A New Viable Region of Inert Higgs Doublet Dark Matter Model with Scotogenic Extension

Abstract: We explore the intermediate dark matter mass regime of the inert Higgs doublet model (IHDM) by extending the model with three copies of right handed singlet neutrinos. The in built discrete $Z_2$ symmetry of the model allows these right handed neutrinos to couple to the usual lepton doublets through the inert Higgs doublet allowing the possibility of radiative neutrino mass in the scotogenic fashion. Apart from generating non-zero neutrino mass, such an extension can also revive the intermediate dark matter mass regime, between $W$ boson mass to a few hundred GeV's where pure IHDM can not give rise to correct dark matter relic abundance. The late decay of the lightest right handed neutrino to dark matter makes it possible for the usual thermally under-abundant dark matter in this intermediate mass regime to satisfy the correct relic abundance limit. The revival of this wide intermediate mass range can not only have relevance for direct search experiments but also for neutrino experiments as the long lifetime of the lightest right handed neutrino also results in almost vanishing lightest neutrino mass.