An EFT origin of Secluded Dark Matter

The present study aims to unveil a non-minimal secluded dark sector (DS) scenario in an effective field theory (EFT) framework. To explore this, we have examined a suitable extension of type-X Two Higgs Doublet Model (2HDM) as a potential origin for secluded DS. The dark sector, possessing non-minimal characteristics, becomes non-thermally populated through diverse dim-6 four-Fermi operators, effectively generated by integrating out the heavier Higgs particles. The analysis further focuses on the consequence of the collision mechanism DM+ a → a + a, occurring within the DS, where `a' represents the lighter DS particle. We have investigated the significance of employing an effective theory approach to track the temperature evolution of the dark sector (DS). Within the present framework, the final relic abundance of dark matter can be attained through both dark freeze-out and freeze-in mechanisms. Furthermore, we have delineated the permissible ranges of relevant parameter space essential for achieving the correct dark matter relic abundance considering different variants of cosmology, as validated by Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) and gamma-ray searches.