Beyond Freeze-Out: A Novel Freeze-in Mechanism for Dark Matter via Supercooled Phase Transitions

Abstract: We investigate a novel freeze-in mechanism for Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), facilitated by a supercooled first-order phase transition (FOPT) in the early universe. Unlike the conventional freeze-out and freeze-in scenarios, this mechanism allows WIMPs to acquire their relic abundance through a non-equilibrium production process following a rapid entropy injection. We explore multiple dark matter (DM) candidates, including vector, fermionic, and scalar-mediated models, and identify fermionic DM with a pseudoscalar mediator as the most viable candidate for this mechanism. The study demonstrates that FOPT dilutes preexisting DM density and simultaneously induces a rapid mass increase, preventing thermal re-equilibration and enabling DM production via freeze-in. Additionally, we analyze the gravitational wave (GW) signals associated with FOPT, identifying parameter regions detectable by future GW observatories such as LISA and UDECIGO. This framework offers a compelling alternative to traditional WIMP and Feebly Interacting Massive Particle (FIMP) scenarios, providing new avenues for DM model building and experimental verification.