Freeze-in dark matter from secret neutrino interactions

• Published in: The journal of high energy physics Vol. 2020; no. 12; pp. 1 - 35
• Main Authors: Du, Yong, Huang, Fei, Li, Hao-Lin, Yu, Jiang-Hao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.12.2020; Springer Nature B.V; Springer Nature; SpringerOpen
• Subjects: Beyond Standard Model; Classical and Quantum Gravitation; Cosmology of Theories beyond the SM; Dark matter; Elementary Particles; Evolution; High energy physics; Neutrino Physics; Neutrinos; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS; Quantum Field Theories; Quantum Field Theory; Quantum Physics; Regular Article - Theoretical Physics; Relativity Theory; String Theory; Neutrino Physics; Beyond Standard Model; Cosmology of Theories beyond the SM
• ISSN: 1029-8479; 1029-8479
• DOI: 10.1007/JHEP12(2020)207

A bstract We investigate a simplified freeze-in dark-matter model in which the dark matter only interacts with the standard-model neutrinos via a light scalar. The extremely small coupling for the freeze-in mechanism is naturally realized in several neutrino-portal scenarios with the secret neutrino interactions. We study possible evolution history of the hidden sector: the dark sector would undergo pure freeze-in production if the interactions between the dark-sector particles are negligible, while thermal equilibrium within the dark sector could occur if the reannihilation of the dark matter and the scalar mediator is rapid enough. We investigate the relic abundance in the freeze-in and dark freeze-out regimes, calculate evolution of the dark temperature, and study its phenomenological aspects on BBN and CMB constraints, the indirect-detection signature, as well as the potential to solve the small scale structure problem.