Simplified Dark Matter Models

Figure 1

Left: a simplified model viewed as a sector of a more general new physics scenario. The SM is complemented by the DM particle and a mediator . Other heavy states may be integrated out because they are very heavy. Centre: in the case in which the mediator itself has a very large mass, it may be integrated out as well and the interaction is mediated by effective operators. Right: in a generic setup the DM-SM interaction is mediated by a number of operators, possibly interfering with each other. Moreover, additional states that do not couple directly to DM may be present. Those states can constitute a new handle on the dark sector, other than DM. The ‘less simplified’ models described in Section 4 fall in this category.