Closing In on Thermal Relics with Indirect, Direct, and Collider Searches for Dark Matter
This event will bring the indirect detection community together with the theory, direct detection, and collider communities to emphasize the importance of searches for WIMP dark matter, including benchmark candidates such as the higgsino, with future instruments such as the soon-to-be-operational CTAO.
The aim of the conference is to emphasize the synergy between the three major routes towards detection: indirect searches, direct detection, and colliders, as well as to reaffirm the theoretical motivations for WIMP benchmark models and highlight how they may be detected with future instruments. We believe that with enough community engagement this conference could substantially impact the search for WIMP DM.
Confirmed Speakers
- Shotaro Abe
- Ivana Batkovic
- Martin Beneke
- James Buckley (APT)
- Francesca Calore
- Christopher Eckner
- Miguel Escudero
- Roberto Franceschini
- Daniel Kerszberg
- Graham Kribs
- Lina Necib
- Kerstin Perez (GAPS)
- Elisa Pueschel
- Hari Ramani
- Diego Redigolo
- Dan Salazar-Gallegos (HAWC)
- Masahiro Teshima
- Linda Xu
- Kenny Chun Yu Ng (LHAASO)
-
-
09:00
→
10:30
Plenary: Theory Plenary 1 4/3-006 - TH Conference RoomConvener: Cari Cesarotti
- 09:00
-
09:30
Electroweak Dark Matter: Multiplets, Masses, and Searches 30mSpeaker: Dr Diego Redigolo (CERN-INFN Florence)
-
10:00
Indirect Detection of Thermal Electroweak Dark Matter 30mSpeaker: Linda Xu (SLAC/Stanford)
-
10:30
→
11:15
-
11:15
→
12:15
Plenary: Experiment Plenary1 4/3-006 - TH Conference Room
-
11:15
CTAO status 30mSpeaker: Masahiro Teshima (Max Planck Institute for Physics)
-
11:45
Indirect WIMP detection: a multiwavelength perspective 30mSpeaker: Francesca Calore (Unite Reseaux du CNRS (FR))
-
11:15
-
12:20
→
13:50
Lunch
-
13:45
→
15:15
10+2
-
13:45
Flavour as a Guide to Thermal Dark Matter 9m
The non-trivial flavour structure of t-channel dark matter models with fermion couplings is unavoidably constrained by flavour physics, hinting towards the presence of an underlying flavour symmetry.
In this talk, I present a systematic study of the low-energy flavour constraints affecting these models from the perspective of flavour symmetries, together with complementary bounds from collider searches and dark matter direct detection experiments.
I show that the TeV scale suggested by the freeze-out mechanism is compatible with the various probes only in specific flavour-symmetric limits, highlighting the essential role of flavour symmetries in the realisation of these models.Speaker: Xavier Ponce Diaz (University of Basel) -
13:54
Semi-analytic Inference of Dwarf Galaxy Densities and Implications for Dark Matter Searches 9m
Ultra-faint dwarf galaxies are critical testing grounds for the particle nature of dark matter. In this talk, I will present Milky Way dwarf density profiles inferred using a semi-analytic satellite generator that captures the Cold Dark Matter (CDM) halo population. We match halos to dwarfs via two criteria: a kinematic selection (using enclosed mass at the half-light radius) and a stellar-mass selection (via a galaxy formation model). The kinematic selection yields larger diversity in central densities than CDM predicts—the most compact ultra-faints are denser, the most diffuse less dense—a discrepancy robust to all systematic variations explored. I will also present updated astrophysical $J$-factors using the latest kinematic data. We find that observed Milky Way satellites set stronger annihilation constraints than a typical Milky Way–mass system, excluding a thermal relic cross section for annihilation to $b\bar{b}$ below 173 GeV at 95% confidence. A completeness analysis suggests future ultra-faint discoveries are unlikely to substantially strengthen these limits.
