arXiv subjects

David Curtin

Publications and source records attributed to David Curtin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Nuclear Atomic Dark Matter

The matter coincidence, $Ω_{\rm DM}\simeq5Ω_b$, suggests a common origin for visible and dark matter (DM). We show that this motivates the study of nuclear atomic DM (naDM), which is composed of $\sim5\,\mathrm{GeV}$ mirror-neutron DM and a subdominant population of mirror elements. We realize naDM in the Mirror Twin Higgs, employing a twin Froggatt--Nielsen mechanism to generate fermion masses and realize spontaneous $\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry breaking. However, the low-energy mirror framework is more general and can emerge from other ultraviolet completions. naDM gives rise to a novel two-stage dark acoustic oscillation signature, multiple correlated direct-detection signals, and highly exotic twin astrophysics.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2026

Hybrid Partial Dressing: Correct Effective Potentials at All Temperatures

We develop Hybrid Partial Dressing (HPD), a simple diagrammatic resummation scheme for finite-temperature effective potentials in scalar field theory which is valid at all temperatures. HPD improves on earlier resummation schemes such as Daisy Resummation and Partial Dressing by being two-loop exact at all temperatures and free of the overlapping momentum problem. Renormalization group improvement is straightforward to implement. We illustrate the scheme in multi-scalar theories with a spontaneously broken $\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry, and compare it against existing approaches, showing in particular that it reproduces the two-loop Dimensional Reduction (DR) potential exactly in the high-temperature regime where DR applies, while remaining valid at all temperatures. This makes HPD suitable for the general study of strong first order phase transitions beyond the Standard Model, as we demonstrate through gravitational wave predictions from HPD and its RG-improved version, RGHPD.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2026

ASTROLABE: A 3D Particle-Level Surrogate for Cosmology Simulation with Physical Flow Matching

The microphysics of dark matter (DM) is imprinted on cosmological structure across an enormous dynamic range. Nonlinear cosmological observables are most reliably modeled with N-body and hydrodynamic simulations. However, systematic N-body scans over DM theory space are prohibitively expensive. Machine learning emulators provide a possible solution, but are currently limited by either low resolution or only the ability to emulate specific observables. We introduce Astrolabe, a flow-matching-based generative emulator designed to be free of both constraints. Astrolabe acts directly on the 6N phase-space coordinates of N individual particles. With no voxel grid in the output, there is no voxel-resolution ceiling, and in principle any observable can be measured from inference. Astrolabe is computationally tractable via a field-particle hybrid transformer in which every particle cross-attends to multiscale field tokens, so compute and memory are linear in N. Astrolabe incorporates physical flow matching by taking the prior distribution for the flow to be approximate COmoving Lagrangian Acceleration (COLA)-based coordinates rather than unphysical noise, with momentum and mass conservation enforced at all points along flow time. In the Lambda-CDM cases we test, Astrolabe produces realistic fields with accurate power spectra, halo mass functions, velocity profiles, and halo density profiles. We also observe out-of-distribution generalization, with accurate emulation of dark-acoustic oscillation initial conditions. Astrolabe is also capable of being fine-tuned to simulate very large N and we demonstrate this by emulating a TNG50-3-dark simulation at a fraction of the cost. This method represents a first step toward a general and powerful cosmology simulation surrogate, which may eventually permit the inclusion of baryonic physics and a systematic exploration of richer dark sector interactions.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2026

Constraining Dark Acoustic Oscillations with the High-Redshift UV Luminosity Function

Dark acoustic oscillations (DAOs) in the matter power spectrum can arise in many different dark sector models, and can imprint on a variety of cosmological observables. In this work we use measurements of the galactic UV luminosity function (UVLF) at high redshifts to constrain the dark acoustic oscillation feature at small scales in a model-agnostic way. We introduce a phenomenological transfer function model for a dark sector with a species undergoing DAOs which can accommodate sub-dominant dark matter abundances, and obtain constraints on its parameters. In order to predict the UVLF, we employ an Extended Press-Schechter formalism which we calibrate using N-body simulations with initial conditions featuring DAOs. Using measurements from the Hubble Space Telescope, James Webb Space Telescope, Subaru Telescope, and Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, we constrain the wave number of the first DAO peak to be at $k \gtrsim 50\ h/\mathrm{Mpc}$, unless the fraction of dark matter undergoing DAOs is less than $0.07$.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2026

