Impact of semi-annihilations on dark matter phenomenology - an example of ZN symmetric scalar dark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belanger, G.; Kannike, K.; Pukhov, A.; Raidal, M.

2012-01-01

We study the impact of semi-annihilations χχ ↔ χX; where χ is dark matter and X is any standard model particle, on dark matter phenomenology. We formulate scalar dark matter models with minimal field content that predict non-trivial dark matter phenomenology for different discrete Abelian symmetries Z N , N > 2, and contain semi-annihilation processes. We implement such an example model in micrOMEGAs and show that semi-annihilations modify the phenomenology of this type of models. (authors)

A systematic effective operator analysis of semi-annihilating dark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cai, Yi; Spray, Andrew

2017-01-01

Semi-annihilation is a generic feature of dark matter theories stabilized by symmetries larger than a ℤ 2 . It contributes to thermal freeze out, but is irrelevant for direct and collider searches. This allows semi-annihilating dark matter to avoid those limits in a natural way. We use an effective operator approach to make the first model-independent study of the associated phenomenology. We enumerate all possible operators that contribute to 2→2 semi-annihilation up to dimension 6, plus leading terms at dimension 7. We find that when the only light states charged under the dark symmetry are dark matter, the model space is highly constrained. Only fifteen operators exist, and just two for single-component dark sectors. If there can be additional light, unstable “dark partner” states the possible phenomenology greatly increases, at the cost of additional model dependence in the dark partner decay modes. We also derive the irreducible constraints on models with single-component dark matter from cosmic ray searches and astrophysical observations. We find that for semi-annihilation to electrons and light quarks, the thermal relic cross sections can be excluded for dark matter masses up to 100 GeV. However, significant model space for semi-annihilating dark matter remains.

Dark matter annihilation with s-channel internal Higgsstrahlung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumar, Jason; Liao, Jiajun, E-mail: liaoj@hawaii.edu; Marfatia, Danny

2016-08-10

We study the scenario of fermionic dark matter that annihilates to standard model fermions through an s-channel axial vector mediator. We point out that the well-known chirality suppression of the annihilation cross section can be alleviated by s-channel internal Higgsstrahlung. The shapes of the cosmic ray spectra are identical to that of t-channel internal Higgsstrahlung in the limit of a heavy mediating particle. Unlike the general case of t-channel bremsstrahlung, s-channel Higgsstrahlung can be the dominant annihilation process even for Dirac dark matter. Since the s-channel mediator can be a standard model singlet, collider searches for the mediator are easily circumvented.

Dark matter annihilation with s-channel internal Higgsstrahlung

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, Jason; Liao, Jiajun; Marfatia, Danny

2016-01-01

We study the scenario of fermionic dark matter that annihilates to standard model fermions through an s-channel axial vector mediator. We point out that the well-known chirality suppression of the annihilation cross section can be alleviated by s-channel internal Higgsstrahlung. The shapes of the cosmic ray spectra are identical to that of t-channel internal Higgsstrahlung in the limit of a heavy mediating particle. Unlike the general case of t-channel bremsstrahlung, s-channel Higgsstrahlung can be the dominant annihilation process even for Dirac dark matter. Since the s-channel mediator can be a standard model singlet, collider searches for the mediator are easily circumvented.

Search for Dark Matter Annihilation in Galaxy Groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Lisanti, Mariangela; Mishra-Sharma, Siddharth; Rodd, Nicholas L; Safdi, Benjamin R

2018-03-09

We use 413 weeks of publicly available Fermi Pass 8 gamma-ray data combined with recently developed galaxy group catalogs to search for evidence of dark matter annihilation in extragalactic halos. In our study, we use luminosity-based mass estimates and mass-to-concentration relations to infer the J factors and associated uncertainties for hundreds of galaxy groups within a redshift range z≲0.03. We employ a conservative substructure boost factor model, which only enhances the sensitivity by an O(1) factor. No significant evidence for dark matter annihilation is found, and we exclude thermal relic cross sections for dark matter masses below ∼30  GeV to 95% confidence in the bb[over ¯] annihilation channel. These bounds are comparable to those from Milky Way dwarf spheroidal satellite galaxies. The results of our analysis increase the tension but do not rule out the dark matter interpretation of the Galactic Center excess. We provide a catalog of the galaxy groups used in this study and their inferred properties, which can be broadly applied to searches for extragalactic dark matter.

Search for Dark Matter Annihilation in Galaxy Groups

Science.gov (United States)

Lisanti, Mariangela; Mishra-Sharma, Siddharth; Rodd, Nicholas L.; Safdi, Benjamin R.

2018-03-01

We use 413 weeks of publicly available Fermi Pass 8 gamma-ray data combined with recently developed galaxy group catalogs to search for evidence of dark matter annihilation in extragalactic halos. In our study, we use luminosity-based mass estimates and mass-to-concentration relations to infer the J factors and associated uncertainties for hundreds of galaxy groups within a redshift range z ≲0.03 . We employ a conservative substructure boost factor model, which only enhances the sensitivity by an O (1 ) factor. No significant evidence for dark matter annihilation is found, and we exclude thermal relic cross sections for dark matter masses below ˜30 GeV to 95% confidence in the b b ¯ annihilation channel. These bounds are comparable to those from Milky Way dwarf spheroidal satellite galaxies. The results of our analysis increase the tension but do not rule out the dark matter interpretation of the Galactic Center excess. We provide a catalog of the galaxy groups used in this study and their inferred properties, which can be broadly applied to searches for extragalactic dark matter.

Multi-messenger constraints and pressure from dark matter annihilation into e--e+ pairs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wechakama, Maneenate

2013-01-01

Despite striking evidence for the existence of dark matter from astrophysical observations, dark matter has still escaped any direct or indirect detection until today. Therefore a proof for its existence and the revelation of its nature belongs to one of the most intriguing challenges of nowadays cosmology and particle physics. The present work tries to investigate the nature of dark matter through indirect signatures from dark matter annihilation into electron-positron pairs in two different ways, pressure from dark matter annihilation and multi-messenger constraints on the dark matter annihilation cross-section. We focus on dark matter annihilation into electron-positron pairs and adopt a model-independent approach, where all the electrons and positrons are injected with the same initial energy E 0 ∝m dm c 2 . The propagation of these particles is determined by solving the diffusion-loss equation, considering inverse Compton scattering, synchrotron radiation, Coulomb collisions, bremsstrahlung, and ionization. The first part of this work, focusing on pressure from dark matter annihilation, demonstrates that dark matter annihilation into electron-positron pairs may affect the observed rotation curve by a significant amount. The injection rate of this calculation is constrained by INTEGRAL, Fermi, and H.E.S.S. data. The pressure of the relativistic electron-positron gas is computed from the energy spectrum predicted by the diffusion-loss equation. For values of the gas density and magnetic field that are representative of the Milky Way, it is estimated that the pressure gradients are strong enough to balance gravity in the central parts if E 0 0 . By comparing the predicted rotation curves with observations of dwarf and low surface brightness galaxies, we show that the pressure from dark matter annihilation may improve the agreement between theory and observations in some cases, but it also imposes severe constraints on the model parameters (most notably, the

Dark matter annihilations into two light fermions and one gauge boson. General analysis and antiproton constraints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garny, Mathias; Ibarra, Alejandro; Vogl, Stefan

2011-12-01

We study in this paper the scenario where the dark matter is constituted by Majo- rana particles which couple to a light Standard Model fermion and an extra scalar via a Yukawa coupling. In this scenario, the annihilation rate into the light fermions with the mediation of the scalar particle is strongly suppressed by the mass of the fermion. Nevertheless, the helicity suppression is lifted by the associated emission of a gauge boson, yielding annihilation rates which could be large enough to allow the indirect detection of the dark matter particles. We perform a general analysis of this scenario, calculating the annihilation cross section of the processes χχ → f anti fV when the dark matter particle is a SU(2) L singlet or doublet, f is a lepton or a quark, and V is a photon, a weak gauge boson or a gluon. We point out that the annihilation rate is particularly enhanced when the dark matter particle is degenerate in mass to the intermediate scalar particle, which is a scenario barely constrained by collider searches of exotic charged or colored particles. Lastly, we derive upper limits on the relevant cross sections from the non-observation of an excess in the cosmic antiproton-to-proton ratio measured by PAMELA. (orig.)

Dark matter annihilations into two light fermions and one gauge boson. General analysis and antiproton constraints

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garny, Mathias [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany); Ibarra, Alejandro; Vogl, Stefan [Technische Univ. Muenchen, Garching (Germany). Physik-Department

2011-12-15

We study in this paper the scenario where the dark matter is constituted by Majo- rana particles which couple to a light Standard Model fermion and an extra scalar via a Yukawa coupling. In this scenario, the annihilation rate into the light fermions with the mediation of the scalar particle is strongly suppressed by the mass of the fermion. Nevertheless, the helicity suppression is lifted by the associated emission of a gauge boson, yielding annihilation rates which could be large enough to allow the indirect detection of the dark matter particles. We perform a general analysis of this scenario, calculating the annihilation cross section of the processes {chi}{chi} {yields} f anti fV when the dark matter particle is a SU(2){sub L} singlet or doublet, f is a lepton or a quark, and V is a photon, a weak gauge boson or a gluon. We point out that the annihilation rate is particularly enhanced when the dark matter particle is degenerate in mass to the intermediate scalar particle, which is a scenario barely constrained by collider searches of exotic charged or colored particles. Lastly, we derive upper limits on the relevant cross sections from the non-observation of an excess in the cosmic antiproton-to-proton ratio measured by PAMELA. (orig.)

Searching for Dark Matter Annihilation in the Smith High-Velocity Cloud

Science.gov (United States)

Drlica-Wagner, Alex; Gomez-Vargas, German A.; Hewitt, John W.; Linden, Tim; Tibaldo, Luigi

2014-01-01

Recent observations suggest that some high-velocity clouds may be confined by massive dark matter halos. In particular, the proximity and proposed dark matter content of the Smith Cloud make it a tempting target for the indirect detection of dark matter annihilation. We argue that the Smith Cloud may be a better target than some Milky Way dwarf spheroidal satellite galaxies and use gamma-ray observations from the Fermi Large Area Telescope to search for a dark matter annihilation signal. No significant gamma-ray excess is found coincident with the Smith Cloud, and we set strong limits on the dark matter annihilation cross section assuming a spatially extended dark matter profile consistent with dynamical modeling of the Smith Cloud. Notably, these limits exclude the canonical thermal relic cross section (approximately 3 x 10 (sup -26) cubic centimeters per second) for dark matter masses less than or approximately 30 gigaelectronvolts annihilating via the B/B- bar oscillation or tau/antitau channels for certain assumptions of the dark matter density profile; however, uncertainties in the dark matter content of the Smith Cloud may significantly weaken these constraints.

Searching for dark matter annihilation in the Smith high-velocity cloud

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drlica-Wagner, Alex; Gómez-Vargas, Germán A.; Hewitt, John W.; Linden, Tim; Tibaldo, Luigi

2014-01-01

Recent observations suggest that some high-velocity clouds may be confined by massive dark matter halos. In particular, the proximity and proposed dark matter content of the Smith Cloud make it a tempting target for the indirect detection of dark matter annihilation. We argue that the Smith Cloud may be a better target than some Milky Way dwarf spheroidal satellite galaxies and use γ-ray observations from the Fermi Large Area Telescope to search for a dark matter annihilation signal. No significant γ-ray excess is found coincident with the Smith Cloud, and we set strong limits on the dark matter annihilation cross section assuming a spatially extended dark matter profile consistent with dynamical modeling of the Smith Cloud. Notably, these limits exclude the canonical thermal relic cross section (∼ 3 × 10 –26 cm 3 s –1 ) for dark matter masses ≲ 30 GeV annihilating via the b b-bar or τ + τ – channels for certain assumptions of the dark matter density profile; however, uncertainties in the dark matter content of the Smith Cloud may significantly weaken these constraints.

Searching for dark matter annihilation in the Smith high-velocity cloud

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Drlica-Wagner, Alex [Center for Particle Astrophysics, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Batavia, IL 60510 (United States); Gómez-Vargas, Germán A. [Departamento de Fisíca, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Avenida Vicuña Mackenna 4860, Santiago (Chile); Hewitt, John W. [CRESST, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250 (United States); Linden, Tim [The Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637 (United States); Tibaldo, Luigi [W. W. Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Department of Physics and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 (United States)

2014-07-20

Recent observations suggest that some high-velocity clouds may be confined by massive dark matter halos. In particular, the proximity and proposed dark matter content of the Smith Cloud make it a tempting target for the indirect detection of dark matter annihilation. We argue that the Smith Cloud may be a better target than some Milky Way dwarf spheroidal satellite galaxies and use γ-ray observations from the Fermi Large Area Telescope to search for a dark matter annihilation signal. No significant γ-ray excess is found coincident with the Smith Cloud, and we set strong limits on the dark matter annihilation cross section assuming a spatially extended dark matter profile consistent with dynamical modeling of the Smith Cloud. Notably, these limits exclude the canonical thermal relic cross section (∼ 3 × 10{sup –26} cm{sup 3} s{sup –1}) for dark matter masses ≲ 30 GeV annihilating via the b b-bar or τ{sup +}τ{sup –} channels for certain assumptions of the dark matter density profile; however, uncertainties in the dark matter content of the Smith Cloud may significantly weaken these constraints.

Fusion Reactions and Matter-Antimatter Annihilation for Space Propulsion

Science.gov (United States)

2005-07-13

FUSION REACTIONS AND MATTER- ANTIMATTER ANNIHILATION FOR SPACE PROPULSION Claude DEUTSCH LPGP (UMR-CNRS 8578), Bât. 210, UPS, 91405 Orsay...REPORT TYPE N/A 3. DATES COVERED - 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE šFusion Reactions And Matter- Antimatter Annihilation For Space Propulsion 5a...which is possible with successful MCF or ICF. Appropriate vessel designs will be presented for fusion as well as for antimatter propulsion. In

Dark matter distribution and annihilation at the Galactic center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dokuchaev, V I; Eroshenko, Yu N

2016-01-01

We describe a promising method for measuring the total dark matter mass near a supermassive black hole at the Galactic center based on observations of nonrelativistic precession of the orbits of fast S0 stars. An analytical expression for the precession angle has been obtained under the assumption of a power-law profile of the dark matter density. The awaited weighing of the dark matter at the Galactic center provides the strong constraints on the annihilation signal from the neuralino dark matter particle candidate. The mass of the dark matter necessary for the explanation of the observed excess of gamma-radiation owing to the annihilation of the dark matter particles has been calculated with allowance for the Sommerfeld effect. (paper)

Constraint on dark matter annihilation with dark star formation using Fermi extragalactic diffuse gamma-ray background data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan, Qiang; Yue, Bin; Chen, Xuelei; Zhang, Bing

2011-01-01

It has been proposed that during the formation of the first generation stars there might be a ''dark star'' phase in which the power of the star comes from dark matter annihilation. The adiabatic contraction process to form the dark star would result in a highly concentrated density profile of the host halo at the same time, which may give enhanced indirect detection signals of dark matter. In this work we investigate the extragalactic γ-ray background from dark matter annihilation with such a dark star formation scenario, and employ the isotropic γ-ray data from Fermi-LAT to constrain the model parameters of dark matter. The results suffer from large uncertainties of both the formation rate of the first generation stars and the subsequent evolution effects of the host halos of the dark stars. We find, in the most optimistic case for γ-ray production via dark matter annihilation, the expected extragalactic γ-ray flux will be enhanced by 1-2 orders of magnitude. In such a case, the annihilation cross section of the supersymmetric dark matter can be constrained to the thermal production level, and the leptonic dark matter model which is proposed to explain the positron/electron excesses can be well excluded. Conversely, if the positron/electron excesses are of a dark matter annihilation origin, then the early Universe environment is such that no dark star can form

Impact of semi-annihilations on dark matter phenomenology. An example of ZN symmetric scalar dark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bélanger, Geneviève; Kannike, Kristjan; Pukhov, Alexander; Raidal, Martti

2012-01-01

We study the impact of semi-annihilations x i x j ↔x k X and dark matter conversion x i x j ↔x k x l , where x i is any dark matter and X is any standard model particle, on dark matter phenomenology. We formulate minimal scalar dark matter models with an extra doublet and a complex singlet that predict non-trivial dark matter phenomenology with semi-annihilation processes for different discrete Abelian symmetries Z N , N > 2. We implement two such example models with Z 3 and Z 4 symmetry in micrOMEGAs and work out their phenomenology. We show that both semi-annihilations and dark matter conversion significantly modify the dark matter relic abundance in this type of models. In the Z 4 model, there are two stable neutral particles and therefore multi-component dark matter. We also study the possibility of dark matter direct detection in XENON100 in those models

The Distribution and Annihilation of Dark Matter Around Black Holes

Science.gov (United States)

Schnittman, Jeremy D.

2015-01-01

We use a Monte Carlo code to calculate the geodesic orbits of test particles around Kerr black holes, generating a distribution function of both bound and unbound populations of dark matter (DM) particles. From this distribution function, we calculate annihilation rates and observable gamma-ray spectra for a few simple DM models. The features of these spectra are sensitive to the black hole spin, observer inclination, and detailed properties of the DM annihilation cross-section and density profile. Confirming earlier analytic work, we find that for rapidly spinning black holes, the collisional Penrose process can reach efficiencies exceeding 600%, leading to a high-energy tail in the annihilation spectrum. The high particle density and large proper volume of the region immediately surrounding the horizon ensures that the observed flux from these extreme events is non-negligible.

Simplified models of dark matter with a long-lived co-annihilation partner

Science.gov (United States)

Khoze, Valentin V.; Plascencia, Alexis D.; Sakurai, Kazuki

2017-06-01

We introduce a new set of simplified models to address the effects of 3-point interactions between the dark matter particle, its dark co-annihilation partner, and the Standard Model degree of freedom, which we take to be the tau lepton. The contributions from dark matter co-annihilation channels are highly relevant for a determination of the correct relic abundance. We investigate these effects as well as the discovery potential for dark matter co-annihilation partners at the LHC. A small mass splitting between the dark matter and its partner is preferred by the co-annihilation mechanism and suggests that the co-annihilation partners may be long-lived (stable or meta-stable) at collider scales. It is argued that such long-lived electrically charged particles can be looked for at the LHC in searches of anomalous charged tracks. This approach and the underlying models provide an alternative/complementarity to the mono-jet and multi-jet based dark matter searches widely used in the context of simplified models with s-channel mediators. We consider four types of simplified models with different particle spins and coupling structures. Some of these models are manifestly gauge invariant and renormalizable, others would ultimately require a UV completion. These can be realised in terms of supersymmetric models in the neutralino-stau co-annihilation regime, as well as models with extra dimensions or composite models.

CMB bounds on dark matter annihilation: Nucleon energy losses after recombination

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Weniger, C.; Serpico, P.D.; Iocco, F.; Bertone, G.

2013-01-01

We consider the propagation and energy losses of protons and antiprotons produced by dark matter annihilation at redshifts 100matter annihilations into quarks, gluons and weak gauge bosons, protons and antiprotons carry about 20% of the energy injected into e± and γ’s,

THE EFFECTS OF DARK MATTER ANNIHILATION ON COSMIC REIONIZATION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaurov, Alexander A.; Hooper, Dan; Gnedin, Nickolay Y., E-mail: kaurov@uchicago.edu [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637 (United States)

2016-12-20

We revisit the possibility of constraining the properties of dark matter (DM) by studying the epoch of cosmic reionization. Previous studies have shown that DM annihilation was unlikely to have provided a large fraction of the photons which ionized the universe, but instead played a subdominant role relative to stars and quasars. The DM might, however, have begun to efficiently annihilate with the formation of primordial microhalos at z  ∼ 100–200, much earlier than the formation of the first stars. Therefore, if DM annihilation ionized the universe at even the percent level over the interval z  ∼ 20–100, it could leave a significant imprint on the global optical depth, τ . Moreover, we show that cosmic microwave background polarization data and future 21 cm measurements will enable us to more directly probe the DM contribution to the optical depth. In order to compute the annihilation rate throughout the epoch of reionization, we adopt the latest results from structure formation studies and explore the impact of various free parameters on our results. We show that future measurements could make it possible to place constraints on the DM’s annihilation cross-sections, which are at a level comparable to those obtained from the observations of dwarf galaxies, cosmic-ray measurements, and studies of recombination.

PPPC 4 DMν: a Poor Particle Physicist Cookbook for Neutrinos from Dark Matter annihilations in the Sun

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baratella, Pietro [Scuola Normale Superiore and INFN, Piazza dei Cavalieri 7, Pisa, 56126 (Italy); Cirelli, Marco [Institut de Physique Théorique, CNRS URA 2306 and CEA-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, 91191 (France); Hektor, Andi; Pata, Joosep; Piibeleht, Morten; Strumia, Alessandro, E-mail: pietro.baratella@sissa.it, E-mail: marco.cirelli@cea.fr, E-mail: andi.hektor@cern.ch, E-mail: joosep.pata@cern.ch, E-mail: morten.piibeleht@cern.ch, E-mail: alessandro.strumia@cern.ch [National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, Ravala 10, Tallinn (Estonia)

2014-03-01

We provide ingredients and recipes for computing neutrino signals of TeV-scale Dark Matter (DM) annihilations in the Sun. For each annihilation channel and DM mass we present the energy spectra of neutrinos at production, including: state-of-the-art energy losses of primary particles in solar matter, secondary neutrinos, electroweak radiation. We then present the spectra after propagation to the Earth, including (vacuum and matter) flavor oscillations and interactions in solar matter. We also provide a numerical computation of the capture rate of DM particles in the Sun. These results are available in numerical form.

Diffuse gamma ray constraints on annihilating or decaying Dark Matter after Fermi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cirelli, Marco; Panci, Paolo; Serpico, Pasquale D.

