Detection of WIMP-like dark matter in some extensions of the Standard Model

Abstract

One of the most popular classes of candidates for dark matter are Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), i.e. particles possessing masses and couplings falling roughly within the electroweak scale. Apart from offering a natural mechanism for explaining dark matter, WIMPs also provide us with a hope that they could be detected through their non-gravitational interactions. In such an eventuality, we shall certainly get closer to the goal of identifying the true nature of dark matter. After introducing some formalism and elements of theory, we study the phenomenology of WIMP-type dark matter both in a model-independent manner as well as in the framework of specific models, focusing on the prospects for detection in running or oncoming direct and indirect detection experiments.