Project description
Dark matter and the matter-antimatter asymmetry at the teraelectronvolt scale
Most of the matter of the universe consists of some yet unknown particles, known as dark matter. Moreover, of the known particle species, our universe contains only particles and no antiparticles. The origin of this excess of ordinary matter over antimatter and the nature of dark matter are among the most fundamental questions in physics. Experiments are now probing the existence of particles with multi-TeV masses. Such heavy particles may constitute the dark matter, or may have participated in the matter-antimatter asymmetry generation. Their interactions are anticipated to involve important non-perturbative effects, particularly the formation of bound states. The EU-funded CosmoChart will investigate these effects on the dark-matter thermal decoupling and the matter-antimatter asymmetry generation in the early Universe.
Objective
The origin of the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the universe and the nature of dark matter are among the most fundamental and challenging questions in physics. Their undeniable importance has placed them in the forefront of the experimental and theoretical research in particle physics, cosmology and astrophysics. Our experimental probes are now at the outset of exploring the multi-TeV energy scale. To fully exploit the experimental effort, to design effective search strategies and correctly interpret the experimental results, we must develop reliable theoretical understanding of the plausible dynamics at this scale.
The TeV scale is a new threshold. In this regime, the interactions hypothesised in a variety of well-motivated theories manifest as long-range. This is true for the most widely studied particle-physics scenario for dark matter, particles coupled to the Weak interactions of the Standard Model, as well as many other models. Moreover, many theories of matter-antimatter asymmetry generation invoke heavy particles that couple to lighter force mediators.
Long-range interactions imply very different dynamics than the contact-type interactions most commonly considered in the past. They give rise to non-perturbative effects, with the most prominent being the existence of bound states. Such effects can change the experimental signatures very significantly. CosmoChart will comprehensively investigate the implications of long-range interactions along two directions:
I. The dark matter thermal decoupling in the early universe and indirect detection.
II. The particle-antiparticle asymmetry generation and washout.
The results will have implications for most experimental probes. As the long-range dynamics becomes increasingly more important at higher scales, the investigations of CosmoChart will chart particle cosmology at the TeV scale and beyond.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
ERC-COG - Consolidator GrantHost institution
75006 Paris
France