Speaker: Kailash Raman (University of California, Berkeley) -
14:03
Neutron stars can shine a light on elusive lepton-flavor-violating dark matter 9m
We investigate a scenario in which dark matter (DM) poses a challenge to conventional direct and indirect detection, making it much more elusive than typical candidates. We focus on thermally produced DM that couples to electrons and muons via a lepton-flavor-violating (LFV) axion-like particle (ALP). Given the DM kinematics and lack of muon targets on Earth, direct detection would be infeasible. Indirect detection of our DM candidate is also hampered by the dominance of $p$-wave annihilation. However, we demonstrate that neutron stars (NS) serve as powerful probes. Infalling DM is accelerated to semi-relativistic velocities, triggering inelastic $\chi e \leftrightarrow \chi \mu$ scattering off both electrons and muonic targets within the NS. We show that ``flavor blocking'' -- the kinematic suppression of LFV interactions at low energies -- prevents DM thermalization with the cold neutron star, enabling efficient $p$-wave annihilations. The resulting NS surface temperatures ($T_s \gtrsim 2 \times 10^3~\mathrm{K}$) offer a unique signature for future infrared searches, probing thermal relics beyond the reach of direct, indirect, and accelerator experiments.
Speaker: Jaime Hoefken Zink -
14:12
Indirect Detection: Extending MeV Dark Matter Bounds With COSI 9m
Have you heard of the MeV Gap in astronomy? It’s an energy range where our capability to detect photons is greatly limited due to high backgrounds and a low photon interaction cross-section dominated by Compton scattering. However, while technologically challenging, many sources can be studied in this energy range—potentially including dark matter. The Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI) will bridge this gap, opening a new window into MeV astronomy. Launching in 2027 as a NASA Small Explorer (SMEX) mission, COSI will observe the entire sky from 0.2 to 5 MeV. Compared with previous MeV telescopes, COSI is set apart by its large instantaneous field of view (>25% of the sky), daily all-sky coverage, and excellent energy resolution (∼1% at 1 MeV). Here, we present an overview of the COSI mission and the instrument characteristics that make COSI well-suited to search for diffuse monochromatic lines, like those potentially created by the decay of notable MeV dark matter candidates, including axion-like particles and sterile neutrinos.
Speaker: Ms Robin Anthony-Petersen (Space Sciences Laboratory,7GaussWay,University of California,Berkeley CA94720-7450, USA) -
14:21
Effective Field Theory Analyses of LZ Dark Matter Search Data 9m
The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment employs a 7-tonne xenon time projection chamber operating 4,850 feet underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota, USA, to search for dark matter interactions. While the flagship LZ analyses focus on low-energy nuclear recoils in searches for spin-independent interactions of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), extending the analysis to higher recoil energies enables searches within the Effective Field Theory (EFT) framework. The EFT framework is expected to provide a means of comparing and combining results from direct detection, indirect detection, and collider searches. However, differences in the energy scales probed and in the conventions used to present results complicate the development of a unified interpretation. This presentation will highlight non-relativistic and chiral EFT analyses performed by the LUX-ZEPLIN collaboration and discuss their potential contribution towards a more unified framework for dark matter searches.
Speaker: Prof. Sergey Burdin (University of Liverpool (GB)) -
14:30
Set the Night on FIRE: Building an Empirical Local Dark Matter Velocity Distribution 9m
The majority of terrestrial direct detection experiments for Dark Matter (DM) rely on the Standard Halo Model (SHM), which assumes the local DM velocity distribution follows a Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution. However, galaxy mergers can deposit DM that remains kinematically clustered today, inducing deviations from the smooth SHM prediction. Previous studies have suggested that the local stellar velocity distribution may serve as a tracer for DM populations originating from the same progenitor systems. In this work, we systematically investigate how merger mass and accretion time affect the correlation between local stellar and DM velocity distributions in Milky Way–like galaxies from the FIRE-2 simulations. We find a strong correlation between traceable DM components and their stellar counterparts, with the tightest correspondence arising from lower-mass mergers accreted at earlier cosmic times. For the remaining DM that lacks an identifiable stellar counterpart, which dominate the full DM fraction, we find that its velocity distribution is well described by a component-wise generalized Gaussian. Combining these two ingredients, we reconstruct the full local DM velocity distribution. This framework captures merger-induced features—such as co-rotation of accreted material with the galactic disk—that are entirely absent in the SHM. Finally, we propagate uncertainties through the reconstruction and show that they are dominated by the stellar mass–halo mass relation, which is unlikely to improve substantially in the near term. We therefore argue that this framework approaches the current limit of our ability to characterize the local DM velocity distribution.
