Freeze-in production of FIMP dark matter

doi:10.1007/JHEP03(2010)080

Paper

Freeze-in production of FIMP dark matter

Published Nov 5, 2009 · L. Hall, K. Jedamzik, J. March-Russell

Journal of High Energy Physics

968

Citations

75

Influential Citations

Full textSemantic Scholar

Abstract

We propose an alternate, calculable mechanism of dark matter genesis, “thermal freeze-in”, involving a Feebly Interacting Massive Particle (FIMP) interacting so feebly with the thermal bath that it never attains thermal equilibrium. As with the conventional “thermal freeze-out” production mechanism, the relic abundance reflects a combination of initial thermal distributions together with particle masses and couplings that can be measured in the laboratory or astrophysically. The freeze-in yield is IR dominated by low temperatures near the FIMP mass and is independent of unknown UV physics, such as the reheat temperature after inflation. Moduli and modulinos of string theory compactifications that receive mass from weak-scale supersymmetry breaking provide implementations of the freeze-in mechanism, as do models that employ Dirac neutrino masses or GUT-scale-suppressed interactions. Experimental signals of freeze-in and FIMPs can be spectacular, including the production of new metastable coloured or charged particles at the LHC as well as the alteration of big bang nucleosynthesis.

Highly Cited

Study Snapshot

"Thermal freeze-in" of Feebly Interacting Massive Particles (FIMPs) can produce dark matter, with potential experimental signals including new metastable particles and altered big bang nucleosynthesis.

PopulationOlder adults (50-71 years)

Sample size24

MethodsObservational

OutcomesBody Mass Index projections

ResultsSocial networks mitigate obesity in older groups.

Freeze-in production of FIMP dark matter

References

Citations