2010-01-01

We consider the diffuse gamma ray data from Fermi first year observations and compare them to the gamma ray fluxes predicted by Dark Matter annihilation or decay (both from prompt emission and from Inverse Compton Scattering), for different observation regions of the sky and a range of Dark Matter masses, annihilation/decay channels and Dark Matter galactic profiles. We find that the data exclude large regions of the Dark Matter parameter space not constrained otherwise and discuss possible directions for future improvements. Also, we further constrain Dark Matter interpretations of the e ± PAMELA/Fermi spectral anomalies, both for the annihilating and the decaying Dark Matter case: under very conservative assumptions, only models producing dominantly μ ± and assuming a cored Dark Matter galactic profile can fit the lepton data with masses around ∼2 TeV.

Strong CMB constraint on P-wave annihilating dark matter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haipeng An

2017-10-01

Full Text Available We consider a dark sector consisting of dark matter that is a Dirac fermion and a scalar mediator. This model has been extensively studied in the past. If the scalar couples to the dark matter in a parity conserving manner then dark matter annihilation to two mediators is dominated by the P-wave channel and hence is suppressed at very low momentum. The indirect detection constraint from the anisotropy of the Cosmic Microwave Background is usually thought to be absent in the model because of this suppression. In this letter we show that dark matter annihilation via bound state formation occurs through the S-wave and hence there is a constraint on the parameter space of the model from the Cosmic Microwave Background.

Probing dark matter annihilation in the Galaxy with antiprotons and gamma rays

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cuoco, Alessandro; Heisig, Jan; Korsmeier, Michael; Krämer, Michael, E-mail: cuoco@physik.rwth-aachen.de, E-mail: heisig@physik.rwth-aachen.de, E-mail: korsmeier@physik.rwth-aachen.de, E-mail: mkraemer@physik.rwth-aachen.de [Institute for Theoretical Particle Physics and Cosmology, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen (Germany)

2017-10-01

A possible hint of dark matter annihilation has been found in Cuoco, Korsmeier and Krämer (2017) from an analysis of recent cosmic-ray antiproton data from AMS-02 and taking into account cosmic-ray propagation uncertainties by fitting at the same time dark matter and propagation parameters. Here, we extend this analysis to a wider class of annihilation channels. We find consistent hints of a dark matter signal with an annihilation cross-section close to the thermal value and with masses in range between 40 and 130 GeV depending on the annihilation channel. Furthermore, we investigate in how far the possible signal is compatible with the Galactic center gamma-ray excess and recent observation of dwarf satellite galaxies by performing a joint global fit including uncertainties in the dark matter density profile. As an example, we interpret our results in the framework of the Higgs portal model.

Reappraisal of dark matter co-annihilating with a top or bottom partner

Science.gov (United States)

Keung, Wai-Yee; Low, Ian; Zhang, Yue

2017-07-01

We revisit the calculation of the relic density of dark matter particles co-annihilating with a top or bottom partner by properly including the QCD bound-states (onia) effects of the colored partners as well as the relevant electroweak processes, which become important in the low-mass region. We carefully set up the complete framework that incorporates the relevant contributions and investigate their effects on the cosmologically preferred mass spectrum, which turn out to be comparable in size to those coming from the Sommerfeld enhancement. We apply the calculation to three scenarios: bino-stop and bino-sbottom co-annihilations in supersymmetry and a vector dark matter co-annihilating with a fermionic top partner. In addition, we confront our analysis of the relic abundance with recent direct detection experiments and collider searches at the LHC, which have important implications in the bino-stop and bino-sbottom scenarios. In particular, in the bino-stop case, recent LHC limits have excluded regions of parameter space with a direct detection rate that is above the neutrino floor.

Annihilation vs. Decay: Constraining dark matter properties from a gamma-ray detection

CERN Document Server

Palomares-Ruiz, Sergio

2010-01-01

Most proposed dark matter candidates are stable and are produced thermally in the early Universe. However, there is also the possibility of unstable (but long-lived) dark matter, produced thermally or otherwise. We propose a strategy to distinguish between dark matter annihilation and/or decay in the case that a clear signal is detected in gamma-ray observations of Milky Way dwarf spheroidal galaxies with current or future gamma-ray experiments. The sole measurement of the energy spectrum of an indirect signal would render the discrimination between these cases impossible. We show that by examining the dependence of the intensity and energy spectrum on the angular distribution of the emission, the origin could be identified as decay, annihilation, or both. In addition, once the type of signal is established, we show how these measurements could help to extract information about the dark matter properties, including mass, annihilation cross section, lifetime, dominant annihilation and decay channels, and the p...

PPPC 4 DMν: a Poor Particle Physicist Cookbook for Neutrinos from Dark Matter annihilations in the Sun

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baratella, Pietro; Cirelli, Marco; Hektor, Andi; Pata, Joosep; Piibeleht, Morten; Strumia, Alessandro

2014-01-01

We provide ingredients and recipes for computing neutrino signals of TeV-scale Dark Matter (DM) annihilations in the Sun. For each annihilation channel and DM mass we present the energy spectra of neutrinos at production, including: state-of-the-art energy losses of primary particles in solar matter, secondary neutrinos, electroweak radiation. We then present the spectra after propagation to the Earth, including (vacuum and matter) flavor oscillations and interactions in solar matter. We also provide a numerical computation of the capture rate of DM particles in the Sun. These results are available in numerical form http://www.marcocirelli.net/PPPC4DMID.html

PPPC 4 DMν: a Poor Particle Physicist Cookbook for Neutrinos from Dark Matter annihilations in the Sun

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baratella, Pietro [Scuola Normale Superiore and INFN, Piazza dei Cavalieri 7, Pisa, 56126 (Italy); Cirelli, Marco [Institut de Physique Théorique, CNRS URA 2306 & CEA-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, 91191 (France); Hektor, Andi [National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, Ravala 10, Tallinn (Estonia); Helsinki Institute of Physics, P.O. Box 64, Helsinki, FI-00014 (Finland); Pata, Joosep; Piibeleht, Morten [National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, Ravala 10, Tallinn (Estonia); Strumia, Alessandro [National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, Ravala 10, Tallinn (Estonia); Dipartimento di Fisica dell’Università di Pisa and INFN, Largo Buonarroti 2, Pisa (Italy)

2014-03-27

We provide ingredients and recipes for computing neutrino signals of TeV-scale Dark Matter (DM) annihilations in the Sun. For each annihilation channel and DM mass we present the energy spectra of neutrinos at production, including: state-of-the-art energy losses of primary particles in solar matter, secondary neutrinos, electroweak radiation. We then present the spectra after propagation to the Earth, including (vacuum and matter) flavor oscillations and interactions in solar matter. We also provide a numerical computation of the capture rate of DM particles in the Sun. These results are available in numerical form http://www.marcocirelli.net/PPPC4DMID.html.

Toward a minimum branching fraction for dark matter annihilation into electromagnetic final states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dent, James B.; Scherrer, Robert J.; Weiler, Thomas J.

2008-01-01

Observational limits on the high-energy neutrino background have been used to place general constraints on dark matter that annihilates only into standard model particles. Dark matter particles that annihilate into neutrinos will also inevitably branch into electromagnetic final states through higher-order tree and loop diagrams that give rise to charged leptons, and these charged particles can transfer their energy into photons via synchrotron radiation or inverse Compton scattering. In the context of effective field theory, we calculate the loop-induced branching ratio to charged leptons and show that it is generally quite large, typically > or approx. 1%, when the scale of the dark matter mass exceeds the electroweak scale, M W . For a branching fraction >or approx. 3%, the synchrotron radiation bounds on dark matter annihilation are currently stronger than the corresponding neutrino bounds in the interesting mass range from 100 GeV to 1 TeV. For dark matter masses below M W , our work provides a plausible framework for the construction of a model for 'neutrinos-only' dark matter annihilations.

Impact of dark matter decays and annihilations on structure formation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mapelli, M.; Ripamonti, E.

2007-01-01

Abstract: We derived the evolution of the energy deposition in the intergalactic medium (IGM) by different decaying (or annihilating) dark matter (DM) candidates. Heavy annihilating DM particles (with mass larger than a few GeV) have no influence on reionization and heating, even if we assume that

Annihilation vs. decay: constraining dark matter properties from a gamma-ray detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palomares-Ruiz, Sergio; Siegal-Gaskins, Jennifer M.

2010-01-01

Most proposed dark matter candidates are stable and are produced thermally in the early Universe. However, there is also the possibility of unstable (but long-lived) dark matter, produced thermally or otherwise. We propose a strategy to distinguish between dark matter annihilation and/or decay in the case that a clear signal is detected in gamma-ray observations of Milky Way dwarf spheroidal galaxies with gamma-ray experiments. The sole measurement of the energy spectrum of an indirect signal would render the discrimination between these cases impossible. We show that by examining the dependence of the intensity and energy spectrum on the angular distribution of the emission, the origin could be identified as decay, annihilation, or both. In addition, once the type of signal is established, we show how these measurements could help to extract information about the dark matter properties, including mass, annihilation cross section, lifetime, dominant annihilation and decay channels, and the presence of substructure. Although an application of the approach presented here would likely be feasible with current experiments only for very optimistic dark matter scenarios, the improved sensitivity of upcoming experiments could enable this technique to be used to study a wider range of dark matter models

Annihilation vs. decay: constraining dark matter properties from a gamma-ray detection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Palomares-Ruiz, Sergio [Centro de Física Teórica de Partículas, Instituto Superior Técnico, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal); Siegal-Gaskins, Jennifer M., E-mail: sergio.palomares.ruiz@ist.utl.pt, E-mail: jsg@mps.ohio-state.edu [Center for Cosmology and AstroParticle Physics, The Ohio State University, 191 W. Woodruff Ave., Columbus OH 43210 (United States)

2010-07-01

Most proposed dark matter candidates are stable and are produced thermally in the early Universe. However, there is also the possibility of unstable (but long-lived) dark matter, produced thermally or otherwise. We propose a strategy to distinguish between dark matter annihilation and/or decay in the case that a clear signal is detected in gamma-ray observations of Milky Way dwarf spheroidal galaxies with gamma-ray experiments. The sole measurement of the energy spectrum of an indirect signal would render the discrimination between these cases impossible. We show that by examining the dependence of the intensity and energy spectrum on the angular distribution of the emission, the origin could be identified as decay, annihilation, or both. In addition, once the type of signal is established, we show how these measurements could help to extract information about the dark matter properties, including mass, annihilation cross section, lifetime, dominant annihilation and decay channels, and the presence of substructure. Although an application of the approach presented here would likely be feasible with current experiments only for very optimistic dark matter scenarios, the improved sensitivity of upcoming experiments could enable this technique to be used to study a wider range of dark matter models.

Possible Dark Matter Annihilation Signal in the AMS-02 Antiproton Data.

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Ming-Yang; Yuan, Qiang; Tsai, Yue-Lin Sming; Fan, Yi-Zhong

2017-05-12

Using the latest AMS-02 cosmic-ray antiproton flux data, we search for a potential dark matter annihilation signal. The background parameters about the propagation, source injection, and solar modulation are not assumed a priori but based on the results inferred from the recent B/C ratio and proton data measurements instead. The possible dark matter signal is incorporated into the model self-consistently under a Bayesian framework. Compared with the astrophysical background-only hypothesis, we find that a dark matter signal is favored. The rest mass of the dark matter particles is ∼20-80  GeV, and the velocity-averaged hadronic annihilation cross section is about (0.2-5)×10^{-26}  cm^{3} s^{-1}, in agreement with that needed to account for the Galactic center GeV excess and/or the weak GeV emission from dwarf spheroidal galaxies Reticulum 2 and Tucana III. Tight constraints on the dark matter annihilation models are also set in a wide mass region.

Dark matter annihilations search in dwarf spheroidal galaxies with fermi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farnier, C.; Nuss, E.; Cohen-Tanugi, J.

2011-01-01

Launched in June 2008, the Fermi Gamma-ray Telescope includes a pair conversion detector designed for the 20 MeV to ∼300GeV gamma-ray sky study, the Large Area Telescope (LAT). Operating in all-sky survey mode, its excellent sensitivity and angular resolution will allow either to discover or constrain a signal coming through the annihilation of dark matter particles. Predicted by cold dark matter scenarios as the largest clumps, dwarf spheroidal galaxies are amongst the most attractive targets for indirect search of dark matter by gamma-ray experiments. We present here an overview of the Fermi LAT Dark Matter and New Physics Working Group efforts in the searches of gamma-ray fluxes coming from WIMP pair annihilations in dwarf spheroidal galaxies.

Constraining dark matter late-time energy injection: decays and p-wave annihilations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Diamanti, Roberta; Mena, Olga; Palomares-Ruiz, Sergio; Vincent, Aaron C. [Instituto de Física Corpuscular (IFIC), CSIC-Universitat de València, Apartado de Correos 22085, E-46071 Valencia (Spain); Lopez-Honorez, Laura, E-mail: R.Diamanti@uva.nl, E-mail: llopezho@vub.ac.be, E-mail: omena@ific.uv.es, E-mail: sergio.palomares.ruiz@ific.uv.es, E-mail: vincent@ific.uv.es [Theoretische Natuurkunde Vrije Universiteit Brussel and The International Solvay Institutes Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels (Belgium)

2014-02-01

We use the latest cosmic microwave background (CMB) observations to provide updated constraints on the dark matter lifetime as well as on p-wave suppressed annihilation cross sections in the 1 MeV to 1 TeV mass range. In contrast to scenarios with an s-wave dominated annihilation cross section, which mainly affect the CMB close to the last scattering surface, signatures associated with these scenarios essentially appear at low redshifts (z∼<50) when structure began to form, and thus manifest at lower multipoles in the CMB power spectrum. We use data from Planck, WMAP9, SPT and ACT, as well as Lyman–α measurements of the matter temperature at z ∼ 4 to set a 95% confidence level lower bound on the dark matter lifetime of ∼ 4 × 10{sup 25} s for m{sub χ} = 100 MeV. This bound becomes lower by an order of magnitude at m{sub χ} = 1 TeV due to inefficient energy deposition into the intergalactic medium. We also show that structure formation can enhance the effect of p-wave suppressed annihilation cross sections by many orders of magnitude with respect to the background cosmological rate, although even with this enhancement, CMB constraints are not yet strong enough to reach the thermal relic value of the cross section.

First search for dark matter annihilations in the Earth with the IceCube detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aartsen, M.G.; Hill, G.C.; Robertson, S.; Wallace, A.; Whelan, B.J.; Abraham, K.; Bernhard, A.; Coenders, S.; Holzapfel, K.; Huber, M.; Jurkovic, M.; Krings, K.; Resconi, E.; Turcati, A.; Veenkamp, J.; Ackermann, M.; Bernardini, E.; Blot, S.; Bretz, H.P.; Franckowiak, A.; Gluesenkamp, T.; Jacobi, E.; Karg, T.; Kintscher, T.; Kunwar, S.; Mohrmann, L.; Nahnhauer, R.; Satalecka, K.; Spiering, C.; Stasik, A.; Stoessl, A.; Strotjohann, N.L.; Terliuk, A.; Usner, M.; Santen, J. van; Yanez, J.P.; Adams, J.; Aguilar, J.A.; Ansseau, I.; Heereman, D.; Meagher, K.; Meures, T.; O'Murchadha, A.; Pinat, E.; Raab, C.; Ahlers, M.; Braun, J.; Chirkin, D.; Day, M.; Desiati, P.; Diaz-Velez, J.C.; Fahey, S.; Feintzeig, J.; Ghorbani, K.; Gladstone, L.; Griffith, Z.; Halzen, F.; Hanson, K.; Jero, K.; Karle, A.; Kauer, M.; Kelley, J.L.; Kheirandish, A.; Krueger, C.; Mancina, S.; McNally, F.; Merino, G.; Sabbatini, L.; Tobin, M.N.; Tosi, D.; Vandenbroucke, J.; Rossem, M. van; Wandkowsky, N.; Wendt, C.; Westerhoff, S.; Wille, L.; Xu, D.L.; Ahrens, M.; Bohm, C.; Dumm, J.P.; Finley, C.; Flis, S.; Hultqvist, K.; Walck, C.; Wolf, M.; Zoll, M.; Altmann, D.; Anton, G.; Katz, U.; Kittler, T.; Tselengidou, M.; Andeen, K.; Anderson, T.; Dunkman, M.; Eller, P.; Huang, F.; Keivani, A.; Lanfranchi, J.L.; Pankova, D.V.; Quinnan, M.; Tesic, G.; Weiss, M.J.; Archinger, M.; Baum, V.; Boeser, S.; Pino Rosendo, E. del; Di Lorenzo, V.; Eberhardt, B.; Ehrhardt, T.; Foesig, C.C.; Koepke, L.; Krueckl, G.; Peiffer, P.; Sandroos, J.; Steuer, A.; Wiebe, K.; Argueelles, C.; Axani, S.; Collin, G.H.; Conrad, J.M.; Jones, B.J.P.; Moulai, M.; Auffenberg, J.; Bissok, M.; Glagla, M.; Glauch, T.; Haack, C.; Hansmann, B.; Hansmann, T.; Kemp, J.; Konietz, R.; Leuermann, M.; Leuner, J.; Penek, Oe.; Raedel, L.; Reimann, R.; Rongen, M.; Schimp, M.; Schoenen, S.; Schumacher, L.; Stahlberg, M.; Stettner, J.; Vehring, M.; Vogel, E.; Wallraff, M.; Wickmann, S.; Wiebusch, C.H.; Bai, X.; Barwick, S.W.; Yodh, G.; Bay, R.; Filimonov, K.; Price, P.B.; Woschnagg, K.; Beatty, J.J.; Becker Tjus, J.; Bos, F.; Eichmann, B.; Kroll, M.; Mandelartz, M.; Schoeneberg, S.; Tenholt, F.; Becker, K.H.; Bindig, D.; Helbing, K.; Hickford, S.; Hoffmann, R.; Kopper, S.; Lauber, F.; Naumann, U.; Obertacke Pollmann, A.; Soldin, D.; BenZvi, S.; Cross, R.; Berley, D.; Blaufuss, E.; Cheung, E.; Felde, J.; Friedman, E.; Hellauer, R.; Hoffman, K.D.; Maunu, R.; Olivas, A.; Schmidt, T.; Song, M.; Sullivan, G.W.; Besson, D.Z.; Binder, G.; Gerhardt, L.; Klein, S.R.; Miarecki, S.; Tatar, J.

2017-01-01

We present the results of the first IceCube search for dark matter annihilation in the center of the Earth. Weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), candidates for dark matter, can scatter off nuclei inside the Earth and fall below its escape velocity. Over time the captured WIMPs will be accumulated and may eventually self-annihilate. Among the annihilation products only neutrinos can escape from the center of the Earth. Large-scale neutrino telescopes, such as the cubic kilometer IceCube Neutrino Observatory located at the South Pole, can be used to search for such neutrino fluxes. Data from 327 days of detector livetime during 2011/2012 were analyzed. No excess beyond the expected background from atmospheric neutrinos was detected. The derived upper limits on the annihilation rate of WIMPs in the Earth and the resulting muon flux are an order of magnitude stronger than the limits of the last analysis performed with data from IceCube's predecessor AMANDA. The limits can be translated in terms of a spin-independent WIMP-nucleon cross section. For a WIMP mass of 50 GeV this analysis results in the most restrictive limits achieved with IceCube data. (orig.)

