiments and data as a bridge to new physics, G4885318440, G545007060, G5967599077, G6033112984, G6233082744, G7084143925, G7244596243, G7600792
OpenAlex ID: W4414714526