Speaker: Xiuyuan Zhang -
14:39
Electroweak corrections to the freeze-out of Minimal Dark Matter 9m
We compute the one-loop electroweak corrections to coannihilation cross sections for fermionic Minimal Dark Matter multiplets. For the inclusive combination governing thermal freeze-out, real and virtual infrared singularities cancel in the s-wave limit. Nevertheless, sizable finite electroweak corrections remain. They increase with the size of the electroweak multiplet and reach the few-percent level for the phenomenologically most relevant cases: the Higgsino-like doublet, the wino-like triplet, and the stable quintuplet. We further show that infrared-enhanced terms survive in velocity-suppressed rates through an interplay between Sudakov radiation and Sommerfeld enhancement, although these channels are numerically subdominant during freeze-out.
Speaker: Mateusz Duch (University of Pisa) -
14:48
TRIDENT's prospects for thermal relics 9m
In this talk I will discuss the dark matter science case for the future TRIDENT neutrino telescope. We have recently performed a sensitivity study for galactic dark matter annihilations and found that TRIDENT will be able to reach the thermal relic target for dark matter for masses between 1-100 TeV. We contextualized this result in the wider search for dark matter by studying a specific dark matter model, exhibiting TRIDENT’s unique potential. Furthermore, our analysis was the first of its kind to account for the stochastic nature of the Galactic plane neutrinos, the measurement of which will be an important astrophysical result in its own right. I will briefly discuss the ongoing work and future directions.
Speaker: Dr Andrew Cheek (TDLI, SJTU) -
14:57
Lessons from Secluded Supersymmetric Dark WIMPs 9m
If the weak scale is an accidental occurrence in the Standard Model rather than a fundamental scale of nature, how does a generic WIMP candidate come to know about the weak scale? We explore a scenario where a secluded sector WIMP is connected to the SM via supersymmetry breaking at a high scale, and discuss how indirect detection, direct detection, and collider signals are affected by this UV connection.
Speaker: Bibhushan Shakya -
15:06
Dark Secrets of Baryons: Illuminating Dark Matter-Baryon Interactions with JWST 9m
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has discovered numerous bright galaxies at high redshifts (z $\approx$ 10 -- 14). Many astrophysical models and beyond the Standard Model physics scenarios have been proposed to explain these observations. We investigate, for the first time, the implications of dark matter (DM) scattering with baryons (protons and electrons) in light of the JWST UV luminosity function (UVLF) observations. These interactions suppress structure formation on galactic scales, which may have an observable effect on the UVLF measurements at high redshifts. Using a recent galaxy formation model designed to explain high-redshift observations, we obtain strong upper limits on DM-baryon scattering cross-sections and explore new regions of the parameter space. For DM-proton scattering with cross-section $\propto$ v$^{-2}$ velocity dependence, we obtain the strongest limit for DM masses of $\sim$ 1 -- 500 MeV. For other cases that we study (DM-proton scattering cross-section $\propto$ v$^0$,v${-4}$, and DM-electron scattering cross-section $\propto$ v$^0$,v$^{-2}$,v$^{-4}$), our limits are competitive with those obtained from other cosmological observables. Our study highlights the potential of JWST observations as a novel and powerful probe of non-gravitational interactions of DM.
