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  • Open Access

Lepton collider imprints of an inelastic dark matter model

Wei Liu1 and Jin Sun2,*

  • *Contact author: sunjin0810@ibs.re.kr

Phys. Rev. D 111, 115022 – Published 20 June, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/4ght-wb9f

Abstract

We explore the potential for detecting the inelastic dark matter (DM) model with an additional U(1)D gauge symmetry at various types of lepton colliders. The new gauge boson Z′ resulting from the spontaneous breaking of U(1)D can act as a portal connecting the Standard Model fermions and DM fermions χ, thereby facilitating the production of Z′ and its decay into DM fermions. The mass difference between the excited DM fermion χ2 and the ground DM fermion χ1 induces the subsequent decays χ2→χ1+vis, where χ2 and χ1 serve as long-lived particles and the DM candidate, respectively. For the inelastic DM with a mass mχ1 in the range of (1–100) GeV, we find that the future lepton colliders can probe many regions not accessible by current experiments and provide greater projected sensitivity than the LHC and Belle in previous studies. This suggests that future colliders can provide complementary exploration of the inelastic dark matter model.

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