Particle Dark Matter Density and Entropy Production in the Early Universe

Abstract

Dark Matter (DM) density is reduced if entropy production takes place after DM particles abundance is frozen out in the early universe. We study a possibility of such reduction due to entropy production in the electroweak phase transition (EWPT). We compare scenarios of entropy production in the standard model (SM) and its simplest extension, the two-Higgs doublet model (2HDM). Assuming the EWPT is of second order in the SM scenario and the first order in the 2HDM, we calculate the entropy release in these scenarios and the corresponding dilution of preexisting DM density in the early universe. We find the effect of dilution in EWPT significant for confrontation with observations of any form of possible DM (including primordial black holes (PBHs)), which is frozen out, decoupled, frozen in, or formed before EWPT.

Keywords

• electroweak phase transition
• dark matter
• entropy