Pushing the limits of atomic dark matter: First-principles recombination rates and cosmological constraints

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Abstract
Minimal atomic dark matter with its distinctive cooling mechanisms offers an instructive framework for understanding the potential impact of dark matter on small-scale structure formation and early cosmology. The model consists of two fermions with opposite charges under a hidden Abelian gauge symmetry U (1) D and masses m p D and m e D , respectively. Analogous to hydrogen in the Standard Model, these fermions interact via their own electromagnetic-like force, with a dark fine structure constant denoted by α D , and can bind into neutral atomic (and molecular) dark states. Previous work has largely focused on the benchmark scenario where the dark sector mirrors ordinary matter, with m e D near the electron mass, m p D near the proton mass, and α D ∼ 1/137. We extend this analysis by investigating dark recombination and cooling physics across the full parameter space of masses and couplings. Combining Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) measurements from Planck and ACT with BAO and Pantheon+ data, we place new constraints on the atomic dark matter parameter space, identifying regions where acoustic damping and recombination dynamics leave observable imprints on the CMB.

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