Darkon dark matter,unparticle effects and collider physics

In this talk I report recent results on the simplest dark matter model, the Darkon model, and supersymmetric unparticle effects on dark matter, and some implications for collider physics. I first discuss dark matter properties and collider signatures in the Darkon model, and then I discuss some implications for dark matter if a scalar unparticle is introduced to the MSSM.     

Dark energy interacting with dark matter and a third fluid: Possible EoS for this component

A cosmological model of dark energy interacting with dark matter and another general component of the universe is considered. The equations for the coincidence parameters r and s, which represent the ratios between dark energy and dark matter and the other cosmic fluid respectively, are analyzed in terms of the stability of stationary solutions. The obtained general results allow to shed some light on the equations of state of the three interacting fluids, due to the constraints imposed by the stability of the solutions. We found that for an interaction proportional to the sum of the dark energy density and the third fluid density, the hypothetical fluid must have positive pressure, which leads naturally to a cosmological scenario with radiation, unparticle or even some form of warm dark matter as the third interacting fluid.     

Density perturbation of unparticle dark matter in the flat Universe

The unparticle has been suggested as a candidate of dark matter. We investigated the growth rate of the density perturbation for unparticle dark matter in the flat Universe. First, we consider the model in which the unparticle is the sole dark matter and find that the growth factor can be approximated well by f=(1+3ω _u )Ω _u ^γ , where ω _u is the equation of state of unparticle. Our results show that the presence of ω _u modifies the behavior of the growth factor f. For the second model where the unparticle co-exists with cold dark matter, the growth factor has a new approximation f=(1+3ω _u )Ω _u ^γ +α Ω _m and α is a function of ω _u . Thus the growth factor of the unparticle is quite different from that of the usual dark matter. This information can help us know more about unparticle and the early evolution of the Universe.     

Unparticle physics

I discuss some simple aspects of the low-energy physics of a nontrivial scale invariant sector of an effective field theory-physics that cannot be described in terms of particles. I argue that it is important to take seriously the possibility that the unparticle stuff described by such a theory might actually exist in our world. I suggest a scenario in which some details of the production of unparticle stuff can be calculated. I find that in the appropriate low-energy limit, unparticle stuff with scale dimension dU looks like a nonintegral number dU of invisible particles. Thus dramatic evidence for a nontrivial scale invariant sector could show up experimentally in missing energy distributions.     

LHC/ILC/cosmology interplay

There is a strong and growing interplay between particle physics and cosmology. In this talk, I discuss some aspects of this interplay concerning dark matter candidates put forth by theories beyond the standard model. In explaining the requirements for collider tests of such dark matter candidates, I focus in particular on the case of the lightest neutralino in the MSSM.     

The private Higgs

We introduce Higgs democracy in the Yukawa sector by constructing a model with a private Higgs and a dark scalar for each fermion thus addressing the large hierarchy among fermion masses. The model has interesting implications for the LHC, while the Standard Model phenomenology is recovered at low energies. We discuss some phenomenological implications such as FCNC, new Higgses at the TeV scale and dark matter candidates.     

Notes on dark energy interacting with dark matter and unparticle in loop quantum cosmology

We investigate the behavior of dark energy interacting with dark matter and unparticle in the framework of loop quantum cosmology. In four toy models, we study the interaction between the cosmic components by choosing different coupling functions representing the interaction. We found that there are only two attractor solutions namely dark energy dominated and dark matter dominated Universe. The other two models are unstable, as they predict either a dark energy filled Universe or one completely devoid of it.     

Galactic searches for dark matter

For nearly a century, more mass has been measured in galaxies than is contained in the luminous stars and gas. Through continual advances in observations and theory, it has become clear that the dark matter in galaxies is not comprised of known astronomical objects or baryonic matter, and that identification of it is certain to reveal a profound connection between astrophysics, cosmology, and fundamental physics. The best explanation for dark matter is that it is in the form of a yet undiscovered particle of nature, with experiments now gaining sensitivity to the most well-motivated particle dark matter candidates. In this article, I review measurements of dark matter in the Milky Way and its satellite galaxies and the status of Galactic searches for particle dark matter using a combination of terrestrial and space-based astroparticle detectors, and large scale astronomical surveys. I review the limits on the dark matter annihilation and scattering cross sections that can be extracted from both astroparticle experiments and astronomical observations, and explore the theoretical implications of these limits. I discuss methods to measure the properties of particle dark matter using future experiments, and conclude by highlighting the exciting potential for dark matter searches during the next decade, and beyond.     

