Influence of dark matter on the formation of biogenic elements in early Universe stars
Phys. Rev. D 112, 103033 – Published 18 November, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/22rh-fclv
Abstract
We demonstrate that dark matter (DM) interactions can profoundly influence stellar nucleosynthesis in the early Universe by altering thermodynamic gradients and modifying nuclear reaction rates within primordial stars. Incorporating a DM-modified Fermi-Dirac distribution and accounting for localized energy injection from annihilation heating, our model predicts enhanced production of carbon and nitrogen alongside reduced oxygen synthesis. These compositional shifts significantly reshape stellar structure and produce synthetic spectra that closely reproduce the observed characteristics of carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars. Our findings reveal a direct and previously overlooked role of DM in driving the chemical evolution of the early cosmos, offering a plausible link between fundamental particle physics and observable astrophysical signatures.
