A Novel One-loop Model for Majorana Neutrino Mass and Dark Matter

Abstract

We present the first complete field-theoretic realization of the finite one-loop T4-3-i topology for Majorana neutrino mass. Here, T4-3-i denotes a one-loop realization of the Weinberg operator in which a fermion links the two external lepton--Higgs pairs. If this fermion is a Majorana singlet or triplet, the same interactions generate a tree-level type-I or type-III seesaw contribution, respectively, so that the loop is not the leading source of neutrino mass. This lower-order contribution is removed by taking the mediator to be a Dirac fermion $N$, placing lepton-number violation in a separate Majorana fermion $\psi$ inside the loop, and imposing an exact $Z_2$ symmetry that keeps the new scalars inert and stabilizes the lightest odd state. We classify the allowed electroweak charge assignments and study the minimal singlet-doublet realization, denoted T4-3-i-B1, which contains one Dirac fermion, one Majorana fermion, an inert scalar doublet, and an inert scalar singlet. The resulting rank-two neutrino mass matrix predicts one massless neutrino. We confront both normal and inverted neutrino-mass orderings with neutrino-oscillation and cosmological data, charged-lepton flavor violation, including $\mu-e$ conversion, electroweak precision observables, $h\to\gamma\gamma$, theoretical consistency conditions, the relic abundance, and direct-detection limits. Both fermionic and scalar dark matter are viable. The fermionic candidate has only a loop-induced Higgs coupling and consequently a strongly suppressed spin-independent scattering rate, whereas the scalar candidate couples through a tree-level Higgs portal and can lie above the neutrino floor while remaining compatible with current limits. In both cases, coannihilation with inert scalars is essential for reproducing the observed relic abundance.