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  • Letter
  • Open Access

Unraveling freeze-in dark matter through the echoes of gravitational waves

Partha Konar1,* and Sudipta Show2,†

  • *Contact author: konar@prl.res.in
  • †Contact author: sudiptas@iitk.ac.in
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Phys. Rev. D 113, L071701 – Published 22 April, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/8vjm-1g58

Abstract

In the quest to unravel the dark sector, feebly interacting freeze-in dark matter presents an intriguing possibility, plausibly explaining the consistent null results from various dark matter experiments. We propose a unique imprint in the form of gravitational waves generated during the freeze-in production of dark matter from heavy particle decay in the early Universe. This characteristic gravitational wave signature can serve as a powerful probe for freeze-in dark matter. Our study indicates that future high-frequency gravitational wave experiments can detect these waves, offering a novel avenue to critically test the underlying conditions and requirements of this dark matter paradigm, which typically lie beyond the reach of current and planned dark matter detection experiments.

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Phys. Rev. D 113, L071701– Published 22 April, 2026
  • Received 26 June 2025
  • Accepted 18 March 2026
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