Dark kinetic heating of neutron stars has been previously studied as a promising dark matter detection avenue. Kinetic heating occurs when dark matter is sped up to relativistic speeds in the gravitational well of high-escape velocity objects, and deposits kinetic energy after becoming captured by the object, thereby increasing its temperature. We show that dark kinetic heating can be significant even in objects with low-escape velocities, such as exoplanets and brown dwarfs, increasing the discovery potential of such searches. This can occur if there is a long-range dark force, creating a “dark escape velocity”, leading to heating rates substantially larger than those expected from neutron stars. We consequently set constraints on dark sector parameters using Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer and JWST data on Super-Jupiter WISE 0855-0714, and map out future sensitivity to the dark matter scattering cross section below 10 cm . We compare dark kinetic heating rates of other lower escape velocity objects such as the Earth, Sun, and white dwarfs, finding complementary kinetic heating signals are possible depending on particle physics parameters.

United States

Javier Acevedo

Rebecca Leane

Aidan Reilly

Dark kinetic heating of exoplanets and brown dwarfs

We recently pointed out that power measurements of single quasiparticle devices can be used to detect dark matter. These devices have the lowest known energy thresholds, far surpassing standard direct detection experiments, requiring energy deposition above only about an meV. We calculate dark matter induced quasiparticle densities in transmon qubits, and use the latest transmon qubit measurements that provide one of the strongest existing lab-based bounds on dark matter-nucleon scattering below about 100 MeV. We strongly constrain sub-component dark matter, using both a dark matter population thermalized in the Earth as well as the dark matter wind from the Galactic halo. We demonstrate future potential sensitivities using devices with low quasiparticle densities.

South Korea

Anirban Das

Noah Kurinsky

Transmon Qubit constraints on dark matter-nucleon scattering

New light particles produced in supernovae can lead to additional energy loss and a consequent deficit in neutrino production in conflict with the neutrinos observed from Supernova 1987A (SN1987A). Contrary to the majority of previous SN1987A studies, we examine the impact of Z′ bosons, axions, and axion-like particles (ALPs) interacting with the muons produced in SN1987A. For the first time, we find constraints on generic Z′ bosons coupled to muons, and apply our results to particle models including gauged L  μ  −L  τ  number,   <math> <mi>U</mi> <msub> <mfenced> <mn>1</mn> </mfenced> <mrow> <msub> <mi>L</mi> <mi>μ</mi> </msub> <mo>−</mo> <msub> <mi>L</mi> <mi>τ</mi> </msub> </mrow> </msub> </math>  $$ \mathrm{U}{(1)}_{L_{\mu }-{L}_{\tau }} $$ , and gauged B − L number, U(1) B−L . We constrain Z′ bosons with masses up to about 250 − 500 MeV, and down to about 10 −9 in Z′-muon coupling. We also extend previous work on axion-muon couplings by examining the importance of loop-level interactions, as well as performing calculations over a wider range of axion masses. We constrain muon-coupled axions from arbitrarily low masses up to about 200 − 500 MeV, with bounds extending down to axion-muon couplings of approximately 10 −8 GeV −1. We conclude that supernovae broadly provide a sensitive probe of new lightly-coupled particles interacting with muons.

Canada

Djuna Croon

Gilly Elor

Samuel McDermott

Supernova Muons: New Constraints on Z′ Bosons, Axions and ALPs

In hidden sector models, dark matter does not directly couple to the particle content of the Standard Model, strongly suppressing rates at direct detection experiments, while still allowing for large signals from annihilation. In this paper, we conduct an extensive study of hidden sector dark matter, covering a wide range of dark matter spins, mediator spins, interaction diagrams, and annihilation final states, in each case determining whether the annihilations are s-wave (thus enabling efficient annihilation in the universe today). We then go on to consider a variety of portal interactions that allow the hidden sector annihilation products to decay into the Standard Model. We broadly classify constraints from relic density requirements and dwarf spheroidal galaxy observations. In the scenario that the hidden sector was in equilibrium with the Standard Model in the early universe, we place a lower bound on the portal coupling, as well as on the dark matter’s elastic scattering cross section with nuclei. We apply our hidden sector results to the observed Galactic Center gamma-ray excess and the cosmic-ray antiproton excess. We find that both of these excesses can be simultaneously explained by a variety of hidden sector models, without any tension with constraints from observations of dwarf spheroidal galaxies.

Dan Hooper

Yu-Dai Tsai

Shalma Wegsman

Spain

Samuel Witte

A systematic study of hidden sector dark matter: application to the gamma-ray and antiproton excesses