Strongest constraints on dark acoustic oscillations from the Lyman-alpha forest

We set the first constraints on a small-scale dark acoustic oscillation (DAO) in the linear matter power spectrum arising from dark sector interactions, with a full forward model of the Ly-$α$ forest. No more than 30\% of dark matter can form DAOs if they peak at wavenumbers $< 50\,h\,\mathrm{Mpc}^{-1}$ (95\% c.l.), probing scales $25 \times$ smaller than the cosmic microwave background (CMB). Given the complex covariance of DAO and nuisance parameters, we use a deep kernel learning emulator of hydrodynamical simulations to capture imprints of linear oscillations in the Ly-$α$ forest.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2026

Generalized Predictions for the Electromagnetic Signatures of Mirror Stars

Mirror Stars are a generic prediction of dissipative dark matter models, including minimal atomic dark matter and twin baryons in the Mirror Twin Higgs. Mirror Stars capture regular atoms from the interstellar medium through highly suppressed kinetic mixing interactions between the regular and the dark photon. This results in the accumulation of a "nugget", which draws heat from the mirror star core and emits distinctive X-ray and optical signals. In this work, we solve the stellar structure equations of optically thick nuggets across a wide range of the effective mirror star parameter space, and characterize their emission spectra using stellar atmosphere models. This complements an earlier analysis of lower-mass optically thin nuggets. We find that optically thick mirror star nuggets occupy distinct regions of the (stellar surface temperature, luminosity, surface gravity) space, and can be distinguished from regular stars in both HR diagrams and temperature-surface-gravity diagrams using astrometric and spectroscopic stellar catalogues. Our detailed predictions, which are publicly available, now give for the first time a general picture of mirror star signals in the optical and IR to enable realistic mirror star searches using existing catalogues and new telescope observations.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Enhanced Cosmic-Ray Antinuclei Fluxes with Dark Matter Annihilation into SUEPs

Standard-Model (SM) hadronic parton showers initiated by secondary cosmic-ray production or dark matter (DM) annihilations robustly predict very low antinuclei yields and a strong additional suppression for heavier antinuclei. We show that an important exception can arise if DM annihilates into a confining dark sector that produces Soft Unclustered Energy Patterns (SUEPs). The hallmark of SUEPs is the emission of very large multiplicities of soft dark mesons ($π_D$), which can overcome the usual phase-space suppression of antinuclei formation in parton showers, provided that the dark mesons decay promptly into SM quarks, i.e. within a SM hadronization length. We study several benchmark realizations and find that for DM masses $m_{\rm DM}\sim\mathcal{O}(10~\mathrm{TeV})$, dark meson masses $m_{π_D} \sim 400~\mathrm{GeV}$, $π_D$ dominantly decaying to $t\bar t$, and a SUEP temperature $T_{\rm SUEP}\simeq 0.1\,m_{πD}$, DM annihilation into SUEPs can yield tens of antideuterons and a few antihelium--3 events at AMS-02 at kinetic energies of $\mathcal{O}(\mathrm{GeV}$/n) and a few antideuterons and antihelium-3 events in GAPS at energies below 0.5 GeV/n. A future confirmation of an antinuclei signal by the AMS-02 or GAPS experiments could provide hints for hidden confining dynamics and would significantly constrain the relevant SUEP parameters.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2026

