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Inflationary particle production and implications for WIMP substructure

María Olalla Olea-Romacho*

  • *Contact author: maria_olalla.olea_romacho@kcl.ac.uk
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Phys. Rev. D 113, 063503 – Published 2 March, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/5ql6-1gq1

Abstract

I explore the observational consequences of resonant particle production during inflation, focusing on its impact on dark matter annihilation signals today. A transient burst of particle production generates localized features in the primordial power spectrum, enhancing the formation of compact small-scale dark matter structures known as prompt cusps. If dark matter consists of thermal weakly interacting massive particles, the resulting small-scale structures substantially boost annihilation rates, leaving potentially detectable imprints in gamma-ray observations. Using 15 years of Fermi Large Area Telescope data targeting the Virgo cluster, I derive upper limits on the thermally averaged annihilation cross section ⟨σv⟩, connecting inflationary particle production in the early Universe with present-day observations constraining dark matter annihilation.

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Phys. Rev. D 113, 063503– Published 2 March, 2026
  • Received 24 November 2025
  • Accepted 9 February 2026
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