Doublet-Triplet Fermionic Dark Matter

Abstract

We extend the Standard Model (SM) by adding a pair of fermionic SU(2)-doublets with opposite hypercharge and a fermionic SU(2)-triplet with zero hypercharge. We impose a discrete Z_2-symmetry that distinguishes the SM fermions from the new ones. Then, gauge invariance allows for two renormalizable Yukawa couplings between the new fermions and the SM Higgs field, as well as for direct masses for the doublet (M_D) and the triplet (M_T). After electroweak symmetry breaking, this model contains, in addition to SM particles, two charged Dirac fermions and a set of three neutral Majorana fermions, the lightest of which contributes to Dark Matter (DM). We consider a case where the lightest neutral fermion is an equal admixture of the two doublets with mass M_D close to the Z-boson mass. This state remains stable under radiative corrections thanks to a custodial SU(2)-symmetry and is consistent with the experimental data from oblique electroweak corrections. Moreover, the amplitudes relevant to spin-dependent or independent nucleus-DM particle scattering cross section both vanish at tree level. They arise at one loop at a level that may be observed in near future DM direct detection experiments. For Yukawa couplings comparable to the top-quark, the DM particle relic abundance is consistent with observation, not relying on co-annihilation or resonant effects and has a mass at the electroweak scale. Furthermore, the heavier fermions decay to the DM particle and to electroweak gauge bosons making this model easily testable at the LHC. In the regime of interest, the charged fermions suppress the Higgs decays to diphoton by 45-75 % relative to SM prediction.