Quirk SUEP

We propose searching for physics beyond the Standard Model in the low-transverse-momentum tracks accompanying hard-scatter events at the LHC. TeV-scale resonances connected to a dark QCD sector could be enhanced by selecting events with anomalies in the track distributions. As a benchmark, a quirk model with microscopic string lengths is developed, including a setup for event simulation. For this model, strategies are presented to enhance the sensitivity compared to inclusive resonance searches: a simple cut-based selection, a supervised search, and a model-agnostic weakly supervised anomaly search with the CATHODE method. Expected discovery potentials and exclusion limits are shown for 140 fb$^{-1}$ of 13 TeV proton-proton collisions at the LHC.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Testing the Froggatt-Nielsen Mechanism with Lepton Flavor and Number Violating Processes

The Froggatt-Nielsen (FN) mechanism offers an elegant explanation for the observed masses and mixings of Standard Model fermions. In this work, we systematically study FN models in the lepton sector, identifying a broad range of charge assignments ("textures") that naturally yield viable masses and mixings for various neutrino mass generation mechanisms. Using these textures, we consider higher-dimensional operators consistent with a FN origin and find that natural realizations predict distinct patterns in lepton flavor- and number-violating observables. For Dirac and Majorana neutrinos, FN-related correlations can lead to detectable rates of charged lepton flavor violation at next-generation low-energy experiments. Majorana and type-I seesaw models predict measurable rates of neutrinoless double beta decay. Determination of inverted neutrino mass ordering would exclude the Dirac neutrino FN scenario. Only a small minority of purely leptonic FN models predict detectable flavor violation at future muon colliders, though it is possible that a combined analysis with the quark sector will reveal motivated signals. These findings highlight the power of the FN mechanism to link neutrino mass generation to testable leptonic observables, offering new pathways for the experimental exploration of lepton number and underscoring the importance of next-generation low-energy probes.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Dark Matter Candidates and Searches

Astrophysical observations suggest that most of the matter in the cosmos consists of a new form that has not been observed on Earth. The nature and origin of this mysterious dark matter are among the most pressing questions in fundamental science. In this review we summarize the current state of dark matter research from two perspectives. First, we provide an overview of the leading theoretical proposals for dark matter. And second, we describe how these proposals have driven a broad and diverse global search program for dark matter involving direct laboratory searches and astrophysical observations. This review is based on a Green Paper on dark matter prepared as part of the 2020 Astroparticle Community Planning initiative undertaken by the Canadian Subatomic Physics community but has been significantly updated to reflect recent advances.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

MATHUSLA: An External Long-Lived Particle Detector to Maximize the Discovery Potential of the HL-LHC

We present the current status of the MATHUSLA (MAssive Timing Hodoscope for Ultra-Stable neutraL pArticles) long-lived particle (LLP) detector at the HL-LHC, covering the design, fabrication and installation at CERN Point 5. MATHUSLA40 is a 40 m-scale detector with an air-filled decay volume that is instrumented with scintillator tracking detectors, to be located near CMS. Its large size, close proximity to the CMS interaction point and about 100 m of rock shielding from LHC backgrounds allows it to detect LLP production rates and lifetimes that are one to two orders of magnitude beyond the ultimate reach of the LHC main detectors. This provides unique sensitivity to many LLP signals that are highly theoretically motivated, due to their connection to the hierarchy problem, the nature of dark matter, and baryogenesis. Data taking is projected to commence with the start of HL-LHC operations. We summarize the new 40m design for the detector that was recently presented in the MATHUSLA Conceptual Design Report, alongside new realistic background and signal simulations that demonstrate high efficiency for the main target LLP signals in a background-free HL-LHC search. We argue that MATHUSLA's uniquely robust expansion of the HL-LHC physics reach is a crucial ingredient in CERN's mission to search for new physics and characterize the Higgs boson with precision.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2025

