Freeze-in from Preheating

Understand

We consider the production of dark matter during the process of reheating after inflation.

• The relic density of dark matter from freeze-in depends on both the energy density and energy distribution of the inflaton scattering or decay products composing the radiation bath.
• We compare the perturbative and non-perturbative calculations of the energy density in radiation.
• We also consider the (likely) possibility that the final state scalar products are unstable.