Abstract
Many viable dark matter models contain a WIMP candidate that is a component of a new electroweak multiplet whose mass M is large compared to the electroweak scale mW. A generic amplitude-level cancellation in such models yields a severe suppression of the cross section for WIMP-nucleon scattering, making it important to assess the impact of formally subleading effects. The power correction of order mW/M to the heavy WIMP limit is computed for electroweak doublet (Higgsino-like) dark matter candidates, and a modern model of nuclear modifications to the free nucleon cross section is evaluated. Corrections to the pure Higgsino limit are determined by a single parameter through first order in the heavy WIMP expansion. Current and projected experimental bounds on this parameter are investigated. The direct detection signal in the pure Higgsino limit remains below neutrino backgrounds for WIMPs in the TeV mass range. Nuclear corrections are applied also to the heavy Wino case, completing the investigation of combined subleading effects from perturbative QCD, 1/M power corrections, and nuclear modifications.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 135364 |
Journal | Physics Letters, Section B: Nuclear, Elementary Particle and High-Energy Physics |
Volume | 804 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 10 2020 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We thank M. Hoferichter and M. Solon for discussions and comments on the manuscript. QC also thanks Xinshuai Yan for helpful discussions. Work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of High Energy Physics, under Award Number DE-SC0019095. Fermilab is operated by Fermi Research Alliance, LLC under Contract No. DE-AC02-07CH11359 with the United States Department of Energy. QC thanks the Fermilab theory group, and the high energy theory group at Northwestern University, for hospitality during visits where part of this work was performed.
Funding Information:
We thank M. Hoferichter and M. Solon for discussions and comments on the manuscript. QC also thanks Xinshuai Yan for helpful discussions. Work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy , Office of Science, Office of High Energy Physics, under Award Number DE-SC0019095 . Fermilab is operated by Fermi Research Alliance, LLC under Contract No. DE-AC02-07CH11359 with the United States Department of Energy . QC thanks the Fermilab theory group, and the high energy theory group at Northwestern University, for hospitality during visits where part of this work was performed.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Authors
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Nuclear and High Energy Physics