A new lamppost in dark matter searches: Composite Dark Matter

In the search for the nature of dark matter many particle physics models are proposed. Models originating from a new strongly coupled dark sector, similar to QCD and Nuclear Physics, give rise to Composite Dark Matter particles. These models are hard to study, but they have a very interesting phenomenology with clear signals that are distinct from the usual WIMP candidates. To make robust predictions in Composite Dark Matter models one often needs to investigate non-perturbative effects due to the strong dynamics. In my talk I will explain how Lattice Field Theory methods and numerical simulations are well suited for this task and contribute to a solid uncertainty quantification. A variety of detection signals can be studied with lattice simulations, from dark matter self interactions to interactions with regular matter and even signals of dark phase transitions generating primordial gravitational waves.