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Axion-like particles as mediators for dark matter: beyond freeze-out

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arxiv 2209.03932 v2 pith:ATQB4EJG submitted 2022-09-08 hep-ph

Axion-like particles as mediators for dark matter: beyond freeze-out

classification hep-ph
keywords darkfreeze-outmatterparameterregionspaceaccessibleaxion-like
verification ladder T0 review T1 audit T2 compute T3 formal T4 reserved
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We consider an axion-like particle (ALP) coupled to Standard Model (SM) fermions as a mediator between the SM and a fermionic dark matter (DM) particle. We explore the case where the ALP-SM and/or the ALP-DM couplings are too small to allow for DM generation via standard freeze-out. DM is therefore thermally decoupled from the visible sector and must be generated through either freeze-in or decoupled freeze-out (DFO). In the DFO regime, we present an improved approach to obtain the relic density by solving a set of three stiff coupled Boltzmann equations, one of which describes the energy transfer from the SM to the dark sector. Having determined the region of parameter space where the correct relic density is obtained, we revisit experimental constraints from electron beam dump experiments, rare $B$ and $K$ decays, exotic Higgs decays at the LHC, astrophysics, dark matter searches and cosmology. In particular, for our specific ALP scenario we (re)calculate and improve beam dump, flavour and supernova constraints. Throughout our calculation we implement state-of-the-art chiral perturbation theory results for the ALP partial decay width to hadrons. We find that while the DFO region, which predicts extremely small ALP-fermion couplings, can probably only be constrained by cosmological observables, the freeze-in region covers a wide area of parameter space that may be accessible to other more direct probes. Some of this parameter space is already excluded, but a significant part should be accessible to future collider experiments.

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Forward citations

Cited by 7 Pith papers

Reviewed papers in the Pith corpus that reference this work. Sorted by Pith novelty score.

  1. MeV Electrophilic Axion-like Particles from Sun

    hep-ph 2026-07 conditional novelty 6.0

    MeV axion-like particles could be made when 5.5 MeV solar fusion photons Compton-scatter off electrons; current LZ, PandaX-4T and Borexino data would then constrain g_ae to (1.7-3.7)e-6 in the 0.4-1 MeV window.

  2. ALP production in Lepton Flavour Violating meson, tau and gauge boson decays

    hep-ph 2026-04 unverdicted novelty 6.0

    ALPs with LFV couplings above the muon mass threshold can be produced in LFV meson, tau, and gauge boson decays, yielding clean eμ signatures that enable new searches at future experiments.

  3. ALP production in Lepton Flavour Violating meson, tau and gauge boson decays

    hep-ph 2026-04 conditional novelty 6.0

    Above the muon threshold, LFV ALP production in K, D_s, W, Z, J/ψ and τ decays gives new prompt and displaced search channels with projected reach up to f_a ≈ 10^8 GeV.

  4. Probing the Phenomenology of Dark Matter from Decoupled Freeze-Out

    hep-ph 2025-11 conditional novelty 6.0

    In a scalar-plus-pseudoscalar mediator model, decoupled freeze-out can produce the observed dark matter relic density via s-wave annihilation while evading CMB limits, though indirect-detection and BBN bounds leave on...

  5. ALP and $Z^\prime$ boson at the Electron-Ion collider

    hep-ph 2026-01 conditional novelty 5.0

    Projected EIC tri-electron searches would constrain electron-coupled ALPs and Z' bosons more strongly than current experiments at masses of about 10-100 GeV and 10-30 GeV, respectively.

  6. Shedding Stray Light on Decaying Light Dark Matter: Constraints from NuSTAR X-ray Observations

    hep-ph 2026-06 unverdicted novelty 4.0

    NuSTAR stray-light data yields the strongest indirect bounds on decaying electrophilic scalar, ALP, and dark photon DM in the 6-70 keV range, plus inelastic DM with mass splittings 3-100 keV.

  7. Semi-analytic bounds on axion-like-particle supernovae emission

    hep-ph 2026-04 unverdicted novelty 4.0

    Semi-analytic modeling of supernova cooling with six PNS parameters yields bounds on axion-nucleon coupling versus ALP mass that match numerical simulation results.