ournal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics JAn IOP and SISSA journal Spin-half fermions with mass dimension one: theory, phenomenology, and dark matter JCAP07(2005)012 DVAhluwalia-Khalilova1 and D Grumiller2 1 ASGBG/CIU, Department of Mathematics, Apartado Postal C-600, University of Zacatecas (UAZ), Zacatecas, Zac 98060, Mexico 2 Institut f¨ur Theoretische Physik, University of Leipzig, Augustusplatz 10-11, D-04109 Leipzig, Germany E-mail:
[email protected] and
[email protected] Received 8 December 2004 Accepted 14 June 2005 Published 19 July 2005 Online at stacks.iop.org/JCAP/2005/i=07/a=012 doi:10.1088/1475-7516/2005/07/012 Abstract. We provide the first details on the unexpected theoretical discovery of a spin-one-half matter field with mass dimension one. It is based upon a complete set of dual-helicity eigenspinors of the charge conjugation operator. Due to its unusual properties with respect to charge conjugation and parity, it belongs to a non-standard Wigner class. Consequently, the theory exhibits non- locality with (CPT)2 = −I.Webrieflydiscuss its relevance to the cosmological ‘horizon problem’. Because the introduced fermionic field is endowed with mass dimension one, it can carry a quartic self-interaction. Its dominant interaction with known forms of matter is via Higgs, and with gravity. This aspect leads us to contemplate the new fermion as a prime dark matter candidate. Taking this suggestion seriously we study a supernova-like explosion of a galactic-mass dark matter cloud to set limits on the mass of the new particle and present acalculation on relic abundance to constrain the relevant cross-section.