First search for dark matter annihilations in the Earth with the IceCube detector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aartsen, M.G.; Hill, G.C.; Robertson, S.; Wallace, A.; Whelan, B.J. [University of Adelaide, Department of Physics, Adelaide (Australia); Abraham, K.; Bernhard, A.; Coenders, S.; Holzapfel, K.; Huber, M.; Jurkovic, M.; Krings, K.; Resconi, E.; Turcati, A.; Veenkamp, J. [Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Physik-Department, Garching (Germany); Ackermann, M.; Bernardini, E.; Blot, S.; Bretz, H.P.; Franckowiak, A.; Gluesenkamp, T.; Jacobi, E.; Karg, T.; Kintscher, T.; Kunwar, S.; Mohrmann, L.; Nahnhauer, R.; Satalecka, K.; Spiering, C.; Stasik, A.; Stoessl, A.; Strotjohann, N.L.; Terliuk, A.; Usner, M.; Santen, J. van; Yanez, J.P. [DESY, Zeuthen (Germany); Adams, J. [University of Canterbury, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch (New Zealand); Aguilar, J.A.; Ansseau, I.; Heereman, D.; Meagher, K.; Meures, T.; O' Murchadha, A.; Pinat, E.; Raab, C. [Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, Brussels (Belgium); Ahlers, M.; Braun, J.; Chirkin, D.; Day, M.; Desiati, P.; Diaz-Velez, J.C.; Fahey, S.; Feintzeig, J.; Ghorbani, K.; Gladstone, L.; Griffith, Z.; Halzen, F.; Hanson, K.; Jero, K.; Karle, A.; Kauer, M.; Kelley, J.L.; Kheirandish, A.; Krueger, C.; Mancina, S.; McNally, F.; Merino, G.; Sabbatini, L.; Tobin, M.N.; Tosi, D.; Vandenbroucke, J.; Rossem, M. van; Wandkowsky, N.; Wendt, C.; Westerhoff, S.; Wille, L.; Xu, D.L. [University of Wisconsin, Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, Madison, WI (United States); Ahrens, M.; Bohm, C.; Dumm, J.P.; Finley, C.; Flis, S.; Hultqvist, K.; Walck, C.; Wolf, M.; Zoll, M. [Stockholm University, Department of Physics, Oskar Klein Centre, Stockholm (Sweden); Altmann, D.; Anton, G.; Katz, U.; Kittler, T.; Tselengidou, M. [Friedrich-Alexander-Universitaet Erlangen-Nuernberg, Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Erlangen (Germany); Andeen, K. [Marquette University, Department of Physics, Milwaukee, WI (United States); Anderson, T.; Dunkman, M.; Eller, P.; Huang, F.; Keivani, A.; Lanfranchi, J.L.; Pankova, D.V.; Quinnan, M.; Tesic, G.; Weiss, M.J. [Pennsylvania State University, Department of Physics, University Park, PA (United States); Archinger, M.; Baum, V.; Boeser, S.; Pino Rosendo, E. del; Di Lorenzo, V.; Eberhardt, B.; Ehrhardt, T.; Foesig, C.C.; Koepke, L.; Krueckl, G.; Peiffer, P.; Sandroos, J.; Steuer, A.; Wiebe, K. [University of Mainz, Institute of Physics, Mainz (Germany); Argueelles, C.; Axani, S.; Collin, G.H.; Conrad, J.M.; Jones, B.J.P.; Moulai, M. [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Physics, Cambridge, MA (United States); Auffenberg, J.; Bissok, M.; Glagla, M.; Glauch, T.; Haack, C.; Hansmann, B.; Hansmann, T.; Kemp, J.; Konietz, R.; Leuermann, M.; Leuner, J.; Penek, Oe.; Raedel, L.; Reimann, R.; Rongen, M.; Schimp, M.; Schoenen, S.; Schumacher, L.; Stahlberg, M.; Stettner, J.; Vehring, M.; Vogel, E.; Wallraff, M.; Wickmann, S.; Wiebusch, C.H. [RWTH Aachen University, III. Physikalisches Institut, Aachen (Germany); Bai, X. [South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Physics Department, Rapid City, SD (United States); Barwick, S.W.; Yodh, G. [University of California, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Irvine, CA (United States); Bay, R.; Filimonov, K.; Price, P.B.; Woschnagg, K. [University of California, Department of Physics, Berkeley, CA (United States); Beatty, J.J. [Ohio State University, Department of Physics and Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics, Columbus, OH (United States); Ohio State University, Department of Astronomy, Columbus, OH (United States); Becker Tjus, J.; Bos, F.; Eichmann, B.; Kroll, M.; Mandelartz, M.; Schoeneberg, S.; Tenholt, F. [Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum, Fakultaet fuer Physik and Astronomie, Bochum (Germany); Becker, K.H.; Bindig, D.; Helbing, K.; Hickford, S.; Hoffmann, R.; Kopper, S.; Lauber, F.; Naumann, U.; Obertacke Pollmann, A.; Soldin, D. [University of Wuppertal, Department of Physics, Wuppertal (Germany); BenZvi, S.; Cross, R. [University of Rochester, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rochester, NY (United States); Berley, D.; Blaufuss, E.; Cheung, E.; Felde, J.; Friedman, E.; Hellauer, R.; Hoffman, K.D.; Maunu, R.; Olivas, A.; Schmidt, T.; Song, M.; Sullivan, G.W. [University of Maryland, Department of Physics, College Park, MD (United States); Besson, D.Z. [University of Kansas, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Lawrence, KS (United States); Binder, G.; Gerhardt, L.; Klein, S.R.; Miarecki, S.; Tatar, J. [University of California, Department of Physics, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (United States); Collaboration: IceCube Collaboration; and others

2017-02-15

We present the results of the first IceCube search for dark matter annihilation in the center of the Earth. Weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), candidates for dark matter, can scatter off nuclei inside the Earth and fall below its escape velocity. Over time the captured WIMPs will be accumulated and may eventually self-annihilate. Among the annihilation products only neutrinos can escape from the center of the Earth. Large-scale neutrino telescopes, such as the cubic kilometer IceCube Neutrino Observatory located at the South Pole, can be used to search for such neutrino fluxes. Data from 327 days of detector livetime during 2011/2012 were analyzed. No excess beyond the expected background from atmospheric neutrinos was detected. The derived upper limits on the annihilation rate of WIMPs in the Earth and the resulting muon flux are an order of magnitude stronger than the limits of the last analysis performed with data from IceCube's predecessor AMANDA. The limits can be translated in terms of a spin-independent WIMP-nucleon cross section. For a WIMP mass of 50 GeV this analysis results in the most restrictive limits achieved with IceCube data. (orig.)

Connecting dark matter annihilation to the vertex functions of Standard Model fermions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumar, Jason; Light, Christopher, E-mail: jkumar@hawaii.edu, E-mail: lightc@hawaii.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822, Hawaii (United States)

2017-07-01

We consider scenarios in which dark matter is a Majorana fermion which couples to Standard Model fermions through the exchange of charged mediating particles. The matrix elements for various dark matter annihilation processes are then related to one-loop corrections to the fermion-photon vertex, where dark matter and the charged mediators run in the loop. In particular, in the limit where Standard Model fermion helicity mixing is suppressed, the cross section for dark matter annihilation to various final states is related to corrections to the Standard Model fermion charge form factor. These corrections can be extracted in a gauge-invariant manner from collider cross sections. Although current measurements from colliders are not precise enough to provide useful constraints on dark matter annihilation, improved measurements at future experiments, such as the International Linear Collider, could improve these constraints by several orders of magnitude, allowing them to surpass the limits obtainable by direct observation.

Power spectrum tomography of dark matter annihilation with local galaxy distribution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ando, Shin' ichiro, E-mail: s.ando@uva.nl [GRAPPA Institute, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2014-10-01

Cross-correlating the gamma-ray background with local galaxy catalogs potentially gives stringent constraints on dark matter annihilation. We provide updated theoretical estimates of sensitivities to the annihilation cross section from gamma-ray data with Fermi telescope and 2MASS galaxy catalogs, by elaborating the galaxy power spectrum and astrophysical backgrounds, and adopting the Markov-Chain Monte Carlo simulations. In particular, we show that taking tomographic approach by dividing the galaxy catalogs into more than one redshift slice will improve the sensitivity by a factor of a few to several. If dark matter halos contain lots of bright substructures, yielding a large annihilation boost (e.g., a factor of ∼100 for galaxy-size halos), then one may be able to probe the canonical annihilation cross section for thermal production mechanism up to masses of ∼700 GeV. Even with modest substructure boost (e.g., a factor of ∼10 for galaxy-size halos), on the other hand, the sensitivities could still reach a factor of three larger than the canonical cross section for dark matter masses of tens to a few hundreds of GeV.

On baryogenesis from dark matter annihilation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernal, Nicolás; Colucci, Stefano; Ubaldi, Lorenzo; Josse-Michaux, François-Xavier; Racker, J.

2013-01-01

We study in detail the conditions to generate the baryon asymmetry of the universe from the annihilation of dark matter. This scenario requires a low energy mechanism for thermal baryogenesis, hence we first discuss some of these mechanisms together with the specific constraints due to the connection with the dark matter sector. Then we show that, contrary to what stated in previous studies, it is possible to generate the cosmological asymmetry without adding a light sterile dark sector, both in models with violation and with conservation of B−L. In addition, one of the models we propose yields some connection to neutrino masses

Decaying vs. annihilating dark matter in light of a tentative gamma-ray line

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buchmüller, Wilfried; Garny, Mathias

2012-01-01

Recently reported tentative evidence for a gamma-ray line in the Fermi-LAT data is of great potential interest for identifying the nature of dark matter. We compare the implications for decaying and annihilating dark matter taking the constraints from continuum gamma-rays, antiproton flux and morphology of the excess into account. We find that higgsino and wino dark matter are excluded, also for nonthermal production. Generically, the continuum gamma-ray flux severely constrains annihilating dark matter. Consistency of decaying dark matter with the spatial distribution of the Fermi-LAT excess would require an enhancement of the dark matter density near the Galactic center

Decaying vs annihilating dark matter in light of a tentative gamma-ray line

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Buchmueller, Wilfried; Garny, Mathias

2012-06-15

Recently reported tentative evidence for a gamma-ray line in the Fermi-LAT data is of great potential interest for identifying the nature of dark matter. We compare the implications for decaying and annihilating dark matter taking the constraints from continuum gamma-rays, antiproton flux and morphology of the excess into account. We find that higgsino and wino dark matter are excluded, also for nonthermal production. Generically, the continuum gamma-ray ux severely constrains annihilating dark matter. Consistency of decaying dark matter with the spatial distribution of the Fermi-LAT excess would require an enhancement of the dark matter density near the Galactic center.

SUSY-QCD corrections to the (co)annihilation of neutralino dark matter within the MSSM

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meinecke, Moritz

2015-06-15

Based on experimental observations, it is nowadays assumed that a large component of the matter content in the universe is comprised of so-called cold dark matter. Furthermore, latest measurements of the temperature fluctuations of the cosmic microwave background provided an estimation of the dark matter relic density at a measurement error of one percent (concerning the experimental 1σ-error). The lightest neutralino χ 0{sub 1}, a particle which subsumes under the phenomenologically interesting category of weakly interacting massive particles, is a viable dark matter candidate for many supersymmetric (SUSY) models whose relic density Ω{sub χ} {sub 0{sub 1}} happens to lie quite naturally within the experimentally favored ballpark of dark matter. The high experimental precision can be used to constrain the SUSY parameter space to its cosmologically favored regions and to pin down phenomenologically interesting scenarios. However, to actually benefit from this progress on the experimental side it is also mandatory to minimize the theoretical uncertainties. An important quantity within the calculation of the neutralino relic density is the thermally averaged sum over different annihilation and coannihilation cross sections of the neutralino and further supersymmetric particles. It is now assumed and also partly proven that these cross sections can be subject to large loop corrections which can even shift the associated Ω{sub χ} {sub 0{sub 1}} by a factor larger than the current experimental error. However, most of these corrections are yet unknown. In this thesis, we calculate higher-order corrections for some of the most important (co)annihilation channels both within the framework of the R-parity conserving Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) and investigate their impact on the final neutralino relic density Ω{sub χ} {sub 0{sub 1}}. More precisely, this work provides the full O(α{sub s}) corrections of supersymmetric quantum chromodynamics (SUSY

High Energy Electron Signals from Dark Matter Annihilation in the Sun

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schuster, Philip; /SLAC; Toro, Natalia; /Stanford U., ITP; Weiner, Neal; Yavin, Itay; /New York U., CCPP

2012-04-09

In this paper we discuss two mechanisms by which high energy electrons resulting from dark matter annihilations in or near the Sun can arrive at the Earth. Specifically, electrons can escape the sun if DM annihilates into long-lived states, or if dark matter scatters inelastically, which would leave a halo of dark matter outside of the sun. Such a localized source of electrons may affect the spectra observed by experiments with narrower fields of view oriented towards the sun, such as ATIC, differently from those with larger fields of view such as Fermi. We suggest a simple test of these possibilities with existing Fermi data that is more sensitive than limits from final state radiation. If observed, such a signal will constitute an unequivocal signature of dark matter.

Bounds on Dark Matter annihilations from 21 cm data arXiv

CERN Document Server

D'Amico, Guido; Strumia, Alessandro

The observation of an absorption feature in the 21 cm spectrum at redshift $z\\approx 17$ implies bounds on Dark Matter annihilations for a broad range of masses, given that significant heating of the intergalactic medium would have erased such feature. The resulting bounds on the DM annihilation cross sections are comparable to the strongest ones from all other observables.

Dark matter annihilation in the local group

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pieri, Lidia; Branchini, Enzo

2004-01-01

Under the hypothesis of a dark matter composed by supersymmetric particles such as neutralinos, we investigate the possibility that their annihilation in the halos of nearby galaxies could produce detectable fluxes of γ photons. Expected fluxes depend on several, poorly known quantities such as the density profiles of dark matter halos, the existence and prominence of central density cusps and the presence of a population of subhalos. We find that, for all reasonable choices of dark matter halo models, the intensity of the γ-ray flux from some of the nearest extragalactic objects, such as M31, is comparable to or higher than the diffuse galactic foreground. We show that next generation ground-based experiments could have the sensitivity to reveal such fluxes which could help us to unveil the nature of dark matter particles

Dark matter annihilation into right-handed neutrinos and the galactic center gamma-ray excess

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tang, Yi-Lei [Center for High Energy Physics, Peking University,Beijing 100871 (China); Zhu, Shou-hua [Center for High Energy Physics, Peking University,Beijing 100871 (China); Institute of Theoretical Physics State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology,Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter,Beijing 100871 (China)

2016-03-08

In this paper, we will discuss a specific case that the dark matter particles annihilate into right-handed neutrinos. We calculate the predicted gamma-ray excess from the galactic center and compare our results with the data from the Fermi-LAT. An approximately 10–60 GeV right-handed neutrino with heavier dark matter particle can perfectly explain the observed spectrum. The annihilation cross section 〈σv〉 falls within the range 0.5–4×10{sup −26} cm{sup 3}/s, which is roughly compatible with the WIMP annihilation cross section.

Impacts of dark matter particle annihilation on recombination and the anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Le; Chen Xuelei; Lei Yian; Si Zongguo

2006-01-01

The recombination history of the Universe provides a useful tool for constraining the annihilation of dark matter particles. Even a small fraction of dark matter particles annihilated during the cosmic dark age can provide sufficient energy to affect the ionization state of the baryonic gas. Although this effect is too small for neutralinos, lighter dark matter particle candidates, e.g. with mass of 1-100 MeV, which was proposed recently to explain the observed excess of positrons in the galactic center, may generate observable differences in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature and polarization anisotropies. The annihilations at the era of recombination affects mainly the CMB anisotropy at small angular scales (large l), and is distinctively different from the effect of early reionization. We perform a multiparameter analysis of the CMB data, including both the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) first year and three year data, and the ACBAR, Boomerang, CBI, and VSA data. Assuming that the observed excess of e + e - pairs in the galactic center region is produced by dark matter annihilation, and that a sizable fraction of the energy produced in the annihilation is deposited in the baryonic gas during recombination, we obtain a 95% dark matter mass limit of M<8 MeV with the current data set

Multiwavelength analysis of dark matter annihilation and RX-DMFIT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDaniel, A.; Jeltema, T.; Profumo, S.; Storm, E.

2017-01-01

Dark matter (DM) particles are predicted by several well motivated models to yield Standard Model particles through self-annihilation that can potentially be detected by astrophysical observations. In particular, the production of charged particles from DM annihilation in astrophysical systems that contain magnetic fields yields radio emission through synchrotron radiation and X-ray emission through inverse Compton scattering of ambient photons. We introduce RX-DMFIT, a tool used for calculating the expected secondary emission from DM annihilation. RX-DMFIT includes a wide range of customizable astrophysical and particle parameters and incorporates important astrophysics including the diffusion of charged particles, relevant radiative energy losses, and magnetic field modelling. We demonstrate the use and versatility of RX-DMFIT by analyzing the potential radio and X-ray signals for a variety of DM particle models and astrophysical environments including galaxy clusters, dwarf spheroidal galaxies and normal galaxies. We then apply RX-DMFIT to a concrete example using Segue I radio data to place constraints for a range of assumed DM annihilation channels. For WIMP models with M χ ≤ 100 GeV and assuming weak diffusion, we find that the leptonic μ + μ − and τ + τ − final states provide the strongest constraints, placing limits on the DM particle cross-section well below the thermal relic cross-section, while even for the b b-bar channel we find limits close to the thermal relic cross-section. Our analysis shows that radio emission provides a highly competitive avenue for dark matter searches.

Multiwavelength analysis of dark matter annihilation and RX-DMFIT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McDaniel, A.; Jeltema, T.; Profumo, S. [Department of Physics, University of California, 1156 High St. Santa Cruz, CA, 95064 (United States); Storm, E., E-mail: alexmcdaniel@ucsc.edu, E-mail: tesla@ucsc.edu, E-mail: profumo@ucsc.edu, E-mail: e.m.storm@uva.nl [GRAPPA, Institute of Physics, Universiteit van Amsterdam Science Park 904, 1098XH Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2017-09-01

Dark matter (DM) particles are predicted by several well motivated models to yield Standard Model particles through self-annihilation that can potentially be detected by astrophysical observations. In particular, the production of charged particles from DM annihilation in astrophysical systems that contain magnetic fields yields radio emission through synchrotron radiation and X-ray emission through inverse Compton scattering of ambient photons. We introduce RX-DMFIT, a tool used for calculating the expected secondary emission from DM annihilation. RX-DMFIT includes a wide range of customizable astrophysical and particle parameters and incorporates important astrophysics including the diffusion of charged particles, relevant radiative energy losses, and magnetic field modelling. We demonstrate the use and versatility of RX-DMFIT by analyzing the potential radio and X-ray signals for a variety of DM particle models and astrophysical environments including galaxy clusters, dwarf spheroidal galaxies and normal galaxies. We then apply RX-DMFIT to a concrete example using Segue I radio data to place constraints for a range of assumed DM annihilation channels. For WIMP models with M {sub χ} ≤ 100 GeV and assuming weak diffusion, we find that the leptonic μ{sup +}μ{sup −} and τ{sup +}τ{sup −} final states provide the strongest constraints, placing limits on the DM particle cross-section well below the thermal relic cross-section, while even for the b b-bar channel we find limits close to the thermal relic cross-section. Our analysis shows that radio emission provides a highly competitive avenue for dark matter searches.

Relic density and CMB constraints on dark matter annihilation with Sommerfeld enhancement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zavala, Jesus; White, Simon D. M.; Vogelsberger, Mark

2010-01-01

We calculate how the relic density of dark matter particles is altered when their annihilation is enhanced by the Sommerfeld mechanism due to a Yukawa interaction between the annihilating particles. Maintaining a dark matter abundance consistent with current observational bounds requires the normalization of the s-wave annihilation cross section to be decreased compared to a model without enhancement. The level of suppression depends on the specific parameters of the particle model, with the kinetic decoupling temperature having the most effect. We find that the cross section can be reduced by as much as an order of magnitude for extreme cases. We also compute the μ-type distortion of the CMB energy spectrum caused by energy injection from such Sommerfeld-enhanced annihilation. Our results indicate that in the vicinity of resonances, associated with bound states, distortions can be large enough to be excluded by the upper limit |μ|≤9.0x10 -5 found by the FIRAS (Far Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer) instrument on the COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer) satellite.

Probing dark matter decay and annihilation with Fermi LAT observations of nearby galaxy clusters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Xiaoyuan [Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (China). National Astronomical Observatories; Max-Planck-Institut fuer Physik, Muenchen (Germany); Vertongen, Gilles [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany); Institut d' Astrophysique de Paris, 75 - Paris (France); Weniger, Christoph [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Physik, Muenchen (Germany)

2011-09-15

Galaxy clusters are promising targets for indirect dark matter searches. Gamma-ray signatures from the decay or annihilation of dark matter particles inside these clusters could be observable with the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). Based on three years of Fermi LAT gamma-ray data, we analyze the flux coming from eight nearby clusters individually as well as in a combined likelihood analysis. Concentrating mostly on signals from dark matter decay, we take into account uncertainties of the cluster masses as determined by X-ray observations and model the cluster emission with extended sources. We do not find significant emission from any of the considered clusters and present limits on the dark matter lifetime and annihilation cross-section. We compare our lifetime limits derived from cluster observations with the limits that can be obtained from the extragalactic gamma-ray background, and find that in case of hadronic decay the cluster limits become competitive at dark matter masses below a few hundred GeV. Finally, we show that in presence of dark matter substructures down to 10{sup -6} solar masses the limits on the dark matter annihilation cross-section could improve by a factor of a few hundred, possibly going down to the thermal cross-section of 3 x 10{sup -26} cm{sup 3}s{sup -1} for dark matter masses annihilation into b anti b. As a direct application of our results, we derive limits on the lifetime of gravitino dark matter in scenarios with R-parity violation. Implications of these limits for the possible observation of long-lived superparticles at the LHC are discussed. (orig.)

Probing dark matter decay and annihilation with Fermi LAT observations of nearby galaxy clusters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Xiaoyuan; Vertongen, Gilles; Weniger, Christoph

2011-09-01

Galaxy clusters are promising targets for indirect dark matter searches. Gamma-ray signatures from the decay or annihilation of dark matter particles inside these clusters could be observable with the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). Based on three years of Fermi LAT gamma-ray data, we analyze the flux coming from eight nearby clusters individually as well as in a combined likelihood analysis. Concentrating mostly on signals from dark matter decay, we take into account uncertainties of the cluster masses as determined by X-ray observations and model the cluster emission with extended sources. We do not find significant emission from any of the considered clusters and present limits on the dark matter lifetime and annihilation cross-section. We compare our lifetime limits derived from cluster observations with the limits that can be obtained from the extragalactic gamma-ray background, and find that in case of hadronic decay the cluster limits become competitive at dark matter masses below a few hundred GeV. Finally, we show that in presence of dark matter substructures down to 10 -6 solar masses the limits on the dark matter annihilation cross-section could improve by a factor of a few hundred, possibly going down to the thermal cross-section of 3 x 10 -26 cm 3 s -1 for dark matter masses < or similar 150 GeV and annihilation into b anti b. As a direct application of our results, we derive limits on the lifetime of gravitino dark matter in scenarios with R-parity violation. Implications of these limits for the possible observation of long-lived superparticles at the LHC are discussed. (orig.)

