- Open Access
CMB test of the Higgs origin of dark-photon dark matter
Phys. Rev. D 114, 063547 – Published 28 September, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/4x1d-f146
Abstract
Laboratory searches determine the mass and kinetic mixing of dark-photon dark matter. Cosmic microwave background isocurvature probes how its abundance depends on inflationary initial conditions. We formulate this dependence through the logarithmic response of the final vector number to the primordial dark-Higgs displacement. For a smooth local abundance map the separate-universe relation connects to cold dark matter isocurvature. The uncorrelated Planck limit applies when the dark Higgs is a light and energetically subdominant spectator with weak inflaton mixing. In the quadratic conserved-number branch displacement-independent transfer gives . The all-dark-matter bound then requires . We calculate the dynamical map by evolving the radial mode and its tangent response through a smooth Abelian-Higgs crossover. The post-transition orbit gives the comoving action. The map contains positive, negative, and near-zero responses at finite transferred action. Tanh and error-function crossovers retain these branches. A thermal-mass profile and finite inflationary quartics shift their locations continuously. Stochastic duration and radiative stability then determine realization regions. Early symmetry breaking and momentum redshift add the remaining conditions. Low-energy measurements and the CMB response can distinguish Higgsed-vector cosmologies with identical present-day and relic abundance.
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