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arXiv · 2606.12408

When direct detection constrains reheating temperature: freeze-in with stronger couplings and inflaton-seeded freeze-in

Xavier Bertou·Olivier Deligny·Mathieu Gross·Yann Mambrini·Issam-Eddine Mellouki
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Abstract

Recent results from the DAMIC-M and PandaX collaborations have excluded the standard freeze-in production of dark matter for masses in the range $3~\mathrm{MeV} \lesssim m_\chi \lesssim 1~\mathrm{GeV}$ in the context of extensions of the Standard Model featuring an additional ultra-light $U(1)_{\rm X}$ gauge boson. In this work, we analyze the constraints induced by DAMIC-M and PandaX results on the reheating temperature in freeze-in models at stronger coupling, or when a non-thermal source (such as inflaton decay) comes into play. We identify viable scenarios in which the DM relic abundance is correctly reproduced while evading current experimental bounds on the electron-scattering cross section, $\overline{\sigma}_\mathrm{e}$. In particular, we show that for reheating temperatures below the electroweak scale, Boltzmann suppressed production can be compensated by stronger couplings, bringing freeze-in scenarios within present experimental reach. Finally, we study a hybrid scenario in which a small branching ratio of inflaton decay seeds a nonzero initial dark-matter abundance. We show that such contributions can significantly modify freeze-in predictions across broad regions of parameter space, offering an additional pathway for probing extremely feeble interactions.

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Xavier Bertou, Olivier Deligny, Mathieu Gross, Yann Mambrini, Issam-Eddine Mellouki. 2026-06-10. When direct detection constrains reheating temperature: freeze-in with stronger couplings and inflaton-seeded freeze-in. https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.12408

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