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Rekindling s-wave dark matter annihilation below 10 GeV with Breit-Wigner effects

Geneviève Bélanger1,*, Sreemanti Chakraborti2,†, Cédric Delaunay1,‡, and Margaux Jomain1,§

  • *Contact author: genevieve.belanger@lapth.cnrs.fr
  • †Contact author: sreemanti.chakraborti@durham.ac.uk
  • ‡Contact author: cedric.delaunay@lapth.cnrs.fr
  • §Contact author: margaux.jomain@lapth.cnrs.fr
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Phys. Rev. D 112, 095039 – Published 24 November, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/1wz3-mf34

Abstract

Velocity-independent (s-wave) annihilation of thermal dark matter is ruled out by CMB data for masses below ∼10  GeV, effectively ruling out the possibility of indirectly detecting it in this mass range. We demonstrate in a model-independent framework that Breit-Wigner effects from very narrow resonances can circumvent CMB constraints, thereby reviving the potential to detect s-wave DM annihilation in the present Universe. The density of resonant s-wave dark matter continues to evolve long after chemical decoupling, leading to a scenario we refer to as belated freeze-out, where kinetic decoupling plays a significant role in determining the relic density.

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Phys. Rev. D 112, 095039– Published 24 November, 2025
  • Received 1 April 2025
  • Accepted 4 November 2025
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