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Viability of the higgsino or right-sneutrino dark matter

Seminar

Theoretical Physics, general interest

Speaker:

Katri Huitu

Institution:

Universidad de Helsinki

Location&Place:

IFT Seminar Room/Red Room

Abstract:

Dark matter (DM) and neutrino masses are observations, which seem to require going beyond the Standard Model (BSM) of particle physics. For a long time, supersymmetry has been a leading BSM framework and a typical lightest supersymmetric particle, the neutralino, is a much-studied candidate for dark matter.

In the talk, I will discuss supersymmetric dark matter in two models exhibiting seesaw mechanism for neutrino mass generation. In a left-right symmetric supersymmetric model the dark matter candidates, specific to the model, include a right-sneutrino and a higgsino-dominated neutralino. These turn out to be viable dark matter candidates, but generically rather heavy in the model, indicating a heavy spectrum. In pursue of a lighter spectrum, we then consider an inverse seesaw model, in which measured relic density could be achieved with a lighter DM candidate when both freeze-in and freeze-out mechanisms contribute to the production of DM.