Dark Matter with a Drag at Low Redshift

Abstract: Recent analyses of $fσ_8$ and weak-lensing data indicate that the linear growth rate at $z\lesssim 1$ may be lower than predicted by $Λ$CDM. This motivates models of dark matter in which large scale structure growth slows relative to $Λ$CDM at late times. We construct particle models in which dark matter experiences a drag with dark radiation that grows at late times, unlike conventional DM--DR interactions, which fade as the universe expands. A key ingredient is that the radiation interacting with the dark matter is produced at late times from dark matter decay. An explicit model, interacting Decaying Cold Dark Matter (iDCDM), adds two parameters beyond $Λ$CDM while leaving the background, BBN, and primary CMB intact. But it predicts a step-shaped suppression of the linear growth rate $f(k,z)$, a distinctive target for DESI, Euclid, and Rubin. Confronted with current data, iDCDM shows a modest preference over $Λ$CDM, driven by $fσ_8$, with $Δχ^2$ between $-2.7$ and $-7.6$ depending on the assumed scaling of the drag with redshift and on neutrino masses. The decisive test will come from upcoming $k$- and $z$-resolved growth measurements.