A non-zero topological angle in a confining dark sector induces CP-violating pion-baryon couplings that naturally generate velocity-dependent dark matter self-interactions and dark electric dipole moments for direct detection.
Dark QCD Matters
9 Pith papers cite this work. Polarity classification is still indexing.
abstract
We investigate the nightmare scenario of dark sectors that are made of non-abelian gauge theories with fermions, gravitationally coupled to the Standard Model (SM). While testing these scenarios is experimentally challenging, they are strongly motivated by the accidental stability of dark baryons and pions, that explain the cosmological stability of dark matter (DM). We study the production of these sectors which are minimally populated through gravitational freeze-in, leading to a dark sector temperature much lower than the SM, or through inflaton decay, or renormalizable interactions producing warmer DM. Despite having only gravitational couplings with the SM these scenarios turn out to be rather predictive depending roughly on three parameters: the dark sector temperature, the confinement scale and the dark pion mass. In particular, when the initial temperature is comparable to the SM one these scenarios are very constrained by structure formation, $\Delta N_{\rm eff}$ and limits on DM self-interactions. Dark sectors with same temperature or warmer than SM are typically excluded.
citation-role summary
citation-polarity summary
years
2026 9roles
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background 4representative citing papers
Non-supersymmetric spin-3/2 dark matter with baryon-violating portals can explain the relic abundance through UV and Boltzmann-suppressed freeze-in, with viable parameter space constrained by indirect detection, direct detection, and LHC monojet searches.
A Z_N-symmetric multi-copy dark-QCD axion, broken by single-sector reheating, yields natural phantom-crossing dark energy with dark-pion DM in a viable parameter window.
Asymmetric reheating in Dark QED produces dark matter via a new channel where DM particles annihilate while still being created by inflaton decay, with the hidden-to-visible temperature ratio tied to the square root of the Yukawa coupling ratio.
A UV-complete neutron portal model dynamically solves the dark matter-baryon coincidence via a supercooled dark confinement transition that generates GeV-scale asymmetric DM and links to observed gravitational waves.
MCMC fits of degenerate fermionic dark matter models to eight classical dwarf spheroidal galaxies constrain fermion masses to 100-300 eV and show current data do not strongly favor interacting over non-interacting equations of state.
A minimal electrophilic ALP portal for SIMP pion dark matter widens the allowed parameter space, making an ALP mass of order 10 MeV viable and consistent with the X17 anomaly.
Review of confining dark sectors summarizing dark matter candidates, abundance mechanisms, discovery channels, and applications to the abundance similarity puzzle.
citing papers explorer
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Dark Neutrons as Dark Matter: Collisions in Halos and Direct Detection from Dark CP Violation
A non-zero topological angle in a confining dark sector induces CP-violating pion-baryon couplings that naturally generate velocity-dependent dark matter self-interactions and dark electric dipole moments for direct detection.
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Decaying spin-3/2 dark matter from baryon number violation
Non-supersymmetric spin-3/2 dark matter with baryon-violating portals can explain the relic abundance through UV and Boltzmann-suppressed freeze-in, with viable parameter space constrained by indirect detection, direct detection, and LHC monojet searches.
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Natural Phantom Dark Energy from a $\mathbb{Z}_N$--Axion
A Z_N-symmetric multi-copy dark-QCD axion, broken by single-sector reheating, yields natural phantom-crossing dark energy with dark-pion DM in a viable parameter window.
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Asymmetric Reheating of Dark QED
Asymmetric reheating in Dark QED produces dark matter via a new channel where DM particles annihilate while still being created by inflaton decay, with the hidden-to-visible temperature ratio tied to the square root of the Yukawa coupling ratio.
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Neutron Portal and Dark Matter-Baryon Coincidence: from UV Completion to Phenomenology
A UV-complete neutron portal model dynamically solves the dark matter-baryon coincidence via a supercooled dark confinement transition that generates GeV-scale asymmetric DM and links to observed gravitational waves.
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Dwarf Galaxy Constraints on Interacting Fermionic Dark Matter
MCMC fits of degenerate fermionic dark matter models to eight classical dwarf spheroidal galaxies constrain fermion masses to 100-300 eV and show current data do not strongly favor interacting over non-interacting equations of state.
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Axion-Like Electrophilic Portal for Pion Dark Matter
A minimal electrophilic ALP portal for SIMP pion dark matter widens the allowed parameter space, making an ALP mass of order 10 MeV viable and consistent with the X17 anomaly.
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Rich Phenomenology from Simple Ingredients: A Review of Confining Dark Sectors
Review of confining dark sectors summarizing dark matter candidates, abundance mechanisms, discovery channels, and applications to the abundance similarity puzzle.
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