Solar atmospheric neutrinos and the sensitivity floor for solar dark matter annihilation searches

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Argüelles, C.A. [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge MA (United States); De Wasseige, G. [Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Elsene, Brussels (Belgium); Fedynitch, A. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76021 Karlsruhe (Germany); Jones, B.J.P., E-mail: caad@mit.edu, E-mail: gdewasse@vub.ac.be, E-mail: anatoli.fedynitch@desy.de, E-mail: ben.jones@uta.edu [University of Texas at Arlington, 108 Science Hall, 502 Yates St, Arlington TX (United States)

2017-07-01

Cosmic rays interacting in the solar atmosphere produce showers that result in a flux of high-energy neutrinos from the Sun. These form an irreducible background to indirect solar WIMP self-annihilation searches, which look for heavy dark matter particles annihilating into final states containing neutrinos in the Solar core. This background will eventually create a sensitivity floor for indirect WIMP self-annihilation searches analogous to that imposed by low-energy solar neutrino interactions for direct dark matter detection experiments. We present a new calculation of the flux of solar atmospheric neutrinos with a detailed treatment of systematic uncertainties inherent in solar atmospheric shower evolution, and we use this to derive the sensitivity floor for indirect solar WIMP annihilation analyses. We find that the floor lies less than one order of magnitude beyond the present experimental limits on spin-dependent WIMP-proton cross sections for some mass points, and that the high-energy solar atmospheric neutrino flux may be observable with running and future neutrino telescopes.

Neutron mean annihilation time and inverse of the mean annihilation rate in nuclear reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hayashi, Masatoshi

1999-01-01

There is a dogma in nuclear reactor theory that in a critical reactor the mean annihilation time of neutron is equal to the mean generation time. The author insists that this is a dogma from the basic reexamination of the mean annihilation time of neutron. There are two kinds of neutrons, one participating in chain reactions and the other not participating in chain reactions. The mean annihilation time of neutron is the mean time of the time to annihilation of all neutrons generated in the reactor. The 'prompt neutron life' as a dynamic characteristic parameter proper to nuclear reactor can not be understood as the mean time of neutron to annihilation. The author explains the logic quantitatively with two kinds of nuclear reactors, a bare reactor and an infinite reactor, for which two different mean neutron annihilation times can be defined. Thus, (1) the inverse of the annihilation rate can not simply be considered as the mean annihilation time, (2) the mean annihilation time of a critical reactor is not necessarily equal to the mean generation time, and (3) the prompt neutron life used as a dynamic characteristic parameter of a nuclear reactor can not be understood as the mean time of neutron to annihilation. (M.M.)

Search for Dark Matter Annihilation in the Galactic Halo using IceCube

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Medici, Morten Ankersen

, and with the right properties of this hypothesized particle, it is possible to look for a signal from dark matter annihilation. In this work, the dark matter particle candidate of weakly interacting massive particles shall be presented, and the possibilities of observing it’s self-annihilation to neutrinos shall......The existence of dark matter has by now been demonstrated to such a de- gree that the next step is to understand what actually constitute this unknown gravitational mass. The total amount of matter in the universe cannot be explained without the introduction of a particle beyond the Standard Model...... detector for atmospheric muons it is possible to search for a neutrino signals form the center of the Milky Way located on the souther hemisphere. In this thesis, a complete analysis is carried out on data from 1004 days of IceCube data, looking for an excess of neutrinos consistent with the dark matter...

X-Ray Lines from Dark Matter Annihilation at the keV Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Brdar, Vedran; Kopp, Joachim; Liu, Jia; Wang, Xiao-Ping

2018-02-09

In 2014, several groups reported hints for a yet unidentified line in astrophysical x-ray signals from galaxies and galaxy clusters at an energy of 3.5 keV. While it is not unlikely that this line is simply a reflection of imperfectly modeled atomic transitions, it has renewed the community's interest in models of keV-scale dark matter, whose decay would lead to such a line. The alternative possibility of dark matter annihilation into monochromatic photons is far less explored, a lapse that we strive to amend in this Letter. More precisely, we introduce a novel model of fermionic dark matter χ with O(keV) mass, annihilating to a scalar state ϕ which in turn decays to photons, for instance via loops of heavy vectorlike fermions. The resulting photon spectrum is box shaped, but if χ and ϕ are nearly degenerate in mass, it can also resemble a narrow line. We discuss dark matter production via two different mechanisms-misalignment and freeze-in-which both turn out to be viable in vast regions of parameter space. We constrain the model using astrophysical x-ray data, and we demonstrate that, thanks to the velocity dependence of the annihilation cross section, it has the potential to reconcile the various observations of the 3.5 keV line. We finally argue that the model can easily avoid structure formation constraints on keV-scale dark matter.

Can annihilating dark matter be lighter than a few GeVs?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boehm, C; Ensslin, T A; Silk, J

2004-01-01

We estimate the gamma-ray fluxes from the residual annihilations of dark matter (DM) particles having a mass m dm from [MeV, O(10) GeV] (a possible solution to the DM issue provided they have a new kind of interactions and no significant coupling to the Z) and compare them to observations. We find that particles lighter than O(100 MeV) can be viable DM candidates provided their dominant annihilation cross section is S-wave suppressed so as to satisfy the gamma-ray constraints. A similar conclusion is obtained for particles lighter than O(10) GeV from the study of radio fluxes, assuming a NFW profile and that they mainly annihilate into electrons

Multiple gamma lines from semi-annihilation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

D'Eramo, Francesco; McCullough, Matthew; Thaler, Jesse

2013-01-01

Hints in the Fermi data for a 130 GeV gamma line from the galactic center have ignited interest in potential gamma line signatures of dark matter. Explanations of this line based on dark matter annihilation face a parametric tension since they often rely on large enhancements of loop-suppressed cross sections. In this paper, we pursue an alternative possibility that dark matter gamma lines could arise from ''semi-annihilation'' among multiple dark sector states. The semi-annihilation reaction ψ i ψ j → ψ k γ with a single final state photon is typically enhanced relative to ordinary annihilation ψ i ψ-bar i → γγ into photon pairs. Semi-annihilation allows for a wide range of dark matter masses compared to the fixed mass value required by annihilation, opening the possibility to explain potential dark matter signatures at higher energies. The most striking prediction of semi-annihilation is the presence of multiple gamma lines, with as many as order N 3 lines possible for N dark sector states, allowing for dark sector spectroscopy. A smoking gun signature arises in the simplest case of degenerate dark matter, where a strong semi-annihilation line at 130 GeV would be accompanied by a weaker annihilation line at 173 GeV. As a proof of principle, we construct two explicit models of dark matter semi-annihilation, one based on non-Abelian vector dark matter and the other based on retrofitting Rayleigh dark matter

Dark matter annihilation into four-body final states and implications for the AMS antiproton excess

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Steven J.; Dutta, Bhaskar; Strigari, Louis E.

2018-01-01

We consider dark matter annihilation into a general set of final states of standard model particles, including two-body and four-body final states that result from the decay of intermediate states. For dark matter masses ˜10 - 105 GeV , we use updated data from Planck and from high gamma-ray experiments such as Fermi-LAT, MAGIC, and VERITAS to constrain the annihilation cross section for each final state. The Planck constraints are the most stringent over the entire mass range for annihilation into light leptons, and the Fermi-LAT constraints are the most stringent for four-body final states up to masses ˜104 GeV . We consider these constraints in light of the recent AMS antiproton results, and show that for light mediators it is possible to explain the AMS data with dark matter, and remain consistent with Fermi-LAT Inner Galaxy measurements, for mχ˜60 - 100 GeV mass dark matter and mediator masses mϕ/mχ≲1 .

Molecular model for annihilation rates in positron complexes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Assafrao, Denise [Laboratorio de Atomos e Moleculas Especiais, Departamento de Fisica, ICEx, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, P.O. Box 702, 30123-970 Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil); Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Queen' s University of Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, Northern Ireland (United Kingdom); Walters, H.R. James [Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Queen' s University of Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, Northern Ireland (United Kingdom); Mohallem, Jose R. [Laboratorio de Atomos e Moleculas Especiais, Departamento de Fisica, ICEx, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, P.O. Box 702, 30123-970 Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil); Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Queen' s University of Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, Northern Ireland (United Kingdom)], E-mail: rachid@fisica.ufmg.br

2008-02-15

The molecular approach for positron interaction with atoms is developed further. Potential energy curves for positron motion are obtained. Two procedures accounting for the nonadiabatic effective positron mass are introduced for calculating annihilation rate constants. The first one takes the bound-state energy eigenvalue as an input parameter. The second is a self-contained and self-consistent procedure. The methods are tested with quite different states of the small complexes HPs, e{sup +}He (electronic triplet) and e{sup +}Be (electronic singlet and triplet). For states yielding the positronium cluster, the annihilation rates are quite stable, irrespective of the accuracy in binding energies. For the e{sup +}Be states, annihilation rates are larger and more consistent with qualitative predictions than previously reported ones.

Molecular model for annihilation rates in positron complexes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Assafrao, Denise; Walters, H.R. James; Mohallem, Jose R.

2008-01-01

The molecular approach for positron interaction with atoms is developed further. Potential energy curves for positron motion are obtained. Two procedures accounting for the nonadiabatic effective positron mass are introduced for calculating annihilation rate constants. The first one takes the bound-state energy eigenvalue as an input parameter. The second is a self-contained and self-consistent procedure. The methods are tested with quite different states of the small complexes HPs, e + He (electronic triplet) and e + Be (electronic singlet and triplet). For states yielding the positronium cluster, the annihilation rates are quite stable, irrespective of the accuracy in binding energies. For the e + Be states, annihilation rates are larger and more consistent with qualitative predictions than previously reported ones

Search for dark matter annihilation in the Galactic Center with IceCube-79

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aartsen, M.G.; Hill, G.C.; Robertson, S.; Whelan, B.J.; Abraham, K.; Bernhard, A.; Coenders, S.; Gross, A.; Holzapfel, K.; Huber, M.; Jurkovic, M.; Krings, K.; Resconi, E.; Veenkamp, J.; Ackermann, M.; Berghaus, P.; Bernardini, E.; Bretz, H.P.; Cruz Silva, A.H.; Gluesenkamp, T.; Gora, D.; Jacobi, E.; Kaminsky, B.; Karg, T.; Middell, E.; Mohrmann, L.; Nahnhauer, R.; Schoenwald, A.; Shanidze, R.; Spiering, C.; Stasik, A.; Stoessl, A.; Strotjohann, N.L.; Terliuk, A.; Usner, M.; Yanez, J.P.; Adams, J.; Brown, A.M.; Aguilar, J.A.; Heereman, D.; Meagher, K.; Meures, T.; O'Murchadha, A.; Pinat, E.; Ahlers, M.; Arguelles, C.; Beiser, E.; BenZvi, S.; Braun, J.; Chirkin, D.; Day, M.; Desiati, P.; Diaz-Velez, J.C.; Fadiran, O.; Fahey, S.; Feintzeig, J.; Ghorbani, K.; Gladstone, L.; Halzen, F.; Hanson, K.; Hoshina, K.; Jero, K.; Karle, A.; Kelley, J.L.; Kheirandish, A.; McNally, F.; Merino, G.; Middlemas, E.; Morse, R.; Richter, S.; Sabbatini, L.; Tobin, M.N.; Tosi, D.; Vandenbroucke, J.; Van Santen, J.; Wandkowsky, N.; Weaver, C.; Wendt, C.; Westerhoff, S.; Whitehorn, N.; Wille, L.; Ahrens, M.; Bohm, C.; Dumm, J.P.; Finley, C.; Flis, S.; Hulth, P.O.; Hultqvist, K.; Walck, C.; Wolf, M.; Zoll, M.; Altmann, D.; Classen, L.; Kappes, A.; Tselengidou, M.; Anderson, T.; Arlen, T.C.; Dunkman, M.; Eagan, R.; Groh, J.C.; Huang, F.; Keivani, A.; Lanfranchi, J.L.; Quinnan, M.; Smith, M.W.E.; Stanisha, N.A.; Tesic, G.; Archinger, M.; Baum, V.; Boeser, S.; Eberhardt, B.; Ehrhardt, T.; Koepke, L.; Kroll, G.; Luenemann, J.; Sander, H.G.; Schatto, K.; Wiebe, K.; Auffenberg, J.; Bissok, M.; Blumenthal, J.; Glagla, M.; Gier, D.; Gretskov, P.; Haack, C.; Hansmann, B.; Hellwig, D.; Kemp, J.; Konietz, R.; Koob, A.; Leuermann, M.; Leuner, J.; Paul, L.; Puetz, J.; Raedel, L.; Reimann, R.; Rongen, M.; Schimp, M.; Schoenen, S.; Schukraft, A.; Stahlberg, M.; Vehring, M.; Wallraff, M.; Wichary, C.; Wiebusch, C.H.; Bai, X.; Barwick, S.W.; Yodh, G.; Bay, R.; Filimonov, K.; Price, P.B.; Woschnagg, K.; Beatty, J.J.; Becker Tjus, J.; Bos, F.; Eichmann, B.; Fedynitch, A.; Kroll, M.; Saba, S.M.; Schoeneberg, S.; Becker, K.H.; Bindig, D.; Fischer-Wasels, T.; Helbing, K.; Hickford, S.; Hoffmann, R.; Klaes, J.; Kopper, S.; Naumann, U.; Obertacke, A.; Omairat, A.; Posselt, J.; Soldin, D.; Berley, D.; Blaufuss, E.; Cheung, E.; Christy, B.; Felde, J.; Hellauer, R.; Hoffman, K.D.; Huelsnitz, W.; Maunu, R.; Olivas, A.; Redl, P.; Schmidt, T.; Sullivan, G.W.; Wissing, H.; Besson, D.Z.; Binder, G.; Gerhardt, L.; Ha, C.; Klein, S.R.; Miarecki, S.; Boersma, D.J.; Botner, O.; Euler, S.; Hallgren, A.

2015-01-01

The Milky Way is expected to be embedded in a halo of dark matter particles, with the highest density in the central region, and decreasing density with the halo-centric radius. Dark matter might be indirectly detectable at Earth through a flux of stable particles generated in dark matter annihilations and peaked in the direction of the Galactic Center. We present a search for an excess flux of muon (anti-) neutrinos from dark matter annihilation in the Galactic Center using the cubic-kilometer-sized IceCube neutrino detector at the South Pole. There, the Galactic Center is always seen above the horizon. Thus, new and dedicated veto techniques against atmospheric muons are required to make the southern hemisphere accessible for IceCube. We used 319.7 live-days of data from IceCube operating in its 79-string configuration during 2010 and 2011. No neutrino excess was found and the final result is compatible with the background. We present upper limits on the self-annihilation cross-section, left angle σ A right angle, for WIMP masses ranging from 30 GeV up to 10 TeV, assuming cuspy (NFW) and flat-cored (Burkert) dark matter halo profiles, reaching down to ≅ 4 . 10 -24 cm 3 s -1 , and ≅ 2.6 . 10 -23 cm 3 s -1 for the νanti ν channel, respectively. (orig.)

Direct Detection Phenomenology in Models Where the Products of Dark Matter Annihilation Interact with Nuclei

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cherry, John F.; Frandsen, Mads T.; Shoemaker, Ian M.

2015-01-01

We investigate the direct detection phenomenology of a class of dark matter (DM) models in which DM does not directly interact with nuclei, {but rather} the products of its annihilation do. When these annihilation products are very light compared to the DM mass, the scattering in direct detection...... to nuclei, the limit from annihilation to relativistic particles in the Sun can be stronger than that of conventional non-relativistic direct detection by more than three orders of magnitude for masses in a 2-7 GeV window.......We investigate the direct detection phenomenology of a class of dark matter (DM) models in which DM does not directly interact with nuclei, {but rather} the products of its annihilation do. When these annihilation products are very light compared to the DM mass, the scattering in direct detection...... experiments is controlled by relativistic kinematics. This results in a distinctive recoil spectrum, a non-standard and or even absent annual modulation, and the ability to probe DM masses as low as a $\\sim$10 MeV. We use current LUX data to show that experimental sensitivity to thermal relic annihilation...

Constraints on dark matter annihilation from CMB observations before Planck

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lopez-Honorez, Laura [Theoretische Natuurkunde, Vrije Universiteit Brussel and The International Solvay Institutes, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels (Belgium); Mena, Olga; Palomares-Ruiz, Sergio; Vincent, Aaron C., E-mail: llopezho@vub.ac.be, E-mail: omena@ific.uv.es, E-mail: sergio.palomares.ruiz@ist.utl.pt, E-mail: vincent@ific.uv.es [Instituto de Física Corpuscular (IFIC), CSIC-Universitat de València, Apartado de Correos 22085, E-46071 Valencia (Spain)

2013-07-01

We compute the bounds on the dark matter (DM) annihilation cross section using the most recent Cosmic Microwave Background measurements from WMAP9, SPT'11 and ACT'10. We consider DM with mass in the MeV–TeV range annihilating 100% into either an e{sup +}e{sup −} or a μ{sup +}μ{sup −} pair. We consider a realistic energy deposition model, which includes the dependence on the redshift, DM mass and annihilation channel. We exclude the canonical thermal relic abundance cross section ((σv) = 3 × 10{sup −26}cm{sup 3}s{sup −1}) for DM masses below 30 GeV and 15 GeV for the e{sup +}e{sup −} and μ{sup +}μ{sup −} channels, respectively. A priori, DM annihilating in halos could also modify the reionization history of the Universe at late times. We implement a realistic halo model taken from results of state-of-the-art N-body simulations and consider a mixed reionization mechanism, consisting on reionization from DM as well as from first stars. We find that the constraints on DM annihilation remain unchanged, even when large uncertainties on the halo model parameters are considered.

Model-independent constraints on dark matter annihilation in dwarf spheroidal galaxies

OpenAIRE

Boddy, Kimberly K.; Kumar, Jason; Marfatia, Danny; Sandick, Pearl

2018-01-01

We present a general, model-independent formalism for determining bounds on the production of photons in dwarf spheroidal galaxies via dark matter annihilation, applicable to any set of assumptions about dark matter particle physics or astrophysics. As an illustration, we analyze gamma-ray data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope to constrain a variety of nonstandard dark matter models, several of which have not previously been studied in the context of dwarf galaxy searches.

The 21 cm signal and the interplay between dark matter annihilations and astrophysical processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lopez-Honorez, Laura [Theoretische Natuurkunde, Vrije Universiteit Brussel and The International Solvay Institutes, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels (Belgium); Mena, Olga; Moliné, Ángeles; Palomares-Ruiz, Sergio [Instituto de Física Corpuscular (IFIC), CSIC-Universitat de València, Apartado de Correos 22085, E-46071 Valencia (Spain); Vincent, Aaron C., E-mail: llopezho@vub.ac.be, E-mail: omena@ific.uv.es, E-mail: maria.moline@ist.utl.pt, E-mail: sergio.Palomares.Ruiz@ific.uv.es, E-mail: aaron.vincent@durham.ac.uk [Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology (IPPP), Department of Physics, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom)

2016-08-01

Future dedicated radio interferometers, including HERA and SKA, are very promising tools that aim to study the epoch of reionization and beyond via measurements of the 21 cm signal from neutral hydrogen. Dark matter (DM) annihilations into charged particles change the thermal history of the Universe and, as a consequence, affect the 21 cm signal. Accurately predicting the effect of DM strongly relies on the modeling of annihilations inside halos. In this work, we use up-to-date computations of the energy deposition rates by the products from DM annihilations, a proper treatment of the contribution from DM annihilations in halos, as well as values of the annihilation cross section allowed by the most recent cosmological measurements from the Planck satellite. Given current uncertainties on the description of the astrophysical processes driving the epochs of reionization, X-ray heating and Lyman-α pumping, we find that disentangling DM signatures from purely astrophysical effects, related to early-time star formation processes or late-time galaxy X-ray emissions, will be a challenging task. We conclude that only annihilations of DM particles with masses of ∼100 MeV, could leave an unambiguous imprint on the 21 cm signal and, in particular, on the 21 cm power spectrum. This is in contrast to previous, more optimistic results in the literature, which have claimed that strong signatures might also be present even for much higher DM masses. Additional measurements of the 21 cm signal at different cosmic epochs will be crucial in order to break the strong parameter degeneracies between DM annihilations and astrophysical effects and undoubtedly single out a DM imprint for masses different from ∼100 MeV.

Isotropic extragalactic flux from dark matter annihilations: lessons from interacting dark matter scenarios

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moliné, Ángeles [CFTP, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Universidade Tecnica de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal); Schewtschenko, Jascha A.; Boehm, Céline [Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology (IPPP), Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Palomares-Ruiz, Sergio [Instituto de Física Corpuscular (IFIC), CSIC-Universitat de València, Apartado de Correos 22085, E-46071 Valencia (Spain); Baugh, Carlton M., E-mail: maria.moline@ist.utl.pt, E-mail: jascha@schewtschenko.net, E-mail: Sergio.Palomares.Ruiz@ific.uv.es, E-mail: c.m.boehm@durham.ac.uk, E-mail: c.m.baugh@durham.ac.uk [Institute for Computational Cosmology (ICC), Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom)

2016-08-01

The extragalactic γ-ray and neutrino emission may have a contribution from dark matter (DM) annihilations. In the case of discrepancies between observations and standard predictions, one could infer the DM pair annihilation cross section into cosmic rays by studying the shape of the energy spectrum. So far all analyses of the extragalactic DM signal have assumed the standard cosmological model (ΛCDM) as the underlying theory. However, there are alternative DM scenarios where the number of low-mass objects is significantly suppressed. Therefore the characteristics of the γ-ray and neutrino emission in these models may differ from ΛCDM as a result. Here we show that the extragalactic isotropic signal in these alternative models has a similar energy dependence to that in ΛCDM, but the overall normalisation is reduced. The similarities between the energy spectra combined with the flux suppression could lead one to misinterpret possible evidence for models beyond ΛCDM as being due to CDM particles annihilating with a much weaker cross section than expected.

Isotropic extragalactic flux from dark matter annihilations: lessons from interacting dark matter scenarios

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moliné, Ángeles; Schewtschenko, Jascha A.; Boehm, Céline; Palomares-Ruiz, Sergio; Baugh, Carlton M.

