1. Gauge Coupling Unification and Nonequilibrium Thermal Dark Matter
- Author
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Mambrini, Y., Olive, Keith A., Olive, Keith, Quevillon, Jeremie, Zaldivar, Bryan, Laboratoire de Physique Théorique d'Orsay [Orsay] (LPT), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11), William I. Fine Theoretical Physics Institute, University of Minnesota [Twin Cities] (UMN), University of Minnesota System-University of Minnesota System, Instituto de Física Teórica UAM/CSIC (IFT), Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (UAM)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC), Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), University of Minnesota [Twin Cities], and Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (UAM)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Spain] (CSIC)
- Subjects
[PHYS.ASTR.HE]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena [astro-ph.HE] ,Particle physics ,Dark matter ,Scalar field dark matter ,FOS: Physical sciences ,General Physics and Astronomy ,Astrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics ,01 natural sciences ,7. Clean energy ,Standard Model ,High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph) ,0103 physical sciences ,Grand Unified Theory ,010306 general physics ,Gauge symmetry ,[PHYS]Physics [physics] ,High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE) ,Physics ,Gauge boson ,010308 nuclear & particles physics ,[SDU.ASTR.HE]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena [astro-ph.HE] ,High Energy Physics::Phenomenology ,High Energy Physics - Phenomenology ,[PHYS.HPHE]Physics [physics]/High Energy Physics - Phenomenology [hep-ph] ,Production (computer science) ,Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena ,Dark fluid - Abstract
We study a new mechanism for the production of dark matter in the universe which does not rely on thermal equilibrium. Dark matter is populated from the thermal bath subsequent to inflationary reheating via a massive mediator whose mass is above the reheating scale, T_R. To this end, we consider models with an extra U(1) gauge symmetry broken at some intermediate scale M, of the order of 10^10 -- 10^12 GeV. We show that not only does the model allow for gauge coupling unification (at a higher scale associated with grand unification) but can naturally provide a dark matter candidate which is a Standard Model singlet but charged under the extra U(1). The intermediate scale gauge boson(s) which are predicted in several E6/SO(10) constructions can be a natural mediator between dark matter and the thermal bath. We show that the dark matter abundance, while never having achieved thermal equilibrium, is fixed shortly after the reheating epoch by the relation T_R^3/M^4. As a consequence, we show that the unification of gauge couplings which determines M also fixes the reheating temperature T_R, which can be as high as 10^11 GeV., Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, 1 table
- Published
- 2013
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