Abstract: | The existence of dark matter is one of the few solid hints for physics beyond the standard model. If dark matter has indeed particle nature, then direct detection via scattering on atomic nuclei is one of the most promising discovery channels. In order to calculate the cross section, and to connect this nonrelativistic process with astrophysical and collider searches, as well as UV model building, a consistent setup of effective field theories for the different energy scales is necessary. After an introduction to the physics of dark matter, I will present our work on the explicit connection between these energy scales, from the UV down to the nuclear scale. Previously neglected pion-exchange contributions can change the cross section by an order of magnitude. Furthermore, I will show that higher-order corrections can play a significant role if the UV theory is fine tuned.
|