Superheavy dark matter from string theory

Explicit string models which can realize inflation and low-energy supersymmetry are notoriously difficult to achieve. Given that sequestering requires very specific configurations, supersymmetric particles are in general expected to be very heavy implying that the neutralino dark matter should be overproduced in a standard thermal history. However, in this paper we point out that this is generically not the case since early matter domination driven by string moduli can dilute the dark matter abundance down to the observed value. We argue that generic features of string compactifications, namely a high supersymmetry breaking scale and late time epochs of modulus domination, might imply superheavy neutralino dark matter with mass around 10(10)-10(11) GeV. Interestingly, this is the right range to explain the recent detection of ultra-high-energy neutrinos by IceCube and ANITA via dark matter decay.

Automated summary

Explicit string models face challenges in realizing inflation and low-energy supersymmetry, but early matter domination driven by string moduli can potentially alter dark matter abundance and imply superheavy neutralino dark matter with mass around 10(10)-10(11) GeV, which may help explain recent ultra-high-energy neutrino detections by IceCube and ANITA through dark matter decay.