Freeze-in sterile neutrino dark matter in a feebly gauged $B-L$ model

Abstract

We consider the gauged $U(1)_{B-L}$ model and examine the situation where the sterile neutrino is a dark matter candidate produced by the freeze-in mechanism. In our model, the dark matter $N$ is mainly produced by the decay of a $U(1)_{B-L}$ breaking scalar boson $\phi$. We point out that the on-shell production of $\phi$ through annihilation of the $U(1)_{B-L}$ gauge boson $Z'$ plays an important role. We find that the single production of $Z'$ from the gluon bath in the early Universe can become the main production modes for $Z'$ in some parameter regions. To prevent $N$ from being overproduced, we show that the $U(1)_{B-L}$ gauge coupling constant $g_{B-L}$ must be as small as $10^{-16}$--$10^{-10}$. We also consider the case where the decay of $\phi$ into $N$ is kinematically forbidden. In this case, $N$ is generated by the scattering of $Z'$ and the $g_{B-L}$ takes values of $10^{-10}$--$10^{-6}$, which can be explored in collider experiments like FASER and SHiP.