New Avenues For Dark Matter Production

Dark matter (DM), accounting for about 30% of the universe's energy, remains an enigmatic component critical to understanding our cosmos. In particle physics, proposed DM production mechanisms are deeply intertwined with the mass and interactions of DM candidates, crucial to their detection in experiments. The prevalent models, such as the thermal freeze-out paradigm, relate the relic density of DM directly to the particle's annihilation cross-section. However, standard scenarios often utilize common proxies like missing transverse energy (MET) signals at colliders such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), leaving room for alternative hypotheses that could plausibly account for dark matter under different assumptions.

This Research Topic aims to broaden the investigation into dark matter production beyond traditional models like thermal freeze-out and MET signals. The objective is to compile cutting-edge research and foster the development of innovative ideas that challenge the convention. By bringing together multiple threads of inquiry—from exploring nuances in dark matter properties, such as mass, spin, and interaction dynamics, to linking dark matter with other cosmic phenomena like baryogenesis and dark energy—this collection seeks to catalyze a more comprehensive understanding of dark matter origins and its broader implications in modern physics.

To gather further insights across the fields of cosmology, astrophysics, and collider physics, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

o Non-standard dark matter production mechanisms diverging from the freeze-out theory.
o Theoretical models that incorporate non-standard cosmological histories.
o Investigations into the connections between dark matter, baryogenesis, and dark energy.
o Innovations in detecting dark matter at colliders, beyond traditional mono-X signal strategies.
o New methodologies for characterizing dark matter candidates, including advanced computational tools for phenomenological studies.
o Broad theoretical explorations, whether within particle physics or alternative frameworks.

Authors are encouraged to submit original research papers and mini-reviews, though other types of contributions will also be considered.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Dark Matter Theory, Dark Matter Relic Density, Physics of the Early Universe, Physics Beyond the Standard Model, Baryogenesis

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.