3.5 keV X-ray Line Signal from Decay of Right-Handed Neutrino due to Transition Magnetic Moment

Abstract

We consider the dark matter model with radiative neutrino mass generation where the Standard Model is extended with three right-handed singlet neutrinos ($N_1$, $N_2$ and $N_3$) and one additional SU(2)$_L$ doublet scalar $\eta$. One of the right-handed neutrinos ($N_1$), being lightest among them, is a leptophilic fermionic dark matter candidate whose stability is ensured by the imposed $\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry on this model. The second lightest right-handed neutrino ($N_2$) is assumed to be nearly degenerated with the lightest one enhancing the co-annihilation between them. The effective interaction term among the lightest, second lightest right-handed neutrinos and photon containing transition magnetic moment is responsible for the decay of heavier right-handed neutrino to the lightest one and a photon ($N_2\to N_1 + \gamma$). This radiative decay of heavier right-handed neutrino %to the the lightest one with charged scalar and leptons in internal lines could explain the X-ray line signal $\sim$ $3.5$ keV recently claimed by XMM-Newton X-ray observatory from different galaxy clusters and Andromeda galaxy (M31). The value of the transition magnetic moment is computed and found to be several orders of magnitude below the current reach of various direct dark matter searches. The other parameter space in this framework in the light of the observed signal is further investigated.