Speaker: Dr Ranjan Laha (Indian Institute of science (IN))
-
13:45
-
15:15
→
15:20
-
15:20
→
16:00
-
16:00
→
17:00
Plenary: Theory Plenary 2 4/3-006 - TH Conference Room
-
16:00
Nonperturbative modifications of TeV WIMP annihilation 30mSpeaker: Martin Beneke (Technische Universitaet Muenchen (DE))
-
16:30
Minimal Baryogenesis induced Asymmetric Dark Matter 30mSpeaker: Miguel Escudero Abenza (CERN)
-
16:00
-
18:30
→
19:30
-
09:00
→
10:30
-
-
09:00
→
10:30
Plenary: Experiment2 4/3-006 - TH Conference Room
-
09:00
Enhancing the sensitivity of future indirect dark matter searches: a path towards thermal relics 30mSpeaker: Daniel Kerszberg (LPNHE, CNRS/IN2P3)
-
09:30
The Search for Thermal Relic Dark Matter with VERITAS and Dark100 30mSpeaker: Elisa Pueschel
-
10:00
Probing WIMP Dark Matter in the Galactic Center with CTAO-North LST-1 and LSTs 30mSpeaker: Dr Shotaro Abe (ICRR, UTokyo)
-
09:00
-
10:30
→
11:15
-
11:15
→
12:15
Plenary: Theory Plenary 3 4/3-006 - TH Conference Room
-
11:15
Rich Phenomenology from Composite WIMPs 30mSpeaker: Graham Douglas Kribs (University of Oregon (US))
- 11:45
-
11:15
-
12:15
→
14:00
Lunch
-
14:00
→
15:30
10+2
-
14:00
Dark Particles and Bright Bursts: Future Stories from the Gamma-Ray Sky with GALAXIS 9m
The MeV gamma-ray sky remains the least explored window in the astrophysical electromagnetic spectrum, with no current or approved mission providing continuous all-sky coverage and precise source localization in this band. I will discuss GALAXIS, an idea that developed into a full-scale collaboration to design, build, and launch a telescope designed to fill this gap. Originally motivated by the search for QCD axions from core-collapse supernovae, GALAXIS has evolved into a multi-purpose MeV observatory whose science cases include exciting opportunities for both astrophysics and BSM physics; these include gamma-ray burst detection and localization, as well as powerful sensitivity to decaying dark matter across largely unprobed parameter space. I will describe the path from particle physics motivation to astrophysical observatory, and the path forward toward realizing GALAXIS as an instrument that will actually launch in the near future.
Speaker: Orion Ning (University of California, Berkeley) -
14:09
Cosmic-Ray Signatures of Annihilating and Semi-Annihilating Dark Matter via One-Step Cascades 9m
In this talk I will present a framework in which three classes of dark matter (DM) number-changing processes can affect both the relic abundance via thermal freeze-out and the generation of indirect cosmic-ray (CR) signals today. Namely, I will consider: direct annihilations into Standard Model final states; annihilations into metastable on-shell mediators that later decay into Standard Model particles; semi-annihilations featuring a DM particle in the final state, along with a metastable mediator. I will present a spectral template study of CR (γ rays, neutrinos, and antimatter) injection spectra - prior to propagation - comparing the yield of the different collision processes, systematically including semi-annihilations alongside the more common channels, for a variety of benchmark mediator couplings (decay modes). Through a largely model-independent approach, I will also discuss the extension to scenarios where multiple processes coexist, and discuss how their interplay shapes indirect detection signatures upon varying the relative importance of the three processes. Each scenario can be linked to specific physical realizations that are discussed. As an application, I will discuss the observable γ-ray fluxes from dwarf spheroidal galaxies in the GeV-TeV window. This work provides a consistent connection between early-universe dynamics and present-day observables, revealing distinctive features that arise when multiple dark matter processes contribute simultaneously.
