Gravitational wave signals of dark matter freeze-out

TL;DR

This paper investigates gravitational wave signals generated during dark matter freeze-out caused by a first order phase transition, proposing their detectability with future interferometers.

Contribution

It introduces models linking dark matter freeze-out to gravitational wave production, highlighting their potential observability.

Findings

Gravitational waves from dark matter freeze-out are detectable at future interferometers.

Models with bubble filtering and inflation can produce observable gravitational wave signals.

The study connects dark matter relic abundance mechanisms with gravitational wave signatures.

Abstract

We study the stochastic background of gravitational waves which accompany the sudden freeze-out of dark matter triggered by a cosmological first order phase transition that endows dark matter with mass. We consider models that produce the measured dark matter relic abundance via (1) bubble filtering, and (2) inflation and reheating, and show that gravitational waves from these mechanisms are detectable at future interferometers.