Higgs sector extension of the neutrino minimal standard model with thermal freeze-in production mechanism

Abstract

The neutrino minimal Standard Model (νMSM) is the minimum extension of the standard model. In this model, the Dodelson-Widrow mechanism (DW) produces keV sterile neutrino dark matter (DM) and the degenerate GeV heavy Majorana neutrinos lead to leptogenesis. However, the DW mechanism has been ruled out by Lyman-α bounds and X-ray constraints. An alternative scenario that evades these constraints has been proposed, where the sterile neutrino DM is generated by the thermal freeze-in mechanism via a singlet scalar. In this paper, we consider a Higgs sector extension of the νMSM to improve dark matter sectors and leptogenesis scenarios, focusing on the thermal freeze-in production mechanism. We discuss various thermal freeze-in scenarios for the production of keV-MeV sterile neutrino DM with a singlet scalar, and reinvestigate the Lyman-α bounds and the X-ray constraints on the parameter regions. Furthermore, we propose thermal freeze-in leptogenesis scenarios in the extended νMSM. The singlet scalar needs to be TeV scale in order to generate the observed DM relic density and baryon number density with the thermal freeze-in production mechanism.