2016-01-01

The extragalactic γ-ray and neutrino emission may have a contribution from dark matter (DM) annihilations. In the case of discrepancies between observations and standard predictions, one could infer the DM pair annihilation cross section into cosmic rays by studying the shape of the energy spectrum. So far all analyses of the extragalactic DM signal have assumed the standard cosmological model (ΛCDM) as the underlying theory. However, there are alternative DM scenarios where the number of low-mass objects is significantly suppressed. Therefore the characteristics of the γ-ray and neutrino emission in these models may differ from ΛCDM as a result. Here we show that the extragalactic isotropic signal in these alternative models has a similar energy dependence to that in ΛCDM, but the overall normalisation is reduced. The similarities between the energy spectra combined with the flux suppression could lead one to misinterpret possible evidence for models beyond ΛCDM as being due to CDM particles annihilating with a much weaker cross section than expected.

Constraints on dark matter annihilation in clusters of galaxies with the Fermi large area telescope

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Allafort, A.; Bechtol, K.; Blanford, R.D.; Bloom, E.D.; Borgland, A.W.; Bouvier, A.; Buehler, R.; Cameron, R.A.; Charles, E.; Chiang, J.; Claus, R.; Do Couto E Silva, E.; Drell, P.S.; Drlica-Wagner, A.; Dubois, R.; Edmonds, Y.; Glanzman, T.; Godfrey, G.; Hayashida, M.; Johannesson, G.; Johnson, A.S.; Kamae, T.; Lande, J.; Lee, S.H.; Madejski, G.M.; Michelson, P.F.; Mitthumsiri, W.; Monzani, M.E.; Moskalenko, I.V.; Murgia, S.; Nolan, P.L.; Omodei, N.; Panetta, J.H.; Porter, T.A.; Tanaka, T.; Thayer, J.B.; Thayer, J.G.; Waite, A.P.; Wang, P.; Baldini, L.; Bellazzini, R.; Bregeon, J.; Kuss, M.; Latronico, L.; Pesce-Rollins, M.; Razzano, M.; Sgro, C.; Spandre, G.; Ballet, J.; Casandjian, J.M.; Grenier, I.A.; Starck, J.L.; Tibaldo, L.

2010-01-01

Nearby clusters and groups of galaxies are potentially bright sources of high-energy gamma-ray emission resulting from the pair-annihilation of dark matter particles. However, no significant gamma-ray emission has been detected so far from clusters in the first 11 months of observations with the Fermi Large Area Telescope. We interpret this non-detection in terms of constraints on dark matter particle properties. In particular for leptonic annihilation final states and particle masses greater than similar to 200 GeV, gamma-ray emission from inverse Compton scattering of CMB photons is expected to dominate the dark matter annihilation signal from clusters, and our gamma-ray limits exclude large regions of the parameter space that would give a good fit to the recent anomalous Pamela and Fermi-LAT electron-positron measurements. We also present constraints on the annihilation of more standard dark matter candidates, such as the lightest neutralino of supersymmetric models. The constraints are particularly strong when including the fact that clusters are known to contain substructure at least on galaxy scales, increasing the expected gamma-ray flux by a factor of similar to 5 over a smooth-halo assumption. We also explore the effect of uncertainties in cluster dark matter density profiles, finding a systematic uncertainty in the constraints of roughly a factor of two, but similar overall conclusions. In this work, we focus on deriving limits on dark matter models; a more general consideration of the Fermi-LAT data on clusters and clusters as gamma-ray sources is forthcoming. (authors)

On the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect from dark matter annihilation or decay in galaxy clusters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lavalle, Julien; Boehm, Céline; Barthès, Julien

2010-01-01

We revisit the prospects for detecting the Sunyaev Zel'dovich (SZ) effect induced by dark matter (DM) annihilation or decay. We show that with standard (or even extreme) assumptions for DM properties, the optical depth associated with relativistic electrons injected from DM annihilation or decay is much smaller than that associated with thermal electrons, when averaged over the angular resolution of current and future experiments. For example, we find: τ DM ∼ 10 −9 −10 −5 (depending on the assumptions) for m χ = 1 GeV and a density profile ρ∝r −1 for a template cluster located at 50 Mpc and observed within an angular resolution of 10'', compared to τ th ∼ 10 −3 −10 −2 . This, together with a full spectral analysis, enables us to demonstrate that, for a template cluster with generic properties, the SZ effect due to DM annihilation or decay is far below the sensitivity of the Planck satellite. This is at variance with previous claims regarding heavier annihilating DM particles. Should DM be made of lighter particles, the current constraints from 511 keV observations on the annihilation cross section or decay rate still prevent a detectable SZ effect. Finally, we show that spatial diffusion sets a core of a few kpc in the electron distribution, even for very cuspy DM profiles, such that improving the angular resolution of the instrument, eg with ALMA, does not necessarily improve the detection potential. We provide useful analytical formulæ parameterized in terms of the DM mass, decay rate or annihilation cross section and DM halo features, that allow quick estimates of the SZ effect induced by any given candidate and any DM halo profile

Search for dark matter annihilation in the Galactic Center with IceCube-79

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aartsen, M.G.; Hill, G.C.; Robertson, S.; Whelan, B.J. [University of Adelaide, School of Chemistry and Physics, Adelaide, SA (Australia); Abraham, K.; Bernhard, A.; Coenders, S.; Gross, A.; Holzapfel, K.; Huber, M.; Jurkovic, M.; Krings, K.; Resconi, E.; Veenkamp, J. [Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Garching (Germany); Ackermann, M.; Berghaus, P.; Bernardini, E.; Bretz, H.P.; Cruz Silva, A.H.; Gluesenkamp, T.; Gora, D.; Jacobi, E.; Kaminsky, B.; Karg, T.; Middell, E.; Mohrmann, L.; Nahnhauer, R.; Schoenwald, A.; Shanidze, R.; Spiering, C.; Stasik, A.; Stoessl, A.; Strotjohann, N.L.; Terliuk, A.; Usner, M.; Yanez, J.P. [DESY, Zeuthen (Germany); Adams, J.; Brown, A.M. [University of Canterbury, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch (New Zealand); Aguilar, J.A.; Heereman, D.; Meagher, K.; Meures, T.; O' Murchadha, A.; Pinat, E. [Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, Brussels (Belgium); Ahlers, M.; Arguelles, C.; Beiser, E.; BenZvi, S.; Braun, J.; Chirkin, D.; Day, M.; Desiati, P.; Diaz-Velez, J.C.; Fadiran, O.; Fahey, S.; Feintzeig, J.; Ghorbani, K.; Gladstone, L.; Halzen, F.; Hanson, K.; Hoshina, K.; Jero, K.; Karle, A.; Kelley, J.L.; Kheirandish, A.; McNally, F.; Merino, G.; Middlemas, E.; Morse, R.; Richter, S.; Sabbatini, L.; Tobin, M.N.; Tosi, D.; Vandenbroucke, J.; Van Santen, J.; Wandkowsky, N.; Weaver, C.; Wendt, C.; Westerhoff, S.; Whitehorn, N.; Wille, L. [Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Department of Physics, Madison, WI (United States); Ahrens, M.; Bohm, C.; Dumm, J.P.; Finley, C.; Flis, S.; Hulth, P.O.; Hultqvist, K.; Walck, C.; Wolf, M.; Zoll, M. [Oskar Klein Centre, Stockholm University, Department of Physics, Stockholm (Sweden); Altmann, D.; Classen, L.; Kappes, A.; Tselengidou, M. [Friedrich-Alexander-Universitaet Erlangen-Nuernberg, Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Erlangen (Germany); Anderson, T.; Arlen, T.C.; Dunkman, M.; Eagan, R.; Groh, J.C.; Huang, F.; Keivani, A.; Lanfranchi, J.L.; Quinnan, M.; Smith, M.W.E.; Stanisha, N.A.; Tesic, G. [Pennsylvania State University, Department of Physics, University Park, PA (United States); Archinger, M.; Baum, V.; Boeser, S.; Eberhardt, B.; Ehrhardt, T.; Koepke, L.; Kroll, G.; Luenemann, J.; Sander, H.G.; Schatto, K.; Wiebe, K. [University of Mainz, Institute of Physics, Mainz (Germany); Auffenberg, J.; Bissok, M.; Blumenthal, J.; Glagla, M.; Gier, D.; Gretskov, P.; Haack, C.; Hansmann, B.; Hellwig, D.; Kemp, J.; Konietz, R.; Koob, A.; Leuermann, M.; Leuner, J.; Paul, L.; Puetz, J.; Raedel, L.; Reimann, R.; Rongen, M.; Schimp, M.; Schoenen, S.; Schukraft, A.; Stahlberg, M.; Vehring, M.; Wallraff, M.; Wichary, C.; Wiebusch, C.H. [RWTH Aachen University, III. Physikalisches Institut, Aachen (Germany); Bai, X. [South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Physics Department, Rapid City, SD (United States); Barwick, S.W.; Yodh, G. [University of California, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Irvine, CA (United States); Bay, R.; Filimonov, K.; Price, P.B.; Woschnagg, K. [University of California, Department of Physics, Berkeley, CA (United States); Beatty, J.J. [Ohio State University, Department of Physics and Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics, Columbus, OH (United States); Ohio State University, Department of Astronomy, Columbus, OH (United States); Becker Tjus, J.; Bos, F.; Eichmann, B.; Fedynitch, A.; Kroll, M.; Saba, S.M.; Schoeneberg, S. [Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum, Fakultaet fuer Physik and Astronomie, Bochum (Germany); Becker, K.H.; Bindig, D.; Fischer-Wasels, T.; Helbing, K.; Hickford, S.; Hoffmann, R.; Klaes, J.; Kopper, S.; Naumann, U.; Obertacke, A.; Omairat, A.; Posselt, J.; Soldin, D. [University of Wuppertal, Department of Physics, Wuppertal (Germany); Berley, D.; Blaufuss, E.; Cheung, E.; Christy, B.; Felde, J.; Hellauer, R.; Hoffman, K.D.; Huelsnitz, W.; Maunu, R.; Olivas, A.; Redl, P.; Schmidt, T.; Sullivan, G.W.; Wissing, H. [University of Maryland, Department of Physics, College Park, MD (United States); Besson, D.Z. [University of Kansas, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Lawrence, KS (United States); Binder, G.; Gerhardt, L.; Ha, C.; Klein, S.R.; Miarecki, S. [University of California, Department of Physics, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (United States); Boersma, D.J.; Botner, O.; Euler, S.; Hallgren, A.; Collaboration: IceCube Collaboration; and others

2015-10-15

The Milky Way is expected to be embedded in a halo of dark matter particles, with the highest density in the central region, and decreasing density with the halo-centric radius. Dark matter might be indirectly detectable at Earth through a flux of stable particles generated in dark matter annihilations and peaked in the direction of the Galactic Center. We present a search for an excess flux of muon (anti-) neutrinos from dark matter annihilation in the Galactic Center using the cubic-kilometer-sized IceCube neutrino detector at the South Pole. There, the Galactic Center is always seen above the horizon. Thus, new and dedicated veto techniques against atmospheric muons are required to make the southern hemisphere accessible for IceCube. We used 319.7 live-days of data from IceCube operating in its 79-string configuration during 2010 and 2011. No neutrino excess was found and the final result is compatible with the background. We present upper limits on the self-annihilation cross-section, left angle σ{sub A} right angle, for WIMP masses ranging from 30 GeV up to 10 TeV, assuming cuspy (NFW) and flat-cored (Burkert) dark matter halo profiles, reaching down to ≅ 4 . 10{sup -24} cm{sup 3}s{sup -1}, and ≅ 2.6 . 10{sup -23} cm{sup 3}s{sup -1} for the νanti ν channel, respectively. (orig.)

Characteristics of the positron annihilation process in the matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dryzek, J.

2000-01-01

In this report the positrons annihilation spectroscopy, as a method for the matter study is described. The interaction of positrons of high as well as thermal energies are discussed and different models of mentioned interactions are presented. Special attention is paid for positrons interaction with crystal lattice and its defects. The influence of positron beams characteristics on measured values are also discussed

Limits on dark matter annihilation in the sun using the ANTARES neutrino telescope

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Adrián-Martínez, S.; Albert, A.; André, M.; Anton, G.; Ardid, M.; Aubert, J.-J.; Avgitas, T.; Baret, B.; Barrios-Martí, J.; Basa, S.; Bertin, V.; Biagi, S.; Bormuth, R.; Bouwhuis, M.C.; Bruijn, R.; Brunner, J.; Busto, J.; Capone, A.; Caramete, L.; Carr, J.; Celli, S.; Chiarusi, T.; Circella, M.; Coleiro, A.; Coniglione, R.; Costantini, H.; Coyle, P.; Creusot, A.; Deschamps, A.; De Bonis, G.; Distefano, C.; Donzaud, C.; Dornic, D.; Drouhin, D.; Eberl, T.; El Bojaddaini, I.; Elsässer, D.; Enzenhöfer, A.; Fehn, K.; Felis, I.; Fusco, L.A.; Galatà, S.; Gay, P.; Geißelsöder, S.; Geyer, K.; Giordano, V.; Gleixner, A.; Glotin, H.; Gracia-Ruiz, R.; Graf, K.; Hallmann, S.; van Haren, H.; Heijboer, A.J.; Hello, Y.; Hernández-Rey, J. J.; Hößl, J.; Hofestädt, J.; Hugon, C.; Illuminati, G.; James, C.W.; de Jong, M.; Jongen, M.; Kadler, M.; Kalekin, O.; Katz, U.; Kießling, D.; Kouchner, A.; Kreter, M.; Kreykenbohm, I.; Kulikovskiy, V.; Lachaud, C.; Lahmann, R.; Lefèvre, D.; Leonora, E.; Loucatos, S.; Marcelin, M.; Margiotta, A.; Marinelli, A.; Martínez-Mora, J.A.; Mathieu, A.; Melis, K.; Michael, T.; Migliozzi, P.; Moussa, A.; Mueller, C.; Nezri, E.; Păvălaş, G.E.; Pellegrino, C.; Perrina, C.; Piattelli, P.; Popa, V.; Pradier, T.; Racca, C.; Riccobene, G.; Roensch, K.; Saldaña, M.; Samtleben, D.F.E.; Sánchez-Losa, A.; Sanguineti, M.; Sapienza, P.; Schnabel, J.; Schüssler, F.; Seitz, T.; Sieger, C.; Spurio, M.; Stolarczyk, T.; Taiuti, M.; Tönnis, C.; Trovato, A.; Tselengidou, M.; Turpin, D.; Vallage, B.; Vallée, C.; Van Elewyck, V.; Vivolo, D.; Wagner, S.; Wilms, J.; Zornoza, J.D.; Zúñiga, J.

A search for muon neutrinos originating from dark matter annihilations in the Sun is performed using the data recorded by the ANTARES neutrino telescope from 2007 to 2012. In order to obtain the best possible sensitivities to dark matter signals, an optimisation of the event selection criteria is

Search for annihilating dark matter in the Sun with 3 years of IceCube data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aartsen, M.G.; Hill, G.C.; Robertson, S.; Wallace, A.; Whelan, B.J. [University of Adelaide, Department of Physics, Adelaide (Australia); Ackermann, M.; Bernardini, E.; Blot, S.; Bretz, H.P.; Franckowiak, A.; Jacobi, E.; Karg, T.; Kintscher, T.; Kunwar, S.; Nahnhauer, R.; Satalecka, K.; Spiering, C.; Stasik, A.; Strotjohann, N.L.; Terliuk, A.; Usner, M.; Santen, J. van [DESY, Zeuthen (Germany); Adams, J. [University of Canterbury, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch (New Zealand); Aguilar, J.A.; Ansseau, I.; Heereman, D.; Meagher, K.; Meures, T.; O' Murchadha, A.; Pinat, E.; Raab, C. [Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, Brussels (Belgium); Ahlers, M.; Braun, J.; Chirkin, D.; Day, M.; Desiati, P.; Diaz-Velez, J.C.; Fahey, S.; Feintzeig, J.; Ghorbani, K.; Gladstone, L.; Griffith, Z.; Halzen, F.; Hanson, K.; Jero, K.; Karle, A.; Kauer, M.; Kelley, J.L.; Kheirandish, A.; Krueger, C.; Mancina, S.; McNally, F.; Merino, G.; Sabbatini, L.; Tobin, M.N.; Tosi, D.; Vandenbroucke, J.; Van Rossem, M.; Wandkowsky, N.; Wendt, C.; Westerhoff, S.; Wille, L.; Xu, D.L. [University of Wisconsin, Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, Madison, WI (United States); Ahrens, M.; Bohm, C.; Dumm, J.P.; Finley, C.; Flis, S.; Hultqvist, K.; Walck, C.; Wolf, M.; Zoll, M. [Stockholm University, Department of Physics, Oskar Klein Centre, Stockholm (Sweden); Altmann, D.; Anton, G.; Gluesenkamp, T.; Katz, U.; Kittler, T.; Tselengidou, M. [Friedrich-Alexander-Universitaet Erlangen-Nuernberg, Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Erlangen (Germany); Andeen, K. [Marquette University, Department of Physics, Milwaukee, WI (United States); Anderson, T.; Dunkman, M.; Eller, P.; Huang, F.; Keivani, A.; Lanfranchi, J.L.; Pankova, D.V.; Quinnan, M.; Tesic, G.; Weiss, M.J. [Pennsylvania State University, Department of Physics, University Park, PA (United States); Archinger, M.; Baum, V.; Boeser, S.; Pino Rosendo, E. del; Lorenzo, V. di; Eberhardt, B.; Ehrhardt, T.; Foesig, C.C.; Koepke, L.; Krueckl, G.; Peiffer, P.; Sandroos, J.; Steuer, A.; Wiebe, K. [University of Mainz, Institute of Physics, Mainz (Germany); Argueelles, C.; Axani, S.; Collin, G.H.; Conrad, J.M.; Jones, B.J.P.; Moulai, M. [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Physics, Cambridge, MA (United States); Auffenberg, J.; Bissok, M.; Glauch, T.; Haack, C.; Hansmann, T.; Konietz, R.; Leuermann, M.; Penek, Oe.; Raedel, L.; Reimann, R.; Rongen, M.; Schoenen, S.; Schumacher, L.; Stettner, J.; Vehring, M.; Vogel, E.; Wallraff, M.; Wickmann, S.; Wiebusch, C.H. [RWTH Aachen University, III. Physikalisches Institut, Aachen (Germany); Bai, X. [South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Physics Department, Rapid City, SD (United States); Barwick, S.W.; Yodh, G. [University of California, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Irvine, CA (United States); Bay, R.; Filimonov, K.; Price, P.B.; Woschnagg, K. [University of California, Department of Physics, Berkeley, CA (United States); Beatty, J.J. [Ohio State University, Department of Physics and Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics, Columbus, OH (United States); Ohio State University, Department of Astronomy, Columbus, OH (United States); Becker Tjus, J.; Bos, F.; Eichmann, B.; Kroll, M.; Mandelartz, M.; Schoeneberg, S.; Tenholt, F. [Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum, Fakultaet fuer Physik and Astronomie, Bochum (Germany); Becker, K.H.; Bindig, D.; Helbing, K.; Hickford, S.; Hoffmann, R.; Kopper, S.; Lauber, F.; Naumann, U.; Obertacke Pollmann, A.; Soldin, D. [University of Wuppertal, Department of Physics, Wuppertal (Germany); BenZvi, S.; Cross, R. [University of Rochester, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rochester, NY (United States); Berley, D.; Blaufuss, E.; Cheung, E.; Felde, J.; Friedman, E.; Hellauer, R.; Hoffman, K.D.; Maunu, R.; Olivas, A.; Schmidt, T.; Song, M.; Sullivan, G.W. [University of Maryland, Department of Physics, College Park, MD (United States); Bernhard, A.; Coenders, S.; Huber, M.; Krings, K.; Resconi, E.; Turcati, A. [Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Physik-Department, Garching (Germany); Besson, D.Z. [University of Kansas, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Lawrence, KS (United States); Binder, G.; Gerhardt, L.; Klein, S.R.; Miarecki, S.; Palczewski, T.; Tatar, J. [University of California, Department of Physics, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (United States); Boerner, M.; Fuchs, T.; Meier, M.; Menne, T.; Pieloth, D.; Rhode, W.; Ruhe, T.; Sandrock, A.; Schlunder, P. [TU Dortmund University, Department of Physics, Dortmund (Germany); Bose, D.; Dujmovic, H.; In, S.; Jeong, M.; Kang, W.; Kim, J.; Kim, M.; Rott, C. [Sungkyunkwan University, Department of Physics, Suwon (Korea, Republic of); Collaboration: IceCube Collaboration; and others

2017-03-15

We present results from an analysis looking for dark matter annihilation in the Sun with the IceCube neutrino telescope. Gravitationally trapped dark matter in the Sun's core can annihilate into Standard Model particles making the Sun a source of GeV neutrinos. IceCube is able to detect neutrinos with energies >100 GeV while its low-energy infill array DeepCore extends this to >10 GeV. This analysis uses data gathered in the austral winters between May 2011 and May 2014, corresponding to 532 days of live time when the Sun, being below the horizon, is a source of up-going neutrino events, easiest to discriminate against the dominant background of atmospheric muons. The sensitivity is a factor of two to four better than previous searches due to additional statistics and improved analysis methods involving better background rejection and reconstructions. The resultant upper limits on the spin-dependent dark matter-proton scattering cross section reach down to 1.46 x 10{sup -5} pb for a dark matter particle of mass 500 GeV annihilating exclusively into τ{sup +}τ{sup -} particles. These are currently the most stringent limits on the spin-dependent dark matter-proton scattering cross section for WIMP masses above 50 GeV. (orig.)

