Collider Bounds on Indirect Dark Matter Searches: The $WW$ Final State

Abstract

We describe an effective theory of interaction between pairs of dark matter particles (denoted $\chi$) and pairs of $W$ bosons. Such an interaction could accommodate $\chi \bar{\chi }\to WW$ processes, which are a major focus of indirect dark matter experiments, as well as $pp\to W\to W\chi \bar{\chi }$ processes, which would predict excesses at the LHC in the $W$+MET final-state. We reinterpret an ATLAS $W$+MET analysis in the hadronic mode and translate the bounds to the space of indirect detection signals. We also reinterpret the $W$+MET analysis in terms of graviton theory through the processes $W\to WG$ and $Z\to ZG$ in which $G$ is invisible. Finally, the final state is interpreted in terms of a $W^{\prime }$ model where $W^{\prime }\to WZ$, where $W$ decays hadronically and $Z$ decays to neutrinos.