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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2025
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.06436 |
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Table of Contents:
- We demonstrate that the scalaron, a scalar degree of freedom, emerging from the $f(R)$ theory of gravity, can account for the observed dark matter (DM) abundance if its mass is around the MeV scale, to ensure its cosmological stability. Focusing on two well-known $f(R)$ gravity models, we systematically show that if scalaron production proceeds via the freeze-in mechanism, the right relic abundance is satisfied over a very narrow window of reheating temperature $10^{14}\lesssim T_{\rm rh}\lesssim 10^{16}$ GeV. We delineate the viable parameter space of the $f(R)$ models consistent with the observed DM abundance, and highlight relevant experimental constraints from searches targeting DM decay signatures.