Gamma-ray constraints on dark-matter annihilation to electroweak gauge and Higgs bosons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fedderke, Michael A.; Kolb, Edward W.; Lin, Tongyan; Wang, Lian-Tao, E-mail: mfedderke@uchicago.edu, E-mail: Rocky.Kolb@uchicago.edu, E-mail: tongyan@kicp.uchicago.edu, E-mail: liantaow@uchicago.edu [Enrico Fermi Institute and Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, 60637-1433 (United States)

2014-01-01

Dark-matter annihilation into electroweak gauge and Higgs bosons results in γ-ray emission. We use observational upper limits on the fluxes of both line and continuum γ-rays from the Milky Way Galactic Center and from Milky Way dwarf companion galaxies to set exclusion limits on allowed dark-matter masses. (Generally, Galactic Center γ-ray line search limits from the Fermi-LAT and the H.E.S.S. experiments are most restrictive.) Our limits apply under the following assumptions: a) the dark matter species is a cold thermal relic with present mass density equal to the measured dark-matter density of the universe; b) dark-matter annihilation to standard-model particles is described in the non-relativistic limit by a single effective operator O∝J{sub DM}⋅J{sub SM}, where J{sub DM} is a standard-model singlet current consisting of dark-matter fields (Dirac fermions or complex scalars), and J{sub SM} is a standard-model singlet current consisting of electroweak gauge and Higgs bosons; and c) the dark-matter mass is in the range 5 GeV to 20 TeV. We consider, in turn, the 34 possible operators with mass dimension 8 or lower with non-zero s-wave annihilation channels satisfying the above assumptions. Our limits are presented in a large number of figures, one for each of the 34 possible operators; these limits can be grouped into 13 classes determined by the field content and structure of the operators. We also identify three classes of operators (coupling to the Higgs and SU(2){sub L} gauge bosons) that can supply a 130 GeV line with the desired strength to fit the putative line signal in the Fermi-LAT data, while saturating the relic density and satisfying all other indirect constraints we consider.

Stringent constraints on the dark matter annihilation cross section from subhalo searches with the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berlin, Asher; Hooper, Dan

2014-01-01

The dark matter halo of the Milky Way is predicted to contain a very large number of smaller subhalos. As a result of the dark matter annihilations taking place within such objects, the most nearby and massive subhalos could appear as point-like or spatially extended gamma-ray sources, without observable counterparts at other wavelengths. In this paper, we use the results of the Aquarius simulation to predict the distribution of nearby subhalos, and compare this to the characteristics of the unidentified gamma-ray sources observed by the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope. Focusing on the brightest high latitude sources, we use this comparison to derive limits on the dark matter annihilation cross section. For dark matter particles lighter than ~200 GeV, the resulting limits are the strongest obtained to date, being modestly more stringent than those derived from observations of dwarf galaxies or the Galactic Center. We also derive independent limits based on the lack of unidentified gamma-ray sources with discernible spatial extension, but these limits are a factor of ~2-10 weaker than those based on point-like subhalos. Lastly, we note that four of the ten brightest high-latitude sources exhibit a similar spectral shape, consistent with 30-60 GeV dark matter particles annihilating to b quarks with an annihilation cross section on the order of sigma v ~ (5-10) x 10^-27 cm^3/s, or 8-10 GeV dark matter particles annihilating to taus with sigma v ~ (2.0-2.5) x 10^-27 cm^3/s.

Weak annihilation cusp inside the dark matter spike about a black hole.

Science.gov (United States)

Shapiro, Stuart L; Shelton, Jessie

2016-06-15

We reinvestigate the effect of annihilations on the distribution of collisionless dark matter (DM) in a spherical density spike around a massive black hole. We first construct a very simple, pedagogic, analytic model for an isotropic phase space distribution function that accounts for annihilation and reproduces the "weak cusp" found by Vasiliev for DM deep within the spike and away from its boundaries. The DM density in the cusp varies as r -1/2 for s -wave annihilation, where r is the distance from the central black hole, and is not a flat "plateau" profile. We then extend this model by incorporating a loss cone that accounts for the capture of DM particles by the hole. The loss cone is implemented by a boundary condition that removes capture orbits, resulting in an anisotropic distribution function. Finally, we evolve an initial spike distribution function by integrating the Boltzmann equation to show how the weak cusp grows and its density decreases with time. We treat two cases, one for s -wave and the other for p -wave DM annihilation, adopting parameters characteristic of the Milky Way nuclear core and typical WIMP models for DM. The cusp density profile for p -wave annihilation is weaker, varying like ~ r -0.34 , but is still not a flat plateau.

Limits on dark matter annihilation in the sun using the ANTARES neutrino telescope

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Adrián-Martínez

2016-08-01

Full Text Available A search for muon neutrinos originating from dark matter annihilations in the Sun is performed using the data recorded by the ANTARES neutrino telescope from 2007 to 2012. In order to obtain the best possible sensitivities to dark matter signals, an optimisation of the event selection criteria is performed taking into account the background of atmospheric muons, atmospheric neutrinos and the energy spectra of the expected neutrino signals. No significant excess over the background is observed and 90% C.L. upper limits on the neutrino flux, the spin-dependent and spin-independent WIMP-nucleon cross-sections are derived for WIMP masses ranging from 50 GeV to 5 TeV for the annihilation channels WIMP+WIMP→bb¯,W+W− and τ+τ−.

Cosmological and astrophysical signatures of dark matter annihilations into pseudo-Goldstone bosons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garcia-Cely, Camilo; Ibarra, Alejandro; Molinaro, Emiliano, E-mail: camilo.garcia@tum.de, E-mail: alejandro.ibarra@ph.tum.de, E-mail: emiliano.molinaro@tum.de [Physik-Department T30d, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Straße, Garching, 85748 (Germany)

2014-02-01

We investigate a model where the dark matter particle is a chiral fermion field charged under a global U(1) symmetry which is assumed to be spontaneously broken, leading to a pseudo-Goldstone boson (PGB). We argue that the dark matter annihilation into PGBs determine the dark matter relic abundance. Besides, we also note that experimental searches for PGBs allow either for a very long lived PGB, with a lifetime much longer than the age of the Universe, or a relatively short lived PGB, with a lifetime shorter than one minute. Hence, two different scenarios arise, producing very different signatures. In the long lived PGB scenario, the PGB might contribute significantly to the radiation energy density of the Universe. On the other hand, in the short lived PGB scenario, and since the decay length is shorter than one parsec, the s-wave annihilation into a PGB and a CP even dark scalar in the Galactic center might lead to an intense box feature in the gamma-ray energy spectrum, provided the PGB decay branching ratio into two photons is sizable. We also analyze the constraints on these two scenarios from thermal production, the Higgs invisible decay width and direct dark matter searches.

General calculation of the cross section for dark matter annihilations into two photons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garcia-Cely, Camilo [Service de Physique Théorique, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Boulevard du Triomphe, CP225, 1050 Brussels (Belgium); Rivera, Andres, E-mail: Camilo.Alfredo.Garcia.Cely@ulb.ac.be, E-mail: afelipe.rivera@udea.edu.co [Instituto de Física, Universidad de Antioquia, Calle 70 No. 52-21, Medellín (Colombia)

2017-03-01

Assuming that the underlying model satisfies some general requirements such as renormalizability and CP conservation, we calculate the non-relativistic one-loop cross section for any self-conjugate dark matter particle annihilating into two photons. We accomplish this by carefully classifying all possible one-loop diagrams and, from them, reading off the dark matter interactions with the particles running in the loop. Our approach is general and leads to the same results found in the literature for popular dark matter candidates such as the neutralinos of the MSSM, minimal dark matter, inert Higgs and Kaluza-Klein dark matter.

General calculation of the cross section for dark matter annihilations into two photons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia-Cely, Camilo; Rivera, Andres

2017-01-01

Assuming that the underlying model satisfies some general requirements such as renormalizability and CP conservation, we calculate the non-relativistic one-loop cross section for any self-conjugate dark matter particle annihilating into two photons. We accomplish this by carefully classifying all possible one-loop diagrams and, from them, reading off the dark matter interactions with the particles running in the loop. Our approach is general and leads to the same results found in the literature for popular dark matter candidates such as the neutralinos of the MSSM, minimal dark matter, inert Higgs and Kaluza-Klein dark matter.

Search for neutrinos from dark matter self-annihilations in the center of the Milky Way with 3 years of IceCube/DeepCore

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aartsen, M.G.; Hill, G.C.; Kyriacou, A.; Robertson, S.; Wallace, A.; Whelan, B.J.; Ackermann, M.; Bernardini, E.; Blot, S.; Bradascio, F.; Bretz, H.P.; Franckowiak, A.; Jacobi, E.; Karg, T.; Kintscher, T.; Kunwar, S.; Nahnhauer, R.; Satalecka, K.; Spiering, C.; Stachurska, J.; Stasik, A.; Strotjohann, N.L.; Terliuk, A.; Usner, M.; Santen, J. van; Adams, J.; Bagherpour, H.; Aguilar, J.A.; Ansseau, I.; Heereman, D.; Meagher, K.; Meures, T.; O'Murchadha, A.; Pinat, E.; Raab, C.; Ahlers, M.; Koskinen, D.J.; Larson, M.J.; Medici, M.; Rameez, M.; Ahrens, M.; Bohm, C.; Dumm, J.P.; Finley, C.; Flis, S.; Hultqvist, K.; Walck, C.; Zoll, M.; Al Samarai, I.; Bron, S.; Carver, T.; Christov, A.; Montaruli, T.; Altmann, D.; Anton, G.; Gluesenkamp, T.; Katz, U.; Kittler, T.; Tselengidou, M.; Andeen, K.; Plum, M.; Anderson, T.; DeLaunay, J.J.; Dunkman, M.; Eller, P.; Huang, F.; Keivani, A.; Lanfranchi, J.L.; Pankova, D.V.; Tesic, G.; Turley, C.F.; Weiss, M.J.; Argueelles, C.; Axani, S.; Collin, G.H.; Conrad, J.M.; Moulai, M.; Auffenberg, J.; Brenzke, M.; Glauch, T.; Haack, C.; Kalacynski, P.; Koschinsky, J.P.; Leuermann, M.; Raedel, L.; Reimann, R.; Rongen, M.; Saelzer, T.; Schoenen, S.; Schumacher, L.; Stettner, J.; Vehring, M.; Vogel, E.; Wallraff, M.; Waza, A.; Wickmann, S.; Wiebusch, C.H.; Bai, X.; Barron, J.P.; Giang, W.; Grant, D.; Kopper, C.; Moore, R.W.; Nowicki, S.C.; Riedel, B.; Sanchez Herrera, S.E.; Sarkar, S.; Wandler, F.D.; Weaver, C.; Wood, T.R.; Woolsey, E.; Yanez, J.P.; Barwick, S.W.; Yodh, G.; Baum, V.; Boeser, S.; Di Lorenzo, V.; Eberhardt, B.; Ehrhardt, T.; Koepke, L.; Krueckl, G.; Momente, G.; Peiffer, P.; Sandroos, J.; Steuer, A.; Wiebe, K.; Bay, R.; Filimonov, K.; Price, P.B.; Woschnagg, K.; Beatty, J.J.; Tjus, J.B.; Bos, F.; Eichmann, B.; Kroll, M.; Schoeneberg, S.; Tenholt, F.; Becker, K.H.; Bindig, D.; Helbing, K.; Hickford, S.; Hoffmann, R.; Lauber, F.; Naumann, U.; Pollmann, A.O.; Soldin, D.; BenZvi, S.; Cross, R.; Berley, D.; Blaufuss, E.; Cheung, E.; Felde, J.; Friedman, E.; Hellauer, R.; Hoffman, K.D.; Maunu, R.; Olivas, A.; Schmidt, T.; Song, M.; Sullivan, G.W.; Besson, D.Z.; Binder, G.; Klein, S.R.; Miarecki, S.; Palczewski, T.; Tatar, J.; Boerner, M.; Fuchs, T.; Meier, M.; Menne, T.; Pieloth, D.; Rhode, W.; Ruhe, T.; Sandrock, A.; Schlunder, P.; Bose, D.; Dujmovic, H.; In, S.; Jeong, M.; Kang, W.; Kim, J.; Rott, C.; Botner, O.; Burgman, A.; Hallgren, A.; Heros, C.P. de los; Unger, E.

2017-01-01

We present a search for a neutrino signal from dark matter self-annihilations in the Milky Way using the IceCube Neutrino Observatory (IceCube). In 1005 days of data we found no significant excess of neutrinos over the background of neutrinos produced in atmospheric air showers from cosmic ray interactions. We derive upper limits on the velocity averaged product of the dark matter self-annihilation cross section and the relative velocity of the dark matter particles left angle σ_Av right angle. Upper limits are set for dark matter particle candidate masses ranging from 10 GeV up to 1 TeV while considering annihilation through multiple channels. This work sets the most stringent limit on a neutrino signal from dark matter with mass between 10 and 100 GeV, with a limit of 1.18 . 10"-"2"3 cm"3s"-"1 for 100 GeV dark matter particles self-annihilating via τ"+τ"- to neutrinos (assuming the Navarro-Frenk-White dark matter halo profile). (orig.)

Search for neutrinos from dark matter self-annihilations in the center of the Milky Way with 3 years of IceCube/DeepCore

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aartsen, M.G.; Hill, G.C.; Kyriacou, A.; Robertson, S.; Wallace, A.; Whelan, B.J. [University of Adelaide, Department of Physics, Adelaide (Australia); Ackermann, M.; Bernardini, E.; Blot, S.; Bradascio, F.; Bretz, H.P.; Franckowiak, A.; Jacobi, E.; Karg, T.; Kintscher, T.; Kunwar, S.; Nahnhauer, R.; Satalecka, K.; Spiering, C.; Stachurska, J.; Stasik, A.; Strotjohann, N.L.; Terliuk, A.; Usner, M.; Santen, J. van [DESY, Zeuthen (Germany); Adams, J.; Bagherpour, H. [University of Canterbury, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch (New Zealand); Aguilar, J.A.; Ansseau, I.; Heereman, D.; Meagher, K.; Meures, T.; O' Murchadha, A.; Pinat, E.; Raab, C. [Science Faculty CP230, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels (Belgium); Ahlers, M.; Koskinen, D.J.; Larson, M.J.; Medici, M.; Rameez, M. [University of Copenhagen, Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen (Denmark); Ahrens, M.; Bohm, C.; Dumm, J.P.; Finley, C.; Flis, S.; Hultqvist, K.; Walck, C.; Zoll, M. [Stockholm University, Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm (Sweden); Al Samarai, I.; Bron, S.; Carver, T.; Christov, A.; Montaruli, T. [Universite de Geneve, Departement de Physique Nucleaire et Corpusculaire, Geneva (Switzerland); Altmann, D.; Anton, G.; Gluesenkamp, T.; Katz, U.; Kittler, T.; Tselengidou, M. [Friedrich-Alexander-Universitaet Erlangen-Nuernberg, Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Erlangen (Germany); Andeen, K.; Plum, M. [Marquette University, Department of Physics, Milwaukee, WI (United States); Anderson, T.; DeLaunay, J.J.; Dunkman, M.; Eller, P.; Huang, F.; Keivani, A.; Lanfranchi, J.L.; Pankova, D.V.; Tesic, G.; Turley, C.F.; Weiss, M.J. [Pennsylvania State University, Department of Physics, University Park, PA (United States); Argueelles, C.; Axani, S.; Collin, G.H.; Conrad, J.M.; Moulai, M. [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Physics, Cambridge, MA (United States); Auffenberg, J.; Brenzke, M.; Glauch, T.; Haack, C.; Kalacynski, P.; Koschinsky, J.P.; Leuermann, M.; Raedel, L.; Reimann, R.; Rongen, M.; Saelzer, T.; Schoenen, S.; Schumacher, L.; Stettner, J.; Vehring, M.; Vogel, E.; Wallraff, M.; Waza, A.; Wickmann, S.; Wiebusch, C.H. [RWTH Aachen University, III. Physikalisches Institut, Aachen (Germany); Bai, X. [South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Physics Department, Rapid City, SD (United States); Barron, J.P.; Giang, W.; Grant, D.; Kopper, C.; Moore, R.W.; Nowicki, S.C.; Riedel, B.; Sanchez Herrera, S.E.; Sarkar, S.; Wandler, F.D.; Weaver, C.; Wood, T.R.; Woolsey, E.; Yanez, J.P. [University of Alberta, Department of Physics, Edmonton, AB (Canada); Barwick, S.W.; Yodh, G. [University of California, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Irvine, CA (United States); Baum, V.; Boeser, S.; Di Lorenzo, V.; Eberhardt, B.; Ehrhardt, T.; Koepke, L.; Krueckl, G.; Momente, G.; Peiffer, P.; Sandroos, J.; Steuer, A.; Wiebe, K. [University of Mainz, Institute of Physics, Mainz (Germany); Bay, R.; Filimonov, K.; Price, P.B.; Woschnagg, K. [University of California, Department of Physics, Berkeley, CA (United States); Beatty, J.J. [Ohio State University, Department of Physics and Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics, Columbus, OH (United States); Ohio State University, Department of Astronomy, Columbus, OH (United States); Tjus, J.B.; Bos, F.; Eichmann, B.; Kroll, M.; Schoeneberg, S.; Tenholt, F. [Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum, Fakultaet fuer Physik and Astronomie, Bochum (Germany); Becker, K.H.; Bindig, D.; Helbing, K.; Hickford, S.; Hoffmann, R.; Lauber, F.; Naumann, U.; Pollmann, A.O.; Soldin, D. [University of Wuppertal, Department of Physics, Wuppertal (Germany); BenZvi, S.; Cross, R. [University of Rochester, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rochester, NY (United States); Berley, D.; Blaufuss, E.; Cheung, E.; Felde, J.; Friedman, E.; Hellauer, R.; Hoffman, K.D.; Maunu, R.; Olivas, A.; Schmidt, T.; Song, M.; Sullivan, G.W. [University of Maryland, Department of Physics, College Park, MD (United States); Besson, D.Z. [University of Kansas, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Lawrence, KS (United States); Binder, G.; Klein, S.R.; Miarecki, S.; Palczewski, T.; Tatar, J. [University of California, Department of Physics, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (United States); Boerner, M.; Fuchs, T.; Meier, M.; Menne, T.; Pieloth, D.; Rhode, W.; Ruhe, T.; Sandrock, A.; Schlunder, P. [TU Dortmund University, Department of Physics, Dortmund (Germany); Bose, D.; Dujmovic, H.; In, S.; Jeong, M.; Kang, W.; Kim, J.; Rott, C. [Sungkyunkwan University, Department of Physics, Suwon (Korea, Republic of); Botner, O.; Burgman, A.; Hallgren, A.; Heros, C.P. de los; Unger, E. [Uppsala University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala (Sweden); Collaboration: IceCube Collaboration; and others

2017-09-15

We present a search for a neutrino signal from dark matter self-annihilations in the Milky Way using the IceCube Neutrino Observatory (IceCube). In 1005 days of data we found no significant excess of neutrinos over the background of neutrinos produced in atmospheric air showers from cosmic ray interactions. We derive upper limits on the velocity averaged product of the dark matter self-annihilation cross section and the relative velocity of the dark matter particles left angle σ{sub A}v right angle. Upper limits are set for dark matter particle candidate masses ranging from 10 GeV up to 1 TeV while considering annihilation through multiple channels. This work sets the most stringent limit on a neutrino signal from dark matter with mass between 10 and 100 GeV, with a limit of 1.18 . 10{sup -23} cm{sup 3}s{sup -1} for 100 GeV dark matter particles self-annihilating via τ{sup +}τ{sup -} to neutrinos (assuming the Navarro-Frenk-White dark matter halo profile). (orig.)

Hierarchical phase space structure of dark matter haloes: Tidal debris, caustics, and dark matter annihilation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Afshordi, Niayesh; Mohayaee, Roya; Bertschinger, Edmund

2009-01-01

Most of the mass content of dark matter haloes is expected to be in the form of tidal debris. The density of debris is not constant, but rather can grow due to formation of caustics at the apocenters and pericenters of the orbit, or decay as a result of phase mixing. In the phase space, the debris assemble in a hierarchy that is truncated by the primordial temperature of dark matter. Understanding this phase structure can be of significant importance for the interpretation of many astrophysical observations and, in particular, dark matter detection experiments. With this purpose in mind, we develop a general theoretical framework to describe the hierarchical structure of the phase space of cold dark matter haloes. We do not make any assumption of spherical symmetry and/or smooth and continuous accretion. Instead, working with correlation functions in the action-angle space, we can fully account for the hierarchical structure (predicting a two-point correlation function ∝ΔJ -1.6 in the action space), as well as the primordial discreteness of the phase space. As an application, we estimate the boost to the dark matter annihilation signal due to the structure of the phase space within virial radius: the boost due to the hierarchical tidal debris is of order unity, whereas the primordial discreteness of the phase structure can boost the total annihilation signal by up to an order of magnitude. The latter is dominated by the regions beyond 20% of the virial radius, and is largest for the recently formed haloes with the least degree of phase mixing. Nevertheless, as we argue in a companion paper, the boost due to small gravitationally-bound substructure can dominate this effect at low redshifts.

Hierarchical phase space structure of dark matter haloes: Tidal debris, caustics, and dark matter annihilation

Science.gov (United States)

Afshordi, Niayesh; Mohayaee, Roya; Bertschinger, Edmund

2009-04-01

Most of the mass content of dark matter haloes is expected to be in the form of tidal debris. The density of debris is not constant, but rather can grow due to formation of caustics at the apocenters and pericenters of the orbit, or decay as a result of phase mixing. In the phase space, the debris assemble in a hierarchy that is truncated by the primordial temperature of dark matter. Understanding this phase structure can be of significant importance for the interpretation of many astrophysical observations and, in particular, dark matter detection experiments. With this purpose in mind, we develop a general theoretical framework to describe the hierarchical structure of the phase space of cold dark matter haloes. We do not make any assumption of spherical symmetry and/or smooth and continuous accretion. Instead, working with correlation functions in the action-angle space, we can fully account for the hierarchical structure (predicting a two-point correlation function ∝ΔJ-1.6 in the action space), as well as the primordial discreteness of the phase space. As an application, we estimate the boost to the dark matter annihilation signal due to the structure of the phase space within virial radius: the boost due to the hierarchical tidal debris is of order unity, whereas the primordial discreteness of the phase structure can boost the total annihilation signal by up to an order of magnitude. The latter is dominated by the regions beyond 20% of the virial radius, and is largest for the recently formed haloes with the least degree of phase mixing. Nevertheless, as we argue in a companion paper, the boost due to small gravitationally-bound substructure can dominate this effect at low redshifts.

