Higgsino Dark Matter in a Non-Standard History of the Universe

Abstract

A light higgsino is strongly favored by the naturalness, while as a dark matter candidate it is usually under-abundant. We consider the higgsino production in a non-standard history of the universe, caused by a scalar field with an initially displaced vacuum. We find that given a proper reheating temperature induced by the scalar decay, a light higgsino could provide the correct dark matter relic abundance. On the other hand, a sub-TeV higgsino dark matter, once observed, would be a strong hint of the non-standard thermal history of the universe.