Unraveling Freeze-in Dark matter through the echoes of gravitational waves

Abstract

In the quest to unravel the dark sector, feebly interacting freeze-in dark matter presents an intriguing possibility, plausibly explaining the consistent null results from various dark matter experiments. We propose a unique imprint in the form of gravitational waves generated during the freeze-in production of dark matter from heavy particle decay in the early universe. This characteristic gravitational wave signature can serve as a powerful probe for freeze-in dark matter. Our study indicates that future high-frequency gravitational wave experiments can detect these waves, offering a novel avenue to critically test the underlying conditions and requirements of this dark matter paradigm, which typically lie beyond the reach of current and planned dark matter detection experiments.

Comments: This version has been accepted at PRD Letters. Supplementary material has been added, and some parts of the main text have been relocated there. 7+3 pages, 3+2 figures, 1 table