Cosmological constraints on unparticle dark matter

In unparticle dark matter (unmatter) models, the equation of state of the unmatter is given by p=ρ/(2d _U+1), where d _U is the scaling factor. Unmatter with such equations of state would have a significant impact on the history of the expansion of the universe. Using type Ia supernovae (SNIa), the baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) measurements and the shift parameter of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) to place constraints on such unmatter models, we find that if only the SNIa data are used, the constraints are weak. However, with the BAO and CMB shift parameter data added, strong constraints can be obtained. For the ΛUDM model, in which unmatter is the sole dark matter, we find that d _U>60 at 95% C.L. For comparison, in most unparticle physics models it is assumed that d _U<2. For the ΛCUDM model, in which unmatter co-exists with cold dark matter, we found that the unmatter can at most make up a few percent of the total cosmic density if d _U<10; thus it cannot be the major component of dark matter.     

Mirror matter, mirror gravity and galactic rotational curves

We discuss astrophysical implications of the modified gravity model in which the two matter components, ordinary and dark, couple to separate gravitational fields that mix to each other through small mass terms. There are two spin-2 eigenstates: the massless graviton, which induces universal Newtonian attraction, and the massive one, which gives rise to the Yukawa-like potential which is repulsive between the ordinary and dark bodies. As a result for distances much smaller than the Yukawa radius r _m the gravitation strength between the two types of matter becomes vanishing. If r _m ～10 kpc, the typical size of a galaxy, there are interesting implications for the nature of dark matter. In particular, one can avoid the problem of the cusp that is typical for the cold dark matter halos. Interestingly, the flat shape of the rotational curves can be explained even in the case of the collisional and dissipative dark matter (as e.g. mirror matter), which cannot give the extended halos but instead must form galactic discs similarly to the visible matter. The observed rotational curves for the large, medium-size and dwarf galaxies can be nicely reproduced. We also briefly discuss possible implications for the direct search of dark matter.     

Cosmic-ray positron from superparticle dark matter and the PAMELA anomaly

Motivated by the anomalous positron flux recently reported by the PAMELA Collaboration, we study the cosmic-ray positron produced by the pair annihilation and the decay of superparticle dark matter. We calculate the cosmic-ray positron flux and discuss implications of the PAMELA data. We show that the positron excess observed by the PAMELA can be explained with some of the superparticle dark matter.     

Relaxing the cosmological constraints on unparticle dark component

Unparticle physics has been an active field since the seminal work of Georgi. Recently, many constraints on unparticles from various observations have been considered in the literature. In particular, the cosmological constraints on the unparticle dark component put it in a serious situation. In this work, we try to find a way out of this serious situation, by including the possible interaction between dark energy and the unparticle dark component.     

Particle dark matter: An overview

I discuss some compelling suggestions about particles which could be the dark matter in the Universe, with special attention to experimental searches for them.     

Proper motion of gamma rays from microhalo sources

I discuss the prospects of detecting the smallest dark matter bound structures present in the Milky Way by searching for the proper motion of gamma-ray sources in the upcoming Gamma Ray Large Area Space Telescope all sky map. I show that for dark matter particle candidates that couple to photons the detection of at least one gamma-ray microhalo source with proper motion places a constraint on the couplings and mass of the dark matter particle.     

Constraining unparticle physics with cosmology and astrophysics

It has recently been suggested that a scale-invariant "unparticle" sector with a nontrivial infrared fixed point may couple to the standard model (SM) via higher-dimensional operators. The weakness of such interactions hides the unparticle phenomena at low energies. We demonstrate how cosmology and astrophysics can place significant bounds on the strength of unparticle-SM interactions. We also discuss the possibility of a having a non-negligible unparticle relic density today.     

Phase Space Analysis and Anisotropic Universe Model in f(T) Gravity

In this paper, we study the stability of locally rotationally symmetric(LRS) Bianchi I universe model in f(T) gravity through phase space analysis. We assume that the f(T) gravity can be treated as effective dark energy behaving like perfect fluid, and suggest that there are interactions between pressureless matter as well as dark energy.We construct the corresponding autonomous system of equations to check the stability of the model for non phantom,vacuum and phantom phases. It is concluded that critical points remain more stable in phantom phase as compared to non phantom and vacuum cases. Finally, we discuss the cosmological behavior of the model through some cosmological parameters.     

Quark matter in astrophysics and cosmology

We discuss the role of quark matter in astrophysics and cosmology. The implications of the dynamics of the quark-hadron phase transition in the early universe for the element abundances from big gang nucleosynthesis and the composition of the dark matter in the universe are addressed. We discuss the possibility of deciding on an equation of state for high density matter by observing the cooling of a neutron star remnant of SN1987A. Quark matter models for the Centauros events, Cygnus X-3 cosmic ray events, high energy gamma-ray bursts and the solar neutrino problem are described.     

News and Views: Challenges of Relativistic Astrophysics

I discuss some of the most outstanding challenges in relativistic astrophysics in the subjects of compact objects (black holes and neutron stars), dark sector (dark matter and dark energy), plasma astrophysics (origin of jets, cosmic rays, and magnetic fields), and the primordial universe (physics at the beginning of the Universe). In these four subjects, I discuss 12 of the most important challenges. These challenges give us insight into new physics that can only be studied in the large scale universe. The near-future possibilities, in observations and theory, for addressing these challenges are also discussed.