Astroparticle Physics Assessed Exercise

Due by: 23:59, 14th February 2022

Please hand in your solutions on Gradescope.

Consider extending the Standard Model (SM) to include right handed neutrino fields Ni . The right
handed neutrino has both Yukawa and Majorana mass terms with Lagrangian:

−Lν ⊃ yαi L̄α H † Ni + mi N̄ic Ni + h.c.,

where Lα are the SM left-handed lepton doublets; α = e, µ, τ ; H is the SM Higgs, yαi are Yukawa
couplings and mi are the Majorana masses. In this exercise, we will study the viability of the lightest right-
handed neutrino, N1 , as a dark matter candidate.

Assume that the Yukawa coupling is large enough that N1 can be in thermal equilibrium with the
Standard Model plasma in the early universe:

1. Explain why right handed neutrinos could be a good Dark Matter candidate.
2. Draw all the tree-level Feynman diagrams that correspond to the pair-annihilation of two dark matter
particles N1 into SM particles.
3. Starting from the appropriate phase space distribution function, derive an expression for the number
density n1 of N1 in thermal equilibrium.
4. Explain why the actual number density of N1 will differ from its equilibrium value and write down the
Boltzmann equation describing the time evolution of n1 . Define carefully all terms in the equation.
5. Assuming N1 is produced via freeze-out, sketch a graph of its number density n1 vs time. (You do not
need to include numerical values.) Explain the shape of your graph.

6. Direct detection of dark matter can take place through its elastic scattering with nuclei or electrons in
underground targets. Draw the Feynman diagrams for the lowest order possible scattering processes
with electrons and nuclei, which occur at one loop level.
7. Derive an expression for the maximum recoil energy in an elastic collision between dark matter and an
initially stationary nucleus or electron. You may assume that the maximum recoil energy occurs for a
head-on collision.
8. For mN1 = 100 keV, compute the typical recoil energy of an electron and a xenon nucleus. Which
process is more likely to be detectable?