Constraining the Dark Matter Parameter Space

Abstract: The nature of dark matter (DM) is one of the greatest mysteries of modern physics. Itmakes up 25% of the total energy-matter content in the Universe, and is essential forexplaining the large-scale structures we observe in the Universe. Little is known aboutthe nature of dark matter, and the number of possible theories is vast. However, themost popular dark matter candidates either solve other, unrelated problems of physics orappear naturally in theories beyond the Standard Model (BSM). Two such candidates areWeakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) and Axion-like Particles (ALPs). Thisthesis is based on two papers which study the properties of these two DM candidates andthe possible signals they may leave in detectors at Earth, and in the γ-ray spectrum ofdistant astrophysical sources.Paper I focuses on a class of WIMPs called "inelastic DM" in which the DM particle musttransfer onto a higher-mass state when it interacts with SM particles. In this paper, wehave studied whether such a model can explain the discrepancy between the claimed DMsignal in DAMA and the lack of one in other direct detection experiments.Paper II focuses on the general class of ALPs, and uses data from the HAWC observatoryto study whether the observed γ-ray spectra at very high energies from distant blazarsare in conflict with the expected spectra from different ALP models.