Speaker: Tommaso Sassi (Università di Padova, INFN Padova) -
14:18
Theoretical Predictions for the Inner Dark Matter Distribution in the Milky Way Informed by Simulations 9m
Understanding the distribution of dark matter (DM) within a few kpc of the Milky Way’s center is critical for interpreting and projecting indirect detection signals. Some studies use the inner DM profile directly from hydrodynamic cosmological simulations; however, differences in baryonic physics prescriptions can significantly affect the resulting DM profiles. In this talk, I will quantify the impact of the various baryonic physics implementations by modeling the DM profile in FIRE-2, Auriga, Vintergatan, and Illustris TNG50 using the adiabatic contraction algorithm from Gnedin et al.2004. We find that FIRE-2’s stellar feedback dominates over baryonic contraction, while the other simulations are well described by adiabatic contraction. Using models calibrated to simulations and the observed stellar profile in the Milky Way, we provide a theoretical bound on the inner DM distribution in our Galaxy, setting a new standard for DM direct detection analyses and a departure from the overuse
of unphysical profiles.Speaker: Abd El Aziz Hussein (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) -
14:27
Linking Leptogenesis and Asymmetric Dark Matter 9m
We investigate a minimal extension of the Leptogenesis framework that simultaneously explains the observed baryon asymmetry and dark matter (DM) abundance through the decay of a heavy Majorana neutrino. In this scenario, CP violation arises from complex Yukawa couplings, enabling the generation of asymmetries in both the Standard Model (SM) and DM sectors. We focus on a co-genesis regime with a hierarchical coupling structure that allows enhanced CP violation while supporting a low-scale seesaw mechanism at order $\mathcal{O}(2)$ TeV. This setup not only links light neutrino masses to the Majorana mass term but also suggests that lepton-number violation may occur at experimentally accessible energy scales. We show spin-independent cross sections for DM heavier than 10 GeV that can be tested in current direct detection experiments and provide motivation for exploration of cross sections inside the neutrino fog for lighter dark matter.
Speaker: Henry McKenna (University of Liverpool) -
14:36
Results from the LZ Direct detection experiment 9m
LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) is the world’s most sensitive direct detection experiment to weak-scale dark matter-matter interactions. The two-phase time projection chamber has an active mass of seven tonnes of liquid xenon, and is located at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) with a 4300 meter water-equivalent overburden. It is the largest such detector currently operating, and has published results with a 5.7 tonne-year exposure, placing limits on a $40~\mathrm{GeV/}c^2$ WIMP of $2.2^{-48}~\mathrm{cm}^2$ at $90\%$ confidence level.
In this talk I will describe the LZ experiment, the constraints it sets on WIMP-nucleon interactions, including a dedicated low-threshold search which achieved the most significant evidence so far of coherent elastic neutrino nucleus scattering of $^8\mathrm{B}$ solar neutrinos at 4.5$\sigma$.Speaker: Knut Moraa -
14:45
Direct detection with archaeological Pb 9m
The quest to understand dark matter (DM) continues to be a driving force in astrophysics and particle physics. This talk discusses the potential of the RES-NOVA project, envisioned for detecting astrophysical neutrinos via Coherent Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering (CEvNS), to also serve as a DM observatory. Leveraging the array of cryogenic detectors made from archaeological Pb, known for its ultra-high radiopurity, RES-NOVA is uniquely positioned to detect both neutrino and DM interactions via nuclear recoils. The use of Pb significantly enhances the coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering cross-section, in addition it is a unique probe for inelastic DM interaction, where mass splitting sensitivity is driven by the weight of the target. By extending the operational principles and sensitivity of CEvNS-based detectors, RES-NOVA may also be capable of observing DM particles from our galactic halo. The detector design, sensitivity, and the first results on a direct search of DM search using a RES-NOVA prototype detector are presented.
Speaker: Nahuel Ferreiro Iachellini (University of Milano-Bicocca) -
14:54
Recent Dark Matter Search Results from XENONnT 9m
XENONnT is a major underground liquid-xenon experiment designed to search for rare interactions from dark matter. In this talk, I will present recent dark matter search results from XENONnT, with emphasis on the search for WIMP interactions and the extension of sensitivity toward lower dark matter masses. I will also discuss the main experimental advances that support these searches, including background reduction, detector calibration, event reconstruction, and the control of low-energy detector response. These results demonstrate the continuing power of large liquid-xenon detectors in probing unexplored dark matter parameter space and in approaching the sensitivity regime where neutrino interactions become an important consideration for future searches.
Speaker: Shengchao Li (Westlake University) -
15:03
Dark Matter in Composite Higgs 9m
The Hierarchy problem and the WIMP miracle both point toward new physics at the TeV scale. In this talk, we explore a scenario where these two puzzles share a common origin within a Composite Higgs framework. For simplicity we use the minimal Composite Higgs SO(5)/SO(4) and assume that the Dark Matter is the next-to-lightest composite resonance of this sector. As such, its mass is tied to the compositeness scale, and its interactions are dictated by the underlying global symmetry. The Dark Matter behaves as a WIMP with additional strong interactions involving the Higgs.
