New mechanism of producing superheavy Dark Matter

Abstract

We study in detail the recently proposed mechanism of generating superheavy Dark Matter with the mass larger than the Hubble rate at the end of inflation. A real scalar field constituting Dark Matter linearly couples to the inflaton. As a result of this interaction, the scalar gets displaced from its zero expectation value. This offset feeds into the energy density of Dark Matter. This mechanism is universal and can be implemented in a generic inflationary scenario. Phenomenology of the model is comprised of Dark Matter decay into inflatons, which in turn decay into Standard Model species triggering cascades of high energy particles contributing to the cosmic ray flux. We evaluate the lifetime of Dark Matter and obtain limits on the inflationary scenarios, where this mechanism does not lead to the conflict with the Dark Matter stability considerations/studies of cosmic ray propagation.

19 pages; discussion of Dark Matter production mechanism is expanded, references added; matches journal version

References in corpus (8)

• The Standard Model Higgs boson as the inflaton
• The spectrum of isotropic diffuse gamma-ray emission between 100 MeV and 820 GeV
• Scalaron the healer: removing the strong-coupling in the Higgs- and Higgs-dilaton inflations
• Scalaron the mighty: producing dark matter and baryon asymmetry at reheating
• Heavy decaying dark matter and IceCube high energy neutrinos
• Some like it hot: $R^2$ heals Higgs inflation, but does not cool it
• Affleck-Dine baryogenesis via mass splitting
• Dark Matter and Baryon Asymmetry from the very Dawn of Universe

Cited by in corpus (11)

• Dark Matter Spectra from the Electroweak to the Planck Scale
• Super heavy thermal dark matter
• First direct detection constraints on Planck-scale mass dark matter with multiple-scatter signatures using the DEAP-3600 detector
• Heavy Thermal Relics from Zombie Collisions
• Vector dark matter production from inflation with symmetry breaking
• Constraints on heavy decaying dark matter from 570 days of LHAASO observations
• Testing Super-Heavy Dark Matter from Primordial Black Holes with Gravitational Waves
• Probing superheavy dark matter with gravitational waves
• Gravitational misalignment mechanism of Dark Matter production
• Dark Matter Production in Weyl $R^2$ Inflation
• The Sensitivity of PUEO to Cosmogenic Neutrinos and Exotic Physics Scenarios