Dark Matter Freeze-In and Small-Scale Observables: Novel Mass Bounds and Viable Particle Candidates

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Main Authors: D'Eramo, Francesco, Lenoci, Alessandro, Dekker, Ariane
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author D'Eramo, Francesco
Lenoci, Alessandro
Dekker, Ariane
author_facet D'Eramo, Francesco
Lenoci, Alessandro
Dekker, Ariane
contents The suppression of cosmological structure at small scales is a key signature of dark matter (DM) produced via freeze-in in the low-mass regime. We present a comprehensive analysis of its impact, incorporating recent constraints from Milky Way satellite counts, strong gravitational lensing with JWST data, and the Lyman-$α$ forest. We adopt a general strategy to translate existing warm dark matter (WDM) bounds into lower mass limits for a broad class of DM candidates characterized by quasi-thermal phase space distributions. The benefits of this approach include computational efficiency and the ability to explore a wide range of models. We derive model-independent bounds for DM produced via two-body decays, scatterings, and three-body decays, and apply the framework to concrete scenarios such as the Higgs portal, sterile neutrinos, axion-like particles, and the dark photon portal. Results from specific models confirm the validity of the model-independent analysis.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_13864
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Dark Matter Freeze-In and Small-Scale Observables: Novel Mass Bounds and Viable Particle Candidates
D'Eramo, Francesco
Lenoci, Alessandro
Dekker, Ariane
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
The suppression of cosmological structure at small scales is a key signature of dark matter (DM) produced via freeze-in in the low-mass regime. We present a comprehensive analysis of its impact, incorporating recent constraints from Milky Way satellite counts, strong gravitational lensing with JWST data, and the Lyman-$α$ forest. We adopt a general strategy to translate existing warm dark matter (WDM) bounds into lower mass limits for a broad class of DM candidates characterized by quasi-thermal phase space distributions. The benefits of this approach include computational efficiency and the ability to explore a wide range of models. We derive model-independent bounds for DM produced via two-body decays, scatterings, and three-body decays, and apply the framework to concrete scenarios such as the Higgs portal, sterile neutrinos, axion-like particles, and the dark photon portal. Results from specific models confirm the validity of the model-independent analysis.
title Dark Matter Freeze-In and Small-Scale Observables: Novel Mass Bounds and Viable Particle Candidates
topic High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.13864