Freeze-in production of FIMP dark matter

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…

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Awards: 0457315, PHY-0457315, DE-AC02-05CH11231
• UD
  U.S. Department of Energy

  Awards: -AC02-05CH11231, 05CH11231, Contract DE-AC02-05CH11231, AC02-05CH11231, DE-AC02, DE-AC02-05CH11231, DE-AC02-
• UO
  University of Oxford
• SE
  South East Physics Network
• SA
  Science and Technology Facilities Council
• NP
  Nuclear Physics

  Award: DE-AC02-05CH11231