Nature of branon dark matter

Abstract

We explore the different possibilities for branons as dark matter candidates. We consider a general brane-world model, parametrized by the number of extra dimensions $N$, the fundamental scale of gravity $M_D$, the brane tension scale $f$ and the branon mass $M$. We analyse the parameter region in which branons behave as collisionless thermal relics (WIMPs), either cold or hot (warm) together with less standard scenarios in which they are strongly self interacting or produced non-thermally.