# Sterile neutrino dark matter from a TeV Scale Seesaw

**Authors:** Kunal Pandey, Suhail Khan  
**arXiv:** [2510.07433](https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.07433)  
**Date:** 2025-10-08  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/arxiv-id/2510.07433v1/

## Key points

- Authors explore phenomenological aspects of feebly interacting sterile neutrino dark matter in a low-scale seesaw setup
- TeV Scale Seesaw scenario enriches Type-I seesaw framework with a second complex scalar doublet ($Φ_ν$)
- Lightest sterile neutrino ($N_1$) emerges as a feebly interacting massive particle (FIMP), primarily produced through decays of W and Z bosons
- Small vacuum expectation value associated with the second Higgs doublet expands parameter space for sterile neutrino masses
- Study reveals setup can accommodate both warm and cold dark matter scenarios effectively, based on recent Lyman-$α$ forest observations
- Acknowledgments to Sushant Ghosh for providing computational support during research process

## Summary

In this article, the authors delve into the phenomenological aspects of feebly interacting sterile neutrino dark matter within a low-scale seesaw setup. Specifically focusing on a TeV Scale Seesaw scenario, they enrich the Type-I seesaw framework by adding a second complex scalar doublet ($Φ_ν$). This doublet interacts exclusively with heavy right-handed neutrinos and the lepton doublet to form the neutrino Dirac mass term. Meanwhile, the first doublet plays a crucial role in generating masses for other Standard Model particles. The lightest sterile neutrino ($N_1$) emerges as a feebly interacting massive particle (FIMP), primarily produced through decays of W and Z bosons - a previously overlooked dominant contribution that significantly influences relic abundance calculations. Notably, due to the small vacuum expectation value ($v_ν\sim 10$ MeV) associated with the second Higgs doublet, an expanded parameter space for sterile neutrino masses is observed, ranging from sub-keV to $0.2$ GeV. By incorporating recent Lyman-$α$ forest observations, the study reveals that this setup can accommodate both warm and cold dark matter scenarios effectively. Additionally, acknowledgments are extended to Sushant Ghosh for providing computational support during the research process. The article references key works in particle physics and cosmology literature, including seminal papers by Minkowski, Gell-Mann, Ramond, Slansky, Mohapatra, Senjanovic,Schechter , Valle , Asaka , Shaposhnikov , Dodelson , Widrow , Biswas,Gupta,Ma,and others. These references underscore the rich theoretical framework within which this study operates and highlight its contributions to ongoing discussions in these fields. Overall, this comprehensive exploration sheds light on the intricate interplay between sterile neutrinos and dark matter within a TeV Scale Seesaw context. It presents valuable insights that contribute to our understanding of fundamental particles and their roles in shaping cosmological phenomena.