A key feature of this framework is the accidental stability of the Dark Matter. We present models featuring an accidental $Z_2$ symmetry embedded in the global symmetry of the composite sector, which is preserved by all partial compositeness mixings. This provides a dynamical reason for the stability of the particle, avoiding the need for ad-hoc parity assignments. We then compute the annihilation cross-section and the resulting relic abundance. This allows us to determine the thermal relic Dark Matter mass as a function of the coupling, which is directly linked to the confinement scale of the composite sector. Finally, we compare the constraints from direct detection with collider bounds and precision tests.Speaker: Andrea Di Lecce -
15:12
Cornered But Alive: GeV-scale Thermal Dark Matter From Dark Photons 9m
GeV-scale thermal dark matter is often considered to be strongly constrained by the null results of direct, indirect, and collider searches. Nevertheless, viable scenarios can still arise in well-motivated dark sector frameworks. In this talk, we explore this possibility in a dark Abelian Higgs model with a Dirac fermion dark matter candidate interacting with the Standard Model through a dark photon mediator. We focus on the intermediate mass regime for the mediator, between 10 GeV and the mass of the Z boson, which lies beyond the reach of B factories and below the typical sensitivity of the LHC, and has been comparatively underexplored in the literature.
We perform a comprehensive analysis of the complementarity between collider probes, direct detection, and indirect detection experiments, while consistently accounting for the possibility that our candidate constitutes only a fraction of the observed dark matter relic abundance. This dilution effect relaxes the experimental limits by suppressing direct and indirect detection signals accordingly. Despite the strong experimental pressure, we show that thermal GeV-scale dark matter is cornered but still viable. The allowed parameter space is restricted to narrow regions near the resonant regime, $m_\chi\approx m_{Z_D}/2$, where dark matter annihilation in the early universe is enhanced. In this regime, direct detection experiments provide the strongest constraints, while collider searches offer complementary sensitivity for sizeable values of the kinetic mixing. Future results from both direct detection and colliders will play a crucial role in testing these remaining windows, making GeV-scale dark photon portals an attractive target for upcoming experiments.
This talk is based on arXiv:2507.11376.
Speaker: David Alonso-González (IFT (UAM-CSIC)) -
15:21
The 20 GeV gamma-ray excess is not from dark matter 9m
The title says it all
Speaker: Joshua Foster (University of Wisconsin)
-
14:00
-
15:30
→
16:15
-
16:15
→
16:45
Plenary: Experiment Plenary 3 4/3-006 - TH Conference Room
-
16:15
Theory and Machine Learning for Indirect Detection of Dark Matter 30mSpeaker: Lina Necib (MIT)
-
16:15
-
16:45
→
17:15
Plenary: Theory Plenary 4 4/3-006 - TH Conference Room
-
16:45
WIMPs at (Future) Colliders 30mSpeaker: Roberto Franceschini (Rome 3 U.)
-
16:45
-
17:15
→
18:15
-
19:30
→
20:30
Plan to meet at Luigia's. Sign up here just for a head count. Expect tables of 6 to 10. Tables at sign up are not legally binding
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Y6DKjvEXJmGZWbwnsjaIec5xaV_JzMdNwURFkIWugA8/edit?usp=sharing
-
09:00
→
10:30
-
-
09:00
→
10:00
-
09:00
GAPS: A New Era of Cosmic Antinuclei Measurements 30mSpeaker: Kerstin Perez
-
09:30
Searching for dark matter with LHAASO 30mSpeaker: Prof. Kenny Ng (Department of Physics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong)
-
09:00
-
10:00
→
10:30
-
10:30
→
11:30
-
10:30
Thermal relics and the Galactic Centre Excess: From the current status to the CTAO era 30mSpeaker: Christopher Eckner (Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC))
-
11:00
Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) – A New Era in Ground-Based Gamma-Ray Astronomy and Indirect Dark Matter Searches 30mSpeaker: Ivana Batkovic (CTAO)
-
10:30
-
11:30
→
12:30
-
12:30
→
12:40
-
09:00
→
10:00