A Dark Matter Relic From Muon Anomalies

Abstract

We show that the recently reported anomalies in $b\to s\mu^+\mu^-$ transitions, as well as the long-standing $g_\mu-2$ discrepancy, can be addressed simultaneously by a new massive abelian gauge boson with loop-induced coupling to muons. Such a scenario typically leads to a stable dark matter candidate with a thermal relic density close to the observed value. Dark matter in our model couples dominantly to leptons, hence signals in direct detection experiments lie well below the current sensitivity. The LHC, in combination with indirect detection searches, can test this scenario through distinctive signatures with muon pairs and missing energy.