Conceptual Design Report for the MATHUSLA Long-Lived Particle Detector near CMS

We present the Conceptual Design Report (CDR) for the MATHUSLA (MAssive Timing Hodoscope for Ultra-Stable neutraL pArticles) long-lived particle detector at the HL-LHC, covering the design, fabrication and installation at CERN Point 5. MATHUSLA is a 40 m-scale detector with an air-filled decay volume that is instrumented with scintillator tracking detectors, to be located near CMS. Its large size, close proximity to the CMS interaction point and about 100 m of rock shielding from HL-LHC backgrounds allows it to detect LLP production rates and lifetimes that are one to two orders of magnitude beyond the ultimate sensitivity of the HL-LHC main detectors for many highly motivated LLP signals. Data taking is projected to commence with the start of HL-LHC operations. We present a new 40m design for the detector: its individual scintillator bars and wavelength-shifting fibers, their organization into tracking layers, tracking modules, tower modules and the veto detector; define a high-level design for the supporting electronics, DAQ and trigger system, including supplying a hardware trigger signal to CMS to record the LLP production event; outline computing systems, civil engineering and safety considerations; and present preliminary cost estimates and timelines for the project. We also conduct detailed simulation studies of the important cosmic ray and HL-LHC muon backgrounds, implementing full track/vertex reconstruction and background rejection, to ultimately demonstrate high signal efficiency and $\ll 1$ background event in realistic LLP searches for the main physics targets at MATHUSLA. This sensitivity is robust with respect to detector design or background simulation details. Appendices provide various supplemental information.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2025

Dissipative Dark Substructure: The Consequences of Atomic Dark Matter on Milky Way Analog Subhalos

Using cosmological hydrodynamical zoom-in simulations, we explore the properties of subhalos in Milky Way analogs that contain a sub-component of Atomic Dark Matter (ADM). ADM differs from Cold Dark Matter (CDM) due to the presence of self interactions that lead to energy dissipation and bound-state formation, analogous to Standard Model baryons. This model can arise in complex dark sectors that are natural and theoretically-motivated extensions to the Standard Model. The simulations used in this work were carried out using GIZMO and utilize the FIRE-2 galaxy formation physics in the Standard Model baryonic sector. For the parameter points we consider, the ADM gas cools efficiently, allowing it to collapse to the center of subhalos. This increases a subhalo's central density and affects its orbit, with more subhalos surviving small pericentric passages. The subset of subhalos that host visible satellite galaxies have cuspier density profiles and smaller stellar-half-mass radii relative to CDM. The entire population of dwarf galaxies produced in the ADM simulations is much more compact than those seen in CDM simulations, unable to reproduce the entire diversity of observed dwarf galaxy structures. Additionally, we also identify a population of highly compact subhalos that consist nearly entirely of ADM and form in the central region of the host, where they can leave distinctive imprints in the baryonic disk. This work presents the first detailed exploration of subhalo properties in a strongly dissipative dark matter scenario, providing intuition for how other regions of ADM parameter space, as well as other dark sector models, would impact galactic-scale observables.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Mapping and Probing Froggatt-Nielsen Solutions to the Quark Flavor Puzzle

The Froggatt-Nielsen (FN) mechanism is an elegant solution to the flavor problem. In its minimal application to the quark sector, the different quark types and generations have different charges under a $U(1)_X$ flavor symmetry. The SM Yukawa couplings are generated below the flavor breaking scale with hierarchies dictated by the quark charge assignments. Only a handful of charge assignments are generally considered in the literature. We analyze the complete space of possible charge assignments with $|X_{q_i}| \leq 4$ and perform both a set of Bayesian-inspired numerical scans and an analytical spurion analysis to identify those charge assignments that reliably generate SM-like quark mass and mixing hierarchies. The resulting set of top-20 flavor charge assignments significantly enlarges the viable space of FN models but is still compact enough to enable focused phenomenological study. We then apply our numerical methodology to demonstrate that these distinct charge assignments result in the generation of correlated flavor-violating four-quark operators characterized by significantly varied strengths, potentially differing substantially from the possibilities previously explored in the literature. Future precision measurement of $ΔF =2 $ observables, along with increasingly accurate SM predictions, may therefore enable us to distinguish among otherwise equally plausible FN charges, thus shedding light on the UV structure of the flavor sector.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2024

