Abstract
We present a scenario of vector dark matter production from symmetry breaking at the end of inflation. In this model, the accumulated energy density associated with the quantum fluctuations of the dark photon accounts for the present energy density of dark matter. The inflaton is a real scalar field while a heavy complex scalar field, such as the waterfall of hybrid inflation, is charged under the dark gauge field. After the heavy field becomes tachyonic at the end of inflation, rolling rapidly towards its global minimum, the dark photon acquires mass via the Higgs mechanism. To prevent the decay of the vector field energy density during inflation, we introduce couplings between the inflaton and the gauge field such that the energy is pumped to the dark sector. The setup can generate the observed dark matter abundance for a wide range of the dark photon's mass and with the reheat temperature around $10^{12}$ GeV. The model predicts the formation of cosmic strings at the end of inflation with the tensions which are consistent with the CMB upper bounds.
Highlights
The nature of dark matter is still unknown and remains one of the most compelling evidences for the physics beyond the standard model of particle physics (SM)
To prevent the decay of the vector field energy density during inflation, we introduce couplings between the inflaton and the gauge field such that the energy is pumped to the dark sector
The standard scenario where the symmetry is broken at the end of inflation is the hybrid inflation in which the inflaton is a real scalar field and there is another complex scalar field, the waterfall field, which is responsible for the symmetry breaking and the termination of inflation
Summary
The nature of dark matter is still unknown and remains one of the most compelling evidences for the physics beyond the standard model of particle physics (SM). As the dark matter particles may be from beyond the SM sector, it is interesting to look for the possibility of the production of dark matter particles during inflation In this regard, it was shown that if one considers a massive dark gauge field during inflation without any direct coupling to inflaton, the associated longitudinal mode can be responsible for the dark matter energy density after the time of matter and radiation equality [9]. Thanks to the Higgs mechanism, the gauge field acquires mass only toward the end of inflation and one can find appropriate range of parameters for which the produced dark photons can become nonrelativistic before the time of matterradiation equality and to give the correct dark matter abundance.
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