Probing gravitational dark matter with ultra-high frequency gravitational waves

Abstract

The evidence for the existence of dark matter (DM) is compelling, yet its nature remains elusive. A minimal scenario involves DM interacting solely through gravity. However, the detection would be extremely challenging. In the early Universe, such DM can be unavoidably generated via annihilation of particles in the standard model (SM) thermal plasma. It is known that the SM thermal plasma also produces gravitational waves (GWs). In this study, we establish a simple connection between the amplitude of thermal GWs and the properties of pure gravitational DM. Notably, future GW experiments in the ultra-high frequency regime have the potential to shed light on the mass and spin of pure gravitational DM.