Probing Leptophobic Dark Sectors via Gravitational Wave Signatures

Abstract

We study a minimally extended version of the Standard Model where baryon number is gauged with a $U(1)_B$ symmetry. This model can be made anomaly-free by adding a set of additional fermions. The lightest component of these fermions behaves as a viable dark matter candidate. We show that the spontaneous breaking of $U(1)_B$ symmetry can produce gravitational waves via bubble dynamics resulting from a first-order phase transition, which can be detected in future gravitational wave experiments like LISA and ET. Such gravitational wave signatures can be used as a probe to constrain the model in future observations and complement dark matter and collider searches. We perform a random numerical scan of the parameter space and derive the viable region consistent with theoretical bounds from running of the coupling constants, current experimental bounds from dark matter experiments such as LUX-ZEPLIN and XENONnT and sensitive to future gravitational wave experiments. We find that dark matter with mass of 8 - 12 TeV is the most interesting to test in future gravitational wave as well as laboratory experiments. In the viable parameter space, the mass of the $Z'$ gauge boson associated with the $U(1)_B$ lies in the 16 - 24 TeV range, and the mass of the scalar associated with the symmetry breaking lies around 1 - 2.5 TeV scale. Recent results from LUX-ZEPLIN rules out mass scales below TeV in this model, while dark matter with mass larger than 12 TeV will not be sensitive to future GW experiments. Hence, the dark matter and mediator mass scales of interest are marginally accessible at current collider energies.