Dark Astronomy with Dark Matter Detectors

We present a novel way of probing non-gravitational dark matter interactions: dark astronomy, which leverages the dark radiation emitted by dissipative dark sectors. If the mediator of the dark matter self interactions is a dark photon with a small mass that kinetically mixes with the visible photon, the dark radiation flux becomes accessible to underground experiments. We argue that the emission may be dominantly longitudinally polarized, thereby enhancing the sensitivity of direct detection experiments such as XENON and SENSEI to this signal. We introduce a new detection mechanism based on resonant dark-photon-to-photon conversion at the surface of conducting materials, which offers unique directional sensitivity to dark radiation. This mechanism facilitates the development of experiments that combine dark matter detection techniques with methods of traditional astronomy, opening the possibility to map dark radiation sources within our galaxy.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2024

MuCol Milestone Report No. 5: Preliminary Parameters

This document is comprised of a collection of updated preliminary parameters for the key parts of the muon collider. The updated preliminary parameters follow on from the October 2023 Tentative Parameters Report. Particular attention has been given to regions of the facility that are believed to hold greater technical uncertainty in their design and that have a strong impact on the cost and power consumption of the facility. The data is collected from a collaborative spreadsheet and transferred to overleaf.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2024

Aggressively-Dissipative Dark Dwarfs: The Effects of Atomic Dark Matter on the Inner Densities of Isolated Dwarf Galaxies

We present the first suite of cosmological hydrodynamical zoom-in simulations of isolated dwarf galaxies for a dark sector that consists of Cold Dark Matter and a strongly-dissipative sub-component. The simulations are implemented in GIZMO and include standard baryons following the FIRE-2 galaxy formation physics model. The dissipative dark matter is modeled as Atomic Dark Matter (aDM), which forms a dark hydrogen gas that cools in direct analogy to the Standard Model. Our suite includes seven different simulations of $\sim 10^{10} M_{\odot}$ systems that vary over the aDM microphysics and the dwarf's evolutionary history. We identify a region of aDM parameter space where the cooling rate is aggressive and the resulting halo density profile is universal. In this regime, the aDM gas cools rapidly at high redshifts and only a small fraction survives in the form of a central dark gas disk; the majority collapses centrally into collisionless dark "clumps", which are clusters of sub-resolution dark compact objects. These dark clumps rapidly equilibrate in the inner galaxy, resulting in an approximately isothermal distribution that can be modeled with a simple fitting function. Even when only a small fraction ($\sim 5\%$) of the total dark matter is strongly dissipative, the central densities of classical dwarf galaxies can be enhanced by over an order of magnitude, providing a sharp prediction for observations.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Gravitational waves and tadpole resummation: Efficient and easy convergence of finite temperature QFT

We demonstrate analytically and numerically that "optimized partial dressing" (OPD) thermal mass resummation, which uses gap equation solutions inserted into the tadpole, efficiently tames finite-temperature perturbation theory calculations of the effective thermal potential, without necessitating use of the high-temperature approximation. An analytical estimate of the scale dependence for OPD resummation, standard Parwani resummation (Daisy resummation), and dimensional reduction shows that OPD has similar scale dependence to dimensional reduction, greatly improving Parwani resummation. We also elucidate how to construct and solve the gap equation for realistic numerical calculations, and demonstrate OPD's improved accuracy for a toy scalar model. OPD's improved accuracy is most physically significant when the high-temperature approximation breaks down, rendering dimensional reduction unusable and Parwani resummation highly inaccurate, with the latter underestimating the maximal gravitational wave amplitude for the model by 2 orders of magnitude compared to OPD. Our work highlights the need to bring theoretical uncertainties under control even when analyzing broad features of a model. Given the simplicity of the OPD compared to two-loop dimensional reduction, as well as the ease with which this scheme handles departures from the high-temperature expansion, we argue this scheme has great potential in analyzing the parameter space of realistic beyond the Standard Model models.

hep-ph↗