{
  "abstract": "We propose that the dark matter (DM) is a pseudo-Dirac fermion with a mass of approximately $20-100$ GeV that couples inelastically to the Standard Model through a hadrophilic spin-1 mediator, $V$, the gauge boson of spontaneously broken baryon number. The two DM eigenstates, $χ_{1}$ and $χ_2$, acquire approximately equal abundances after thermal freeze-out and are depleted through the processes $χ_1 χ_1 \\to VV$ and $χ_2 χ_2 \\to VV$. Although the heavier state is unstable, for a mass splitting below the electron-positron threshold and sufficiently small mass mixing with the $Z$ boson, its lifetime can exceed the age of the universe, allowing both states to remain approximately equally abundant in the Galactic halo. For a thermal-relic annihilation cross section, this model can produce a signal that is consistent with the observed features of the longstanding Galactic Center Gamma-Ray Excess (GCE). If $δ\\sim 1000$ keV, the same parameter space that explains the GCE can also explain the LZ event through exothermic $χ_2 \\to χ_1$ downscattering off xenon nuclei.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2609.26570",
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Caleb Gemmell"
    },
    {
      "name": "Dan Hooper"
    },
    {
      "name": "Gordan Krnjaic"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/79c9msd56svq4.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2609.26570",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "79c9msd56svq4",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.26570",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-SA 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "astro-ph.CO"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "hep-ph"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3106|Dark Matter and Cosmic Phenomena"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7214103969",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2609.26570",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-22",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/79c9msd56svq4.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:23:39Z",
      "native_id": "2609.26570",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.26570"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "arxiv:astro-ph.CO",
      "subfield": "cosmology"
    },
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:hep-ph",
      "subfield": "high-energy"
    }
  ],
  "title": "A Simple Dark Matter Model to Explain the LZ Event and Galactic Center Excess",
  "title_text": "A Simple Dark Matter Model to Explain the LZ Event and Galactic Center Excess",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:23:39Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/79c9msd56svq4",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}