Gamma-ray signatures of annihilation to charged leptons in dark matter substructure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kistler, Matthew D.; Siegal-Gaskins, Jennifer M.

2010-01-01

Because of their higher concentrations and small internal velocities, Milky Way subhalos can be at least as important as the smooth halo in accounting for the GeV positron excess via dark matter annihilation. After showing how this can be achieved in various scenarios, including in Sommerfeld models, we demonstrate that, in this case, the diffuse inverse-Compton emission resulting from electrons and positrons produced in substructure leads to a nearly-isotropic signal close to the level of the isotropic GeV gamma-ray background seen by Fermi. Moreover, we show that HESS cosmic-ray electron measurements can be used to constrain multi-TeV internal bremsstrahlung gamma rays arising from annihilation to charged leptons.

Revisiting Bremsstrahlung emission associated with Light Dark Matter annihilations

CERN Document Server

Böhm, C

2006-01-01

We compute the single bremsstrahlung emission associated with the pair annihilation of spin-0 particles into electrons and positrons, via the t-channel exchange of a heavy fermion. We compare our result with the work of Beacom et al. . Unlike what is stated in the literature, we show that the Bremsstrahlung cross section is not necessarily given by the tree-level annihilation cross section (for a generalized kinematics) times a factor related to the emission of a soft photon. Such a factorization appears only in the soft photon limit or in the approximation where the masses of the particles in the initial and final states are negligible with respect to the mass of the internal particle. However, in the latter case, we do not recover the same factor as for e^+ e- --> mu^+ mu^- gamma. Numerically the difference, in the hard photon limit, is as large as a factor 3.6. However the effect on the upper limit of the dark matter mass is not significant. Using gamma ray observations, we obtain an upper limit on the dar...

THE DETECTABILITY OF DARK MATTER ANNIHILATION WITH FERMI USING THE ANISOTROPY ENERGY SPECTRUM OF THE GAMMA-RAY BACKGROUND

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hensley, Brandon S.; Pavlidou, Vasiliki; Siegal-Gaskins, Jennifer M.

2010-01-01

The energy dependence of the anisotropy (the anisotropy energy spectrum) of the large-scale diffuse gamma-ray background can reveal the presence of multiple source populations. Annihilating dark matter in the substructure of the Milky Way halo could give rise to a modulation in the anisotropy energy spectrum of the diffuse gamma-ray emission measured by Fermi, enabling the detection of a dark matter signal. We determine the detectability of a dark-matter-induced modulation for scenarios in which unresolved blazars are the primary contributor to the measured emission above ∼1 GeV and find that in some scenarios pair-annihilation cross sections on the order of the value expected for thermal relic dark matter can produce a detectable feature. We anticipate that the sensitivity of this technique to specific dark matter models could be improved by tailored likelihood analysis methods.

All-flavour Search for Neutrinos from Dark Matter Annihilations in the Milky Way with IceCube/DeepCore

CERN Document Server

INSPIRE-00266703

2016-01-01

We present the first IceCube search for a signal of dark matter annihilations in the Milky Way using all-flavour neutrino-induced particle cascades. The analysis focuses on the DeepCore sub-detector of IceCube, and uses the surrounding IceCube strings as a veto region in order to select starting events in the DeepCore volume. We use 329 live-days of data from IceCube operating in its 86-string configuration during 2011-2012. No neutrino excess is found, the final result being compatible with the background-only hypothesis. From this null result, we derive upper limits on the velocity-averaged self-annihilation cross-section, , for dark matter candidate masses ranging from 30 GeV up to 10 TeV, assuming both a cuspy and a flat-cored dark matter halo profile. For dark matter masses between 200 GeV and 10 TeV, the results improve on all previous IceCube results on , reaching a level of 10^{-23} cm^3 s^-1, depending on the annihilation channel assumed, for a cusped NFW profile. The analysis demonstrates that all-f...

Prospects for discovering a neutrino line induced by dark matter annihilation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aisati, Chaimae El; Garcia-Cely, Camilo; Hambye, Thomas; Vanderheyden, Laurent, E-mail: Chaimae.El.Aisati@ulb.ac.be, E-mail: Camilo.Alfredo.Garcia.Cely@ulb.ac.be, E-mail: thambye@ulb.ac.be, E-mail: laurent.vanderheyden@ulb.ac.be [Service de Physique Théorique—Université Libre de Bruxelles, Boulevard du Triomphe, CP225, 1050 Brussels (Belgium)

2017-10-01

In the near future, neutrino telescopes are expected to improve their sensitivity to the flux of monochromatic neutrinos produced by dark matter (DM) in our galaxy. This is illustrated by a new limit on the corresponding cross section that we derive from public IceCube data. In this context, we study which DM models could produce an observable flux of monochromatic neutrinos from DM annihilations. To this end, we proceed in two steps. First, within a set of simple and minimal assumptions concerning the properties of the DM particle, we determine the models that could give rise to a significant annihilation into monochromatic neutrinos at the freeze-out epoch. The list of models turns out to be very limited as a result of various constraints, in particular direct detection and neutrino masses at loop level. Given the fact that, even if largely improved, the sensitivities will be far from reaching the thermal annihilation cross section soon, a signal could only be observed if the annihilation into neutrinos today is boosted with respect to the freeze-out epoch. This is why, in a second step, we analyze the possibility of having such a large enhancement from the Sommerfeld effect. For each scenario, we also compute the cross sections into other annihilation products and confront our results with experimental constraints. We find that, within our simple and minimal assumptions, the expectation to observe monochromatic neutrinos is only possible in very specific scenarios. Some will be confirmed or excluded in the near future because they predict signals slightly below the current experimental sensitivities. We also discuss how these prospects change by relaxing our assumptions as well as by considering other types of sharp spectral features. For the latter, we consider boxed-shaped and bremsstrahlung spectra and provide the corresponding limits from IceCube data.

Phases of cannibal dark matter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Farina, Marco [New High Energy Theory Center, Department of Physics, Rutgers University,136 Frelinghuisen Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854 (United States); Pappadopulo, Duccio; Ruderman, Joshua T.; Trevisan, Gabriele [Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics, Department of Physics, New York University,New York, NY 10003 (United States)

2016-12-13

A hidden sector with a mass gap undergoes an epoch of cannibalism if number changing interactions are active when the temperature drops below the mass of the lightest hidden particle. During cannibalism, the hidden sector temperature decreases only logarithmically with the scale factor. We consider the possibility that dark matter resides in a hidden sector that underwent cannibalism, and has relic density set by the freeze-out of two-to-two annihilations. We identify three novel phases, depending on the behavior of the hidden sector when dark matter freezes out. During the cannibal phase, dark matter annihilations decouple while the hidden sector is cannibalizing. During the chemical phase, only two-to-two interactions are active and the total number of hidden particles is conserved. During the one way phase, the dark matter annihilation products decay out of equilibrium, suppressing the production of dark matter from inverse annihilations. We map out the distinct phenomenology of each phase, which includes a boosted dark matter annihilation rate, new relativistic degrees of freedom, warm dark matter, and observable distortions to the spectrum of the cosmic microwave background.

Thermal dark matter co-annihilating with a strongly interacting scalar

Science.gov (United States)

Biondini, S.; Laine, M.

2018-04-01

Recently many investigations have considered Majorana dark matter co-annihilating with bound states formed by a strongly interacting scalar field. However only the gluon radiation contribution to bound state formation and dissociation, which at high temperatures is subleading to soft 2 → 2 scatterings, has been included. Making use of a non-relativistic effective theory framework and solving a plasma-modified Schrödinger equation, we address the effect of soft 2 → 2 scatterings as well as the thermal dissociation of bound states. We argue that the mass splitting between the Majorana and scalar field has in general both a lower and an upper bound, and that the dark matter mass scale can be pushed at least up to 5…6TeV.

The characterization of the gamma-ray signal from the central Milky Way: A case for annihilating dark matter

Science.gov (United States)

Daylan, Tansu; Finkbeiner, Douglas P.; Hooper, Dan; Linden, Tim; Portillo, Stephen K. N.; Rodd, Nicholas L.; Slatyer, Tracy R.

2016-06-01

Past studies have identified a spatially extended excess of ˜1-3 GeV gamma rays from the region surrounding the Galactic Center, consistent with the emission expected from annihilating dark matter. We revisit and scrutinize this signal with the intention of further constraining its characteristics and origin. By applying cuts to the Fermi event parameter CTBCORE, we suppress the tails of the point spread function and generate high resolution gamma-ray maps, enabling us to more easily separate the various gamma-ray components. Within these maps, we find the GeV excess to be robust and highly statistically significant, with a spectrum, angular distribution, and overall normalization that is in good agreement with that predicted by simple annihilating dark matter models. For example, the signal is very well fit by a 36-51 GeV dark matter particle annihilating to b b ¯ with an annihilation cross section of σv =(1 - 3) × 10-26cm3 / s (normalized to a local dark matter density of 0.4 GeV /cm3). Furthermore, we confirm that the angular distribution of the excess is approximately spherically symmetric and centered around the dynamical center of the Milky Way (within ˜ 0.05∘ of Sgr A∗), showing no sign of elongation along the Galactic Plane. The signal is observed to extend to at least ≃ 10∘ from the Galactic Center, which together with its other morphological traits disfavors the possibility that this emission originates from previously known or modeled pulsar populations.

The need for expanded exploration of matter-antimatter annihilation for propulsion application

Science.gov (United States)

Massier, P. F.

1982-01-01

The use of matter-antimatter annihilation as a propulsion application for interstellar travel is discussed. The physical basis for the superior energy release in such a system is summarized, and the problems associated with antimatter production, collection and storage are assessed. Advances in devising a workable propulsion system are reported, and the parameters of an antimatter propulsion system are described.

The Characterization of the Gamma-Ray Signal from the Central Milky Way: A Compelling Case for Annihilating Dark Matter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Daylan, Tansu [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States); Finkbeiner, Douglas P. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center, Cambridge, MA (United States); Hooper, Dan [Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States); Linden, Tim [Univ. of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL (United States); Portillo, Stephen K. N. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center, Cambridge, MA (United States); Rodd, Nicholas L. [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, MA (United States); Slatyer, Tracy R. [Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ (United States)

2014-02-26

Past studies have identified a spatially extended excess of ~1-3 GeV gamma rays from the region surrounding the Galactic Center, consistent with the emission expected from annihilating dark matter. We revisit and scrutinize this signal with the intention of further constraining its characteristics and origin. By applying cuts to the Fermi event parameter CTBCORE, we suppress the tails of the point spread function and generate high resolution gamma-ray maps, enabling us to more easily separate the various gamma-ray components. Within these maps, we find the GeV excess to be robust and highly statistically significant, with a spectrum, angular distribution, and overall normalization that is in good agreement with that predicted by simple annihilating dark matter models. For example, the signal is very well fit by a 31-40 GeV dark matter particle annihilating to b quarks with an annihilation cross section of sigma v = (1.4-2.0) x 10^-26 cm^3/s (normalized to a local dark matter density of 0.3 GeV/cm^3). Furthermore, we confirm that the angular distribution of the excess is approximately spherically symmetric and centered around the dynamical center of the Milky Way (within ~0.05 degrees of Sgr A*), showing no sign of elongation along or perpendicular to the Galactic Plane. The signal is observed to extend to at least 10 degrees from the Galactic Center, disfavoring the possibility that this emission originates from millisecond pulsars.

Bounds on Cross-sections and Lifetimes for Dark Matter Annihilation and Decay into Charged Leptons from Gamma-ray Observations of Dwarf Galaxies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Essig, Rouven; /SLAC; Sehgal, Neelima; Strigari, Louis E.; /KIPAC, Menlo Park

2009-06-19

We provide conservative bounds on the dark matter cross-section and lifetime from final state radiation produced by annihilation or decay into charged leptons, either directly or via an intermediate particle {phi}. Our analysis utilizes the experimental gamma-ray flux upper limits from four Milky Way dwarf satellites: HESS observations of Sagittarius and VERITAS observations of Draco, Ursa Minor, and Willman 1. Using 90% confidence level lower limits on the integrals over the dark matter distributions, we find that these constraints are largely unable to rule out dark matter annihilations or decays as an explanation of the PAMELA and ATIC/PPB-BETS excesses. However, if there is an additional Sommerfeld enhancement in dwarfs, which have a velocity dispersion {approx} 10 to 20 times lower than that of the local Galactic halo, then the cross-sections for dark matter annihilating through {phi}'s required to explain the excesses are very close to the cross-section upper bounds from Willman 1. Dark matter annihilation directly into {tau}'s is also marginally ruled out by Willman 1 as an explanation of the excesses, and the required cross-section is only a factor of a few below the upper bound from Draco. Finally, we make predictions for the gamma-ray flux expected from the dwarf galaxy Segue 1 for the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. We find that for a sizeable fraction of the parameter space in which dark matter annihilation into charged leptons explains the PAMELA excess, Fermi has good prospects for detecting a gamma-ray signal from Segue 1 after one year of observation.

The variation of the baryon-to-photon ratio during different cosmological epochs due to decay and annihilation of dark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zavarygin, E O; Ivanchik, A V

2015-01-01

An influence of annihilation and decay of the dark matter particles on the baryon-to-photon ratio has been studied for different cosmological epochs. We consider the different parameter values of the dark matter particles such as mass, annihilation cross section, lifetime and so on. The obtained results are compared with the data which come from the Big Bang nucleosynthesis calculation and from the analysis of the anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation. It has been shown that the modern value of the dark matter density Ω CDM = 0.26 is enough to provide the variation of the baryon-to-photon ratio up to Δη/η ∼ 0.01÷1 for decay of the dark matter particles, but it also leads to an excess of the diffuse gamma ray background. We use the observational data on the diffuse gamma ray background in order to determine our constraints on the model of the dark matter particle decay and on the corresponding variation of the baryon-to-photon ratio: Δη/η ≲ 10 -5 . It has been shown that the variation of the baryon-to-photon ratio caused by the annihilation of the dark matter particles is negligible during the cosmological epochs from Big Bang nucleosynthesis to the present epoch. (paper)

Asymmetric dark matter: residual annihilations and self-interactions arXiv

CERN Document Server

Baldes, Iason; Panci, Paolo; Petraki, Kalliopi; Sala, Filippo; Taoso, Marco

Dark matter (DM) coupled to light mediators has been invoked to resolve the putative discrepancies between collisionless cold DM and galactic structure observations. However, $\\gamma$-ray searches and the CMB strongly constrain such scenarios. To ease the tension, we consider asymmetric DM. We show that, contrary to the common lore, detectable annihilations occur even for large asymmetries, and derive bounds from the CMB, $\\gamma$-ray, neutrino and antiproton searches. We then identify the viable space for self-interacting DM. Direct detection does not exclude this scenario, but provides a way to test it.

Characterization of lacunar defects by positrons annihilation

CERN Document Server

Barthe, M F; Blondiaux, G

2003-01-01

Among the nondestructive methods for the study of matter, the positrons annihilation method allows to sound the electronic structure of materials by measuring the annihilation characteristics. These characteristics depend on the electronic density as seen by the positon, and on the electron momentums distribution which annihilate with the positon. The positon is sensible to the coulombian potential variations inside a material and sounds preferentially the regions away from nuclei which represent potential wells. The lacunar-type defects (lack of nuclei) represent deep potential wells which can trap the positon up to temperatures close to the melting. This article describes the principles of this method and its application to the characterization of lacunar defects: 1 - positrons: matter probes (annihilation of electron-positon pairs, annihilation characteristics, positrons sources); 2 - positrons interactions in solids (implantation profiles, annihilation states, diffusion and trapping, positon lifetime spec...

All-flavour search for neutrinos from dark matter annihilations in the Milky Way with IceCube/DeepCore

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aartsen, M.G.; Hill, G.C.; Robertson, S.; Wallace, A.; Whelan, B.J. [University of Adelaide, Department of Physics, Adelaide (Australia); Abraham, K.; Bernhard, A.; Coenders, S.; Holzapfel, K.; Huber, M.; Jurkovic, M.; Krings, K.; Resconi, E.; Turcati, A.; Veenkamp, J. [Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Physik-department, Garching (Germany); Ackermann, M.; Bernardini, E.; Blot, S.; Bretz, H.P.; Cruz Silva, A.H.; Franckowiak, A.; Gluesenkamp, T.; Gora, D.; Jacobi, E.; Karg, T.; Kintscher, T.; Kunwar, S.; Middell, E.; Mohrmann, L.; Nahnhauer, R.; Satalecka, K.; Schoenwald, A.; Spiering, C.; Stasik, A.; Stoessl, A.; Strotjohann, N.L.; Terliuk, A.; Usner, M.; Santen, J. van; Yanez, J.P. [DESY, Zeuthen (Germany); Adams, J. [University of Canterbury, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch (New Zealand); Aguilar, J.A.; Ansseau, I.; Heereman, D.; Meagher, K.; Meures, T.; O' Murchadha, A.; Pinat, E.; Raab, C. [Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, Brussels (Belgium); Ahlers, M.; Braun, J.; Chirkin, D.; Day, M.; Desiati, P.; Diaz-Velez, J.C.; Fahey, S.; Feintzeig, J.; Ghorbani, K.; Gladstone, L.; Griffith, Z.; Halzen, F.; Hanson, K.; Hoshina, K.; Jero, K.; Karle, A.; Kelley, J.L.; Kheirandish, A.; Krueger, C.; Mancina, S.; McNally, F.; Merino, G.; Sabbatini, L.; Tobin, M.N.; Tosi, D.; Vandenbroucke, J.; Van Rossem, M.; Wandkowsky, N.; Wendt, C.; Westerhoff, S.; Wille, L.; Xu, D.L. [University of Wisconsin, Department of Physics, Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, Madison, WI (United States); Ahrens, M.; Bohm, C.; Dumm, J.P.; Finley, C.; Flis, S.; Hultqvist, K.; Walck, C.; Wolf, M.; Zoll, M. [Stockholm University, Department of Physics, Oskar Klein Centre, Stockholm (Sweden); Altmann, D.; Anton, G.; Katz, U.; Kittler, T.; Tselengidou, M. [Friedrich-Alexander-Universitaet Erlangen-Nuernberg, Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Erlangen (Germany); Andeen, K. [Marquette University, Department of Physics, Milwaukee, WI (United States); Anderson, T.; Arlen, T.C.; Dunkman, M.; Huang, F.; Keivani, A.; Lanfranchi, J.L.; Pankova, D.V.; Quinnan, M.; Tesic, G. [Pennsylvania State University, Department of Physics, University Park, PA (United States); Archinger, M.; Baum, V.; Boeser, S.; Del Pino Rosendo, E.; Di Lorenzo, V.; Eberhardt, B.; Ehrhardt, T.; Foesig, C.C.; Koepke, L.; Krueckl, G.; Sandroos, J.; Steuer, A.; Wiebe, K. [University of Mainz, Institute of Physics, Mainz (Germany); Arguelles, C.; Axani, S.; Collin, G.H.; Conrad, J.M.; Jones, B.J.P.; Moulai, M. [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Physics, Cambridge, MA (United States); Auffenberg, J.; Bissok, M.; Glagla, M.; Haack, C.; Hansmann, B.; Hansmann, T.; Kemp, J.; Konietz, R.; Leuermann, M.; Leuner, J.; Penek, Oe.; Raedel, L.; Reimann, R.; Rongen, M.; Schimp, M.; Schoenen, S.; Schumacher, L.; Stahlberg, M.; Vehring, M.; Wallraff, M.; Wickmann, S.; Wiebusch, C.H. [RWTH Aachen University, III. Physikalisches Institut, Aachen (Germany); Bai, X. [South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Physics Department, Rapid City, SD (United States); Barwick, S.W.; Yodh, G. [University of California, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Irvine, CA (United States); Bay, R.; Filimonov, K.; Price, P.B.; Woschnagg, K. [University of California, Department of Physics, Berkeley, CA (United States); Beatty, J.J. [Ohio State University, Department of Physics, Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics, Columbus, OH (United States); Ohio State University, Department of Astronomy, Columbus, OH (United States); Becker Tjus, J.; Bos, F.; Eichmann, B.; Kroll, M.; Mandelartz, M.; Schoeneberg, S.; Tenholt, F. [Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum, Fakultaet fuer Physik and Astronomie, Bochum (Germany); Becker, K.H.; Bindig, D.; Helbing, K.; Hickford, S.; Hoffmann, R.; Kopper, S.; Naumann, U.; Obertacke Pollmann, A.; Omairat, A.; Posselt, J.; Soldin, D. [University of Wuppertal, Department of Physics, Wuppertal (Germany); BenZvi, S. [University of Rochester, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rochester, NY (United States); Berghaus, P. [National Research Nuclear University, Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (MEPhI), Moscow (Russian Federation); Berley, D.; Blaufuss, E.; Cheung, E.; Felde, J.; Hellauer, R.; Hoffman, K.D.; Huelsnitz, W.; Maunu, R.; Olivas, A.; Schmidt, T.; Song, M.; Sullivan, G.W.; Wissing, H. [University of Maryland, Department of Physics, College Park, MD (United States); Besson, D.Z. [University of Kansas, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Lawrence, KS (United States); Binder, G.; Gerhardt, L.; Klein, S.R.; Miarecki, S.; Tatar, J. [University of California, Department of Physics, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (United States); and others

2016-10-15

We present the first IceCube search for a signal of dark matter annihilations in the Milky Way using all-flavour neutrino-induced particle cascades. The analysis focuses on the DeepCore sub-detector of IceCube, and uses the surrounding IceCube strings as a veto region in order to select starting events in the DeepCore volume. We use 329 live-days of data from IceCube operating in its 86-string configuration during 2011-2012. No neutrino excess is found, the final result being compatible with the background-only hypothesis. From this null result, we derive upper limits on the velocity-averaged self-annihilation cross-section, left angle σ{sub A}v right angle, for dark matter candidate masses ranging from 30 GeV up to 10 TeV, assuming both a cuspy and a flat-cored dark matter halo profile. For dark matter masses between 200 GeV and 10 TeV, the results improve on all previous IceCube results on left angle σ{sub A}v right angle, reaching a level of 10{sup -23} cm{sup 3} s {sup -1}, depending on the annihilation channel assumed, for a cusped NFW profile. The analysis demonstrates that all-flavour searches are competitive with muon channel searches despite the intrinsically worse angular resolution of cascades compared to muon tracks in IceCube. (orig.)

