The 3-3-1 Model: a natural framework for sub-MeV dark matter

TL;DR

This paper proposes a 3-3-1 gauge model with right-handed neutrinos that naturally includes a sub-MeV dark matter candidate, produced via freeze-in, and testable at colliders.

Contribution

It introduces a 3-3-1 model framework that naturally accommodates a sub-MeV dark matter particle as a pseudo-Goldstone boson with gravitational mass generation.

Findings

Dark matter candidate is a pseudo-Goldstone boson with tiny mass.

Relic abundance achieved via freeze-in at low reheating temperatures.

Model remains testable at current and future colliders.

Abstract

We show that the $\mathrm{SU}(3)_C \times \mathrm{SU}(3)_L \times \mathrm{U}(1)_N$ model with right-handed neutrinos naturally accommodates a viable sub-MeV dark matter (DM) candidate realized as pseudo-Goldstone boson that acquires tiny mass through gravitational effects. The observed relic abundance is obtained via freeze-in in a low-reheating temperature scenario, without requiring tiny couplings. The model operates at the TeV scale and remains testable at current and future collider experiments.