22 research outputs found
Anisotropy of dark matter annihilation with respect to the Galactic plane
We describe the anisotropy of dark matter clump distribution caused by tidal
destruction of clumps in the Galactic disk. A tidal destruction of clumps with
orbit planes near the disk plane occurs more efficiently as compared with
destruction of clumps at near-polar orbits. A corresponding annihilation of
dark matter particles in small-scale clumps produces the anisotropic gamma-ray
signal with respect to the Galactic disk. This anisotropy is rather small, 9%,
and superimposed on that due to off-centering position of the Sun in the
Galaxy. The anisotropy of annihilation signal with respect to the Galactic disk
provides a possibility to discriminate dark matter annihilation from the
diffuse gamma-ray backgrounds of other origin.Comment: Accepted for publication in JCAP (minor changes
Cosmic-ray knee and diffuse gamma, e+ and pbar fluxes from collisions of cosmic rays with dark matter
In models with extra dimensions the fundamental scale of gravity M_D could be
of order TeV. In that case the interaction cross section between a cosmic
proton of energy E and a dark matter particle \chi will grow fast with E for
center of mass energies \sqrt{2m_\chi E} above M_D, and it could reach 1 mbarn
at E\approx 10^9 GeV. We show that these gravity-mediated processes would break
the proton and produce a diffuse flux of particles/antiparticles, while
boosting \chi with a fraction of the initial proton energy. We find that the
expected cross sections and dark matter densities are not enough to produce an
observable asymmetry in the flux of the most energetic (extragalactic) cosmic
rays. However, we propose that unsuppressed TeV interactions may be the origin
of the knee observed in the spectrum of galactic cosmic rays. The knee would
appear at the energy threshold for the interaction of dark matter particles
with cosmic protons trapped in the galaxy by \muG magnetic fields, and it would
imply a well defined flux of secondary antiparticles and TeV gamma rays.Comment: 19 pages, references added, version to appear in JCA
Dark Matter Candidates: A Ten-Point Test
An extraordinarily rich zoo of non-baryonic Dark Matter candidates has been
proposed over the last three decades. Here we present a 10-point test that a
new particle has to pass, in order to be considered a viable DM candidate: I.)
Does it match the appropriate relic density? II.) Is it {\it cold}? III.) Is it
neutral? IV.) Is it consistent with BBN? V.) Does it leave stellar evolution
unchanged? VI.) Is it compatible with constraints on self-interactions? VII.)
Is it consistent with {\it direct} DM searches? VIII.) Is it compatible with
gamma-ray constraints? IX.) Is it compatible with other astrophysical bounds?
X.) Can it be probed experimentally?Comment: 29 pages, 12 figure
Galactic-Centre Gamma Rays in CMSSM Dark Matter Scenarios
We study the production of gamma rays via LSP annihilations in the core of
the Galaxy as a possible experimental signature of the constrained minimal
supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model (CMSSM), in which
supersymmetry-breaking parameters are assumed to be universal at the GUT scale,
assuming also that the LSP is the lightest neutralino chi. The part of the
CMSSM parameter space that is compatible with the measured astrophysical
density of cold dark matter is known to include a stau_1 - chi coannihilation
strip, a focus-point strip where chi has an enhanced Higgsino component, and a
funnel at large tanb where the annihilation rate is enhanced by the poles of
nearby heavy MSSM Higgs bosons, A/H. We calculate the total annihilation rates,
the fractions of annihilations into different Standard Model final states and
the resulting fluxes of gamma rays for CMSSM scenarios along these strips. We
observe that typical annihilation rates are much smaller in the coannihilation
strip for tanb = 10 than along the focus-point strip or for tanb = 55, and that
the annihilation branching ratios differ greatly between the different dark
matter strips. Whereas the current Fermi-LAT data are not sensitive to any of
the CMSSM scenarios studied, and the calculated gamma-ray fluxes are probably
unobservably low along the coannihilation strip for tanb = 10, we find that
substantial portions of the focus-point strips and rapid-annihilation funnel
regions could be pressured by several more years of Fermi-LAT data, if
understanding of the astrophysical background and/or systematic uncertainties
can be improved in parallel.Comment: 33 pages, 12 figures, comments and references added, version to
appear in JCA
Gamma rays from Dark Matter Annihilation in the Central Region of the Galaxy
In this article, we review the prospects for the Fermi satellite (formerly
known as GLAST) to detect gamma rays from dark matter annihilations in the
Central Region of the Milky Way, in particular on the light of the recent
astrophysical observations and discoveries of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov
Telescopes. While the existence of significant backgrounds in this part of the
sky limits Fermi's discovery potential to some degree, this can be mitigated by
exploiting the peculiar energy spectrum and angular distribution of the dark
matter annihilation signal relative to those of astrophysical backgrounds.Comment: v3: corrected typos, content unchange
EuCAPT White Paper: Opportunities and Challenges for Theoretical Astroparticle Physics in the Next Decade
Astroparticle physics is undergoing a profound transformation, due to a
series of extraordinary new results, such as the discovery of high-energy
cosmic neutrinos with IceCube, the direct detection of gravitational waves with
LIGO and Virgo, and many others. This white paper is the result of a
collaborative effort that involved hundreds of theoretical astroparticle
physicists and cosmologists, under the coordination of the European Consortium
for Astroparticle Theory (EuCAPT). Addressed to the whole astroparticle physics
community, it explores upcoming theoretical opportunities and challenges for
our field of research, with particular emphasis on the possible synergies among
different subfields, and the prospects for solving the most fundamental open
questions with multi-messenger observations.Comment: White paper of the European Consortium for Astroparticle Theory
(EuCAPT). 135 authors, 400 endorsers, 133 pages, 1382 reference