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QCD-driven dark matter: AQNs formation and observational tests

Ludovic Van Waerbeke

Abstract

The nature of dark energy remains a central problem in cosmology. A compelling possibility is that dark matter is macroscopic, consisting of composite objects formed in the early Universe. We introduce the QCD-AQN framework, a well-motivated scenario in which dark matter is composed of dense aggregates of quarks and antiquarks matter stabilised by axion domain walls. The framework proposes a unified explanation for both dark matter and the observed matter-antimatter asymmetry. Particular emphasis is placed on existing observational constraints and on observational tests. Finally, we explore a possible QCD-based scenario for dark energy.

QCD-driven dark matter: AQNs formation and observational tests

Abstract

The nature of dark energy remains a central problem in cosmology. A compelling possibility is that dark matter is macroscopic, consisting of composite objects formed in the early Universe. We introduce the QCD-AQN framework, a well-motivated scenario in which dark matter is composed of dense aggregates of quarks and antiquarks matter stabilised by axion domain walls. The framework proposes a unified explanation for both dark matter and the observed matter-antimatter asymmetry. Particular emphasis is placed on existing observational constraints and on observational tests. Finally, we explore a possible QCD-based scenario for dark energy.
Paper Structure (61 sections, 100 equations, 25 figures, 8 tables)

This paper contains 61 sections, 100 equations, 25 figures, 8 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. A critical perspective on model-independent constraints
  3. Where is dark matter ?
  4. How dark is dark matter ?
  5. Cold dark matter
  6. Collisionless dark matter
  7. Dark matter interactions with baryons and photons
  8. Observational constrains from Big Bang Nucleosynthesis
  9. An overlooked hypothesis: rare dark matter
  10. Bayesian perspectives on dark-matter models
  11. Confronting QCD-AQN to observations
  12. AQNs structure and properties
  13. Cosmological behaviour of AQNs: cold and collisionless
  14. Radiative signatures of $\bar{\rm{AQN}}$s in dilute environments
  15. $\bar{\rm {AQN}}$-baryon capture cross-section in dilute media
  16. ...and 46 more sections

Figures (25)

  • Figure 1: Recent data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), combined with observations from the Chandra X-ray Observatory, have produced a new high-resolution image of the Bullet Cluster 2006ApJ...648L.109C. This system is historically important because it provided the first direct empirical evidence for dark matter, based on earlier analyses combining Chandra, the Hubble Space Telescope, and ground-based observations in 2006. The X-ray emission detected by Chandra traces the hot gas in the two merging clusters (displayed in pink), whereas the mass distribution, shown in blue, is inferred from gravitational lensing measurements made possible by the detailed imaging from JWST, and reveals the presence of a dominant dark matter component 2025ApJ...987L..15C. Adapted from http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2025/bullet/
  • Figure 2: Fraction of baryon mass relative to total mass (circular velocity) in various systems and environments (from 2010ApJ...719..119D).
  • Figure 3: Intensity of the sky monopole as a function frequency 2018ApSpe..72..663H. The width of scattered points along the vertical direction indicate the measurement errors.
  • Figure 4: Power spectrum from a combination of observational probes, by 2002PhRvD..66j3508T. The red line shows the CDM power spectrum fitted to the multiple datasets.
  • Figure 5: Limits on the annihilation cross-section of DM as a function of DM mass 2009arXiv0901.4732B. The top-left gray region is excluded because DM must be collisionless.
  • ...and 20 more figures