Joachim Brod (Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany)

    Simplified Models for Coannihilating Dark Matter  

       Dark matter is one of the most intriguing open problems in modern particle- and astrophysics.     Direct, indirect, and collider searches have, so far, not yet conclusively established the particle       nature of dark matter.

     We have constructed, given some general assumptions, the most general classes of simplified     models for dark matter that generate the observed relic density via coannihilation processes. In     my talk, I will first present the classification of the simplified models. Then I will discuss how the     assumption of coannihilation leads to characteristic signatures for collider searches that can            study the coannihilation mechanism. Finally, I will illustrate our general strategy with a specific     case study, where coannihilation is mediated by a scalar leptoquark. I will briefly discuss                cosmological probes, collider searches, and constraints from precision physics.