Dark matter freeze-in with a heavy mediator: beyond the EFT approach

Abstract We study dark matter freeze-in scenarios where the mass of the mediator particle that couples dark matter to the Standard Model is larger than the reheat temperature, T RH , in the early Universe. In such setups, the standard approach is to work with an effective field theory (EFT) where th...

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Main Authors: Evan Frangipane, Stefania Gori, Bibhushan Shakya
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2022-09-01
Series:Journal of High Energy Physics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP09(2022)083
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author Evan Frangipane
Stefania Gori
Bibhushan Shakya
author_facet Evan Frangipane
Stefania Gori
Bibhushan Shakya
author_sort Evan Frangipane
collection DOAJ
description Abstract We study dark matter freeze-in scenarios where the mass of the mediator particle that couples dark matter to the Standard Model is larger than the reheat temperature, T RH , in the early Universe. In such setups, the standard approach is to work with an effective field theory (EFT) where the mediator is integrated out. We examine the validity of this approach in various generic s- and t-channel mediator frameworks. We find that the EFT approach breaks down when the mediator mass is between one to two orders of magnitude larger than T RH due to various effects such as s-channel resonance, a small thermally-suppressed abundance of the mediator, or decays of Standard Model particles through loops induced by the mediator. This highlights the necessity of including these contributions in such dark matter freeze-in studies. We also discuss the collider phenomenology of the heavy mediators, which is qualitatively different from standard freeze-in scenarios. We highlight that, due to the low T RH , the Standard Model-dark matter coupling in these scenarios can be relatively larger than in standard freeze-in scenarios, improving the testability prospects of these setups.
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spelling doaj.art-38200d8b5ad04325976501ee1ed2b7302022-12-22T04:02:59ZengSpringerOpenJournal of High Energy Physics1029-84792022-09-012022913910.1007/JHEP09(2022)083Dark matter freeze-in with a heavy mediator: beyond the EFT approachEvan Frangipane0Stefania Gori1Bibhushan Shakya2Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics, University of California Santa CruzSanta Cruz Institute for Particle Physics, University of California Santa CruzDeutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESYAbstract We study dark matter freeze-in scenarios where the mass of the mediator particle that couples dark matter to the Standard Model is larger than the reheat temperature, T RH , in the early Universe. In such setups, the standard approach is to work with an effective field theory (EFT) where the mediator is integrated out. We examine the validity of this approach in various generic s- and t-channel mediator frameworks. We find that the EFT approach breaks down when the mediator mass is between one to two orders of magnitude larger than T RH due to various effects such as s-channel resonance, a small thermally-suppressed abundance of the mediator, or decays of Standard Model particles through loops induced by the mediator. This highlights the necessity of including these contributions in such dark matter freeze-in studies. We also discuss the collider phenomenology of the heavy mediators, which is qualitatively different from standard freeze-in scenarios. We highlight that, due to the low T RH , the Standard Model-dark matter coupling in these scenarios can be relatively larger than in standard freeze-in scenarios, improving the testability prospects of these setups.https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP09(2022)083Dark Matter at CollidersModels for Dark MatterSpecific BSM Phenomenology
spellingShingle Evan Frangipane
Stefania Gori
Bibhushan Shakya
Dark matter freeze-in with a heavy mediator: beyond the EFT approach
Journal of High Energy Physics
Dark Matter at Colliders
Models for Dark Matter
Specific BSM Phenomenology
title Dark matter freeze-in with a heavy mediator: beyond the EFT approach
title_full Dark matter freeze-in with a heavy mediator: beyond the EFT approach
title_fullStr Dark matter freeze-in with a heavy mediator: beyond the EFT approach
title_full_unstemmed Dark matter freeze-in with a heavy mediator: beyond the EFT approach
title_short Dark matter freeze-in with a heavy mediator: beyond the EFT approach
title_sort dark matter freeze in with a heavy mediator beyond the eft approach
topic Dark Matter at Colliders
Models for Dark Matter
Specific BSM Phenomenology
url https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP09(2022)083
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