Top channel and electroweak breaking

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the relationship between dark matter, specifically Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), and electroweak symmetry-breaking dynamics. It highlights that WIMPs, typically in the mass range of hundreds of GeV, are expected to couple favorably with the most massive states of the Standard Model, particularly through processes involving fermion loops. The significance of triangle diagrams in particle physics is emphasized, noting that the amplitude of these processes is proportional to the mass of the fermion involved. Recent observations suggest that the failure to detect WIMPs may indicate the existence of lighter dark matter candidates or those with even weaker interactions.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of electroweak symmetry-breaking
  • Familiarity with Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs)
  • Knowledge of particle physics, specifically fermion loops and triangle diagrams
  • Basic concepts of dark matter and its properties
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the dynamics of electroweak symmetry-breaking in particle physics
  • Study the role of fermion loops in particle interactions
  • Explore alternative dark matter candidates beyond WIMPs
  • Investigate the implications of recent dark matter detection failures
USEFUL FOR

Particle physicists, cosmologists, and researchers focused on dark matter theories and electroweak interactions will benefit from this discussion.

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A paper I am reading says
If dark matter arises as part of the dynamics of electroweak symmetry-breaking, it is natural to expect the WIMP to have couplings which favor the most massive states of the Standard Model.
My question is, "What does this mean?" The paper deals with WIMP annihilations into a photon and a Higgs which I suspect occurs via a fermion loop. I seem to recall that such triangle diagrams yield amplitudes proportional to the mass of the fermion in the loop (which is why, for some Standard Model processes, the top quark channel, if it is open, is the most significant). How does this proportionality arise? And what does it have to do with the "dynamics of electroweak symmetry-breaking"?
 
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"WIMP" means specifically, mass in the 100's of GeV and interactions of the same order as the electroweak interaction. This would be the case if it was "part of the dynamics of electroweak symmetry-breaking". Recent failure to detect such particles has increased the possibility that the dark matter particles may not be WIMPs after all. They may be lighter ("light dark matter"), or interact even more weakly.
 

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