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Illuminating sequential freeze-in dark matter with dark photon signal at the CERN SHiP experiment

Xinyue Yin and Sibo Zheng*

  • *Contact author: sibozheng.zju@gmail.com
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Phys. Rev. D 113, 075013 – Published 13 April, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/cxyx-37kq

Abstract

Single-field freeze-in dark matter barely leaves observable footprints in dark matter direct detection, collider, or fixed-target experiments, which can be altered in the two-field context. In this work, we consider sequential freeze-in dark matter through signals of a dark photon mediator with a mass range of mA′∼10−2–10  GeV covered by the proposed SHiP experiment. We show that the dark charge is fixed to be e′∼1.3×10−12 and the mixing parameter is restricted to 10−11≤ε<10−8–10−7.5, as a result of the out-of-equilibrium condition of dark photon and the observed relic abundance of dark matter. Within this ε region, the 5-yr (15-yr) data of the proton bremsstrahlung process for the dark photon, assuming vector meson (dipole) dominance, excludes ε≥10−8.5(10−7.9) at 90% confidence level, implying only a narrow region of ε close to ∼10−11 left for alternative tests.

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Phys. Rev. D 113, 075013– Published 13 April, 2026
  • Received 5 December 2025
  • Accepted 25 March 2026
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