%0 Generic
%A Alonso Alvarez, Gonzalo
%C Heidelberg
%D 2020
%F heidok:28671
%K particle physics, cosmology, dark matter, axions
%R 10.11588/heidok.00028671
%T Axions and other light dark matter candidates
%U https://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/28671/
%X Unveiling the mystery of dark matter is one of the most sought-after goals of modern physics. Working towards this aim, this thesis explores new links between the possibility that dark matter is made up of light scalar particles and other open questions in particle physics and cosmology. In the first part of the thesis, scenarios in which the dark matter contains a particle-antiparticle asymmetry are considered. As an example, the production of such an asymmetry in a model of scalar dark matter is studied. Furthermore, a setup is presented where baryogenesis and asymmetric dark matter have a common origin linked to the dynamics of neutral B mesons. In the second part, the emphasis is put on axions. After assuring the cosmological stability of general axion-like particles, a non-canonical kinetic term is introduced, which leads to an enhanced production of this kind of dark matter. Finally, the collider phenomenology of axions and their coupling to electroweak gauge bosons is scrutinized. The third and final part is devoted to the production of light bosons during inflation. A non-minimal coupling to gravity leads to rich inflationary dynamics and precise predictions regarding the properties of the sub-galactic distribution of dark matter.