Dark matter relics and the expansion rate in scalar-tensor theories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dutta, Bhaskar; Jimenez, Esteban [Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A and M University, College Station, TX 77843 (United States); Zavala, Ivonne, E-mail: dutta@physics.tamu.edu, E-mail: este1985@physics.tamu.edu, E-mail: e.i.zavalacarrasco@swansea.ac.uk [Department of Physics, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP (United Kingdom)

2017-06-01

We study the impact of a modified expansion rate on the dark matter relic abundance in a class of scalar-tensor theories. The scalar-tensor theories we consider are motivated from string theory constructions, which have conformal as well as disformally coupled matter to the scalar. We investigate the effects of such a conformal coupling to the dark matter relic abundance for a wide range of initial conditions, masses and cross-sections. We find that exploiting all possible initial conditions, the annihilation cross-section required to satisfy the dark matter content can differ from the thermal average cross-section in the standard case. We also study the expansion rate in the disformal case and find that physically relevant solutions require a nontrivial relation between the conformal and disformal functions. We study the effects of the disformal coupling in an explicit example where the disformal function is quadratic.

Secretly asymmetric dark matter

Science.gov (United States)

Agrawal, Prateek; Kilic, Can; Swaminathan, Sivaramakrishnan; Trendafilova, Cynthia

2017-01-01

We study a mechanism where the dark matter number density today arises from asymmetries generated in the dark sector in the early Universe, even though the total dark matter number remains zero throughout the history of the Universe. The dark matter population today can be completely symmetric, with annihilation rates above those expected from thermal weakly interacting massive particles. We give a simple example of this mechanism using a benchmark model of flavored dark matter. We discuss the experimental signatures of this setup, which arise mainly from the sector that annihilates the symmetric component of dark matter.

The role of positronium decoherence in positron annihilation in matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pietrow, M.; Slomski, P.

2011-01-01

A small difference between the energies of the para-positronium (p-Ps) and ortho-positronium (o-Ps) states suggests the possibility of the superposition of p-Ps and o-Ps during the formation of positronium (Ps) from pre-Ps, terminating its migration in the matter in a void. It is shown that such a superposition decoheres in the basis of p-Ps and o-Ps. The decoherence time scale estimated here motivates a correction in the precise analysis of the positron annihilation lifetime spectra. More generally, the superposited Ps state should contribute to the theory of the evolution of positronium in matter. -- Highlights: → Decoherence time decrease exponentially with the number of e - interacting with Ps. → Time scale of the decoherence motivates correction in decomposition of PALS spectra. → We showed the way of modification for formulas used for PALS spectra decomposition. → The superposited Ps should contribute to the positronium in matter evolution theory. → We examined the magnetisation influence to be expected on the process of decoherence.

Constraints on self interacting dark matter from IceCube results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Albuquerque, Ivone F.M.; Robertson, Denis S.; Heros, Carlos Pérez de los

2014-01-01

If dark matter particles self-interact, their capture by astrophysical objects should be enhanced. As a consequence, the rate by which they annihilate at the center of the object will increase. If their self scattering is strong, it can be observed indirectly through an enhancement of the flux of their annihilation products. Here we investigate the effect of self-interaction on the neutrino flux produced by annihilating dark matter in the center of the Sun. We consider annihilation into two channels: W + W − (or τ + τ − for a dark matter mass below the W mass) and b b-bar . We estimate the event rate in the IceCube detector, using its 79-string configuration, and compare our prediction to their experimental results, hence probing dark matter self interacting models

CERN: Antiprotons resist annihilation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

Ask any particle physicist what is the eventual fate of an antiproton in matter and he will likely tell you that It annihilates'. True as this answer is, it hides a number of fascinating questions about the actual 'route' followed by the antiproton into the nucleus where it finally stops before annihilating with a nuclear particle

Moisture dependence of positron annihilation rates in molecular substances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, J.J.; Holt, W.H.

1982-01-01

Positron annihilation rates have been studied in polymers and graphite-polymer composites as a function of their moisture content. The annihilation rates have been found to increase linearly with increasing moisture content in epoxies and polyamides, whereas no definite trends have been observed in polyimides. These experimental results have been used as the basis for the calculation of moisture content of several polymeric test specimens. For example, the directly measured moisture content of a Kevlar specimen was 45.5 + or - 5.0% of saturation value, whereas the moisture content on the basis of the decrease in positron lifetime was calculated to be 46.5 + or - 3.5%. Similarly, the directly measured moisture content of a graphite-epoxy composite (55 v/o fiber) was 19.2 + or - 0.6% of saturation value as opposed to a calculated value of 16.0 + or - 5.0%

Detecting electron neutrinos from solar dark matter annihilation by JUNO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Wan-Lei

2016-01-01

We explore the electron neutrino signals from light dark matter (DM) annihilation in the Sun for the large liquid scintillator detector JUNO. In terms of the spectrum features of three typical DM annihilation channels χχ → νν-bar , τ + τ − , b b-bar , we take two sets of selection conditions to calculate the expected signals and atmospheric neutrino backgrounds based on the Monte Carlo simulation data. Then the JUNO sensitivities to the spin independent DM-nucleon and spin dependent DM-proton cross sections are presented. It is found that the JUNO projected sensitivities are much better than the current spin dependent direct detection experimental limits for the νν-bar and τ + τ − channels. In the spin independent case, the JUNO will give the better sensitivity to the DM-nucleon cross section than the LUX and CDMSlite limits for the νν-bar channel with the DM mass lighter than 6.5 GeV . If the νν-bar or τ + τ − channel is dominant, the future JUNO results are very helpful for us to understand the tension between the DAMA annual modulation signal and other direct detection exclusions

Characterization of lacunar defects by positrons annihilation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barthe, M.F.; Corbel, C.; Blondiaux, G.

2003-01-01

Among the nondestructive methods for the study of matter, the positrons annihilation method allows to sound the electronic structure of materials by measuring the annihilation characteristics. These characteristics depend on the electronic density as seen by the positon, and on the electron momentums distribution which annihilate with the positon. The positon is sensible to the coulombian potential variations inside a material and sounds preferentially the regions away from nuclei which represent potential wells. The lacunar-type defects (lack of nuclei) represent deep potential wells which can trap the positon up to temperatures close to the melting. This article describes the principles of this method and its application to the characterization of lacunar defects: 1 - positrons: matter probes (annihilation of electron-positon pairs, annihilation characteristics, positrons sources); 2 - positrons interactions in solids (implantation profiles, annihilation states, diffusion and trapping, positon lifetime spectrum: evolution with the concentration of defects); 3 - measurement of annihilation characteristics with two gamma photons (lifetime spectroscopy with the β + 22 Na isotope, spectroscopy of Doppler enlargement of the annihilation line); 4 - determination of the free volume of defects inside or at the surface of materials (annihilation signature in lacunar defects, lacuna, lacunar clusters and cavities, acceptors nature in semiconductors: ionic or lacunar, interface defects, precipitates in alloys); 5 - conclusions. (J.S.)

Dark Matter Annihilation in The Galactic Center As Seen by the Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hooper, Dan; /Fermilab /Chicago U., Astron. Astrophys. Ctr.; Goodenough, Lisa; /New York U.

2010-10-01

We analyze the first two years of data from the Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope from the direction of the inner 10{sup o} around the Galactic Center with the intention of constraining, or finding evidence of, annihilating dark matter. We find that the morphology and spectrum of the emission between 1.25{sup o} and 10{sup o} from the Galactic Center is well described by a the processes of decaying pions produced in cosmic ray collisions with gas, and the inverse Compton scattering of cosmic ray electrons in both the disk and bulge of the Inner Galaxy, along with gamma rays from known points sources in the region. The observed spectrum and morphology of the emission within approximately 1.25{sup o} ({approx}175 parsecs) of the Galactic Center, in contrast, cannot be accounted for by these processes or known sources. We find that an additional component of gamma ray emission is clearly present which is highly concentrated around the Galactic Center, but is not point-like in nature. The observed morphology of this component is consistent with that predicted from annihilating dark matter with a cusped (and possibly adiabatically contracted) halo distribution ({rho} {proportional_to} r{sup -1.34{+-}0.04}). The observed spectrum of this component, which peaks at energies between 2-4 GeV (in E{sup 2} units), is well fit by that predicted for a 7.3-9.2 GeV dark matter particle annihilating primarily to tau leptons with a cross section in the range of <{sigma}{nu}> = 3.3 x 10{sup -27} to 1.5 x 10{sup -26} cm{sup 3}/s, depending on how the dark matter distribution is normalized. We discuss other possible sources for this component, but argue that they are unlikely to account for the observed emission.

Moisture dependence of positron annihilation rates in molecular substances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, J.J.; Holt, W.H.; Mock, W. Jr.

1982-01-01

Positron annihilation rates have been studied in polymers and graphite-polymer composites as a function of their moisture content. The annihilation rates have been found to increase linearly with increasing moisture content in epoxies and polyamides, whereas no definite trends have been observed in the polymides. These experimental results have been used as the basis for the calculation of moisture content of several polymeric test specimens. For example, the directly measured moisture content of a Kevlar/epoxy specimen (55 v/o fiber) was 45.5 +- 5.0% of saturation value, whereas the moisture content on the basis of the decrease in positron lifetime was calculated to be 46.5 +- 3.5%. Similarly, the directly measured moisture content of a graphite/epoxy composite (55 v/o fiber) was 19.2 +- 0.6% of saturation value as opposed to a calculated value of 16.0 +- 5.0%. (orig.)

Searches for dark matter self-annihilation signals from dwarf spheroidal galaxies and the Fornax galaxy cluster with imaging air Cherenkov telescopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Opitz, Bjoern Helmut Bastian

2014-06-01

Many astronomical observations indicate that dark matter pervades the universe and dominates the formation and dynamics of cosmic structures. Weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) with masses in the GeV to TeV range form a popular class of dark matter candidates. WIMP self-annihilation may lead to the production of γ-rays in the very high energy regime above 100 GeV, which is observable with imaging air Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs). For this thesis, observations of dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSph) and the Fornax galaxy cluster with the Cherenkov telescope systems H.E.S.S., MAGIC and VERITAS were used to search for γ-ray signals of dark matter annihilations. The work consists of two parts: First, a likelihood-based statistical technique was introduced to combine published results of dSph observations with the different IACTs. The technique also accounts for uncertainties on the ''J factors'', which quantify the dark matter content of the dwarf galaxies. Secondly, H.E.S.S. observations of the Fornax cluster were analyzed. In this case, a collection of dark matter halo models was used for the J factor computation. In addition, possible signal enhancements from halo substructures were considered. None of the searches yielded a significant γ-ray signal. Therefore, the results were used to place upper limits on the thermally averaged dark matter self-annihilation cross-section left angle σν right angle. Different models for the final state of the annihilation process were considered. The cross-section limits range from left angle σν right angle UL ∝10 -19 cm 3 s -1 to left angle σν right angle UL ∝10 -25 cm 3 s -1 for dark matter particles masses between 100 GeV and 100 TeV. Some of the diverse model uncertainties causing this wide range of left angle σν right angle UL values were analyzed.

Positron annihilation probing for the hydratation rate of cement paste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Myllylae, R.; Karras, M.

1975-01-01

Positron annihilation has been found to be a possible probe for the exponential hydratation of cement paste. Both lifetime and Doppler line broadening measurements revealed the hydratation rate. With the aid of increased stability in the lifetime spectrometer it has been possible to extend the measuring sensitivity over a period of several weeks. Two main lifetimes, tau 1 = 480 +- 20 psec and tau 2 = 2.1 +- 0.1 nsec, were observed to be constant during the hydratation. The intensity of the 2.1 nsec component changed from 4 to 8% after 47 days, and simultaneously the annihilation line narrowed from 2.6 to 2.4 keV. This behaviour has been interpreted as an increase in positronium formation. The possible practical applications of positron annihilation radiation as a hydratation probe has been evaluated for use in a concrete laboratory and even for regular construction work. (orig.) [de

Constraints on an annihilation signal from a core of constant dark matter density around the milky way center with H.E.S.S.

Science.gov (United States)

Abramowski, A; Aharonian, F; Ait Benkhali, F; Akhperjanian, A G; Angüner, E O; Backes, M; Balenderan, S; Balzer, A; Barnacka, A; Becherini, Y; Becker Tjus, J; Berge, D; Bernhard, S; Bernlöhr, K; Birsin, E; Biteau, J; Böttcher, M; Boisson, C; Bolmont, J; Bordas, P; Bregeon, J; Brun, F; Brun, P; Bryan, M; Bulik, T; Carrigan, S; Casanova, S; Chadwick, P M; Chakraborty, N; Chalme-Calvet, R; Chaves, R C G; Chrétien, M; Colafrancesco, S; Cologna, G; Conrad, J; Couturier, C; Cui, Y; Davids, I D; Degrange, B; Deil, C; deWilt, P; Djannati-Ataï, A; Domainko, W; Donath, A; Drury, L O'C; Dubus, G; Dutson, K; Dyks, J; Dyrda, M; Edwards, T; Egberts, K; Eger, P; Espigat, P; Farnier, C; Fegan, S; Feinstein, F; Fernandes, M V; Fernandez, D; Fiasson, A; Fontaine, G; Förster, A; Füßling, M; Gabici, S; Gajdus, M; Gallant, Y A; Garrigoux, T; Giavitto, G; Giebels, B; Glicenstein, J F; Gottschall, D; Grondin, M-H; Grudzińska, M; Hadasch, D; Häffner, S; Hahn, J; Harris, J; Heinzelmann, G; Henri, G; Hermann, G; Hervet, O; Hillert, A; Hinton, J A; Hofmann, W; Hofverberg, P; Holler, M; Horns, D; Ivascenko, A; Jacholkowska, A; Jahn, C; Jamrozy, M; Janiak, M; Jankowsky, F; Jung-Richardt, I; Kastendieck, M A; Katarzyński, K; Katz, U; Kaufmann, S; Khélifi, B; Kieffer, M; Klepser, S; Klochkov, D; Kluźniak, W; Kolitzus, D; Komin, Nu; Kosack, K; Krakau, S; Krayzel, F; Krüger, P P; Laffon, H; Lamanna, G; Lefaucheur, J; Lefranc, V; Lemière, A; Lemoine-Goumard, M; Lenain, J-P; Lohse, T; Lopatin, A; Lu, C-C; Marandon, V; Marcowith, A; Marx, R; Maurin, G; Maxted, N; Mayer, M; McComb, T J L; Méhault, J; Meintjes, P J; Menzler, U; Meyer, M; Mitchell, A M W; Moderski, R; Mohamed, M; Morå, K; Moulin, E; Murach, T; de Naurois, M; Niemiec, J; Nolan, S J; Oakes, L; Odaka, H; Ohm, S; Opitz, B; Ostrowski, M; Oya, I; Panter, M; Parsons, R D; Paz Arribas, M; Pekeur, N W; Pelletier, G; Petrucci, P-O; Peyaud, B; Pita, S; Poon, H; Pühlhofer, G; Punch, M; Quirrenbach, A; Raab, S; Reichardt, I; Reimer, A; Reimer, O; Renaud, M; de Los Reyes, R; Rieger, F; Romoli, C; Rosier-Lees, S; Rowell, G; Rudak, B; Rulten, C B; Sahakian, V; Salek, D; Sanchez, D A; Santangelo, A; Schlickeiser, R; Schüssler, F; Schulz, A; Schwanke, U; Schwarzburg, S; Schwemmer, S; Sol, H; Spanier, F; Spengler, G; Spies, F; Stawarz, Ł; Steenkamp, R; Stegmann, C; Stinzing, F; Stycz, K; Sushch, I; Tavernet, J-P; Tavernier, T; Taylor, A M; Terrier, R; Tluczykont, M; Trichard, C; Valerius, K; van Eldik, C; van Soelen, B; Vasileiadis, G; Veh, J; Venter, C; Viana, A; Vincent, P; Vink, J; Völk, H J; Volpe, F; Vorster, M; Vuillaume, T; Wagner, S J; Wagner, P; Wagner, R M; Ward, M; Weidinger, M; Weitzel, Q; White, R; Wierzcholska, A; Willmann, P; Wörnlein, A; Wouters, D; Yang, R; Zabalza, V; Zaborov, D; Zacharias, M; Zdziarski, A A; Zech, A; Zechlin, H-S

2015-02-27

An annihilation signal of dark matter is searched for from the central region of the Milky Way. Data acquired in dedicated on-off observations of the Galactic center region with H.E.S.S. are analyzed for this purpose. No significant signal is found in a total of ∼9  h of on-off observations. Upper limits on the velocity averaged cross section, ⟨σv⟩, for the annihilation of dark matter particles with masses in the range of ∼300  GeV to ∼10  TeV are derived. In contrast to previous constraints derived from observations of the Galactic center region, the constraints that are derived here apply also under the assumption of a central core of constant dark matter density around the center of the Galaxy. Values of ⟨σv⟩ that are larger than 3×10^{-24}  cm^{3}/s are excluded for dark matter particles with masses between ∼1 and ∼4  TeV at 95% C.L. if the radius of the central dark matter density core does not exceed 500 pc. This is the strongest constraint that is derived on ⟨σv⟩ for annihilating TeV mass dark matter without the assumption of a centrally cusped dark matter density distribution in the search region.

Explanation of the 511 keV line. Cascade annihilating dark matter with the {sup 8}Be anomaly

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jia, Lian-Bao [Southwest University of Science and Technology, School of Science, Mianyang (China)

2018-02-15

A possible dark matter (DM) explanation about the long-standing issue of the Galactic 511 keV line is explored in this paper. For DM cascade annihilations of concern, a DM pair π{sub d}{sup +}π{sub d}{sup -} annihilates into unstable π{sub d}{sup 0}π{sub d}{sup 0}, and π{sub d}{sup 0} decays into e{sup +}e{sup -} with new interactions suggested by the {sup 8}Be anomaly. Considering the constraints from the effective neutrino number N{sub eff} and the 511 keV gamma-ray emission, a range of DM is obtained, 11.6 annihilation cross section today is about 3.3 x 10{sup -29} cm{sup 3} s{sup -1}, which can give an explanation about the 511 keV line. The MeV scale DM may be searched by the DM-electron scattering, and the upper limit set by the CMB s-wave annihilation is derived in DM direct detections. (orig.)

Anitproton-matter interactions in antiproton applications

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan, David L., Jr.

1990-01-01

By virtue of the highly energetic particles released when they annihilate in matter, antiprotons have a variety of potentially important applications. Among others, these include remote 3-D density and composition imaging of the human body and also of thick, dense materials, cancer therapy, and spacecraft propulsion. Except for spacecraft propulsion, the required numbers of low energy antiprotons can be produced, stored, and transported through reliance on current or near term technology. Paramount to these applications and to fundamental research involving antiprotons is knowledge of how antiprotons interact with matter. The basic annihilation process is fairly well understood, but the antiproton annihilation and energy loss rates in matter depend in complex ways on a number of atomic processes. The rates, and the corresponding cross sections, were measured or are accurately predictable only for limited combinations of antiproton kinetic energy and material species.

Efficient kinetic Monte Carlo method for reaction-diffusion problems with spatially varying annihilation rates

Science.gov (United States)

Schwarz, Karsten; Rieger, Heiko

2013-03-01

We present an efficient Monte Carlo method to simulate reaction-diffusion processes with spatially varying particle annihilation or transformation rates as it occurs for instance in the context of motor-driven intracellular transport. Like Green's function reaction dynamics and first-passage time methods, our algorithm avoids small diffusive hops by propagating sufficiently distant particles in large hops to the boundaries of protective domains. Since for spatially varying annihilation or transformation rates the single particle diffusion propagator is not known analytically, we present an algorithm that generates efficiently either particle displacements or annihilations with the correct statistics, as we prove rigorously. The numerical efficiency of the algorithm is demonstrated with an illustrative example.

Dark matter annihilation in the milky way galaxy: effects of baryonic compression.

Science.gov (United States)

Prada, F; Klypin, A; Flix, J; Martínez, M; Simonneau, E

2004-12-10

If the dark matter (DM), which is considered to constitute most of the mass of galaxies, is made of supersymmetric particles, the central region of our Galaxy should emit gamma rays produced by their annihilation. We use detailed models of the Milky Way to make accurate estimates of continuum gamma-ray fluxes. We argue that the most important effect, which was previously neglected, is the compression of the dark matter due to the infall of baryons to the galactic center: it boosts the expected signal by a factor 1000. To illustrate this effect, we computed the expected gamma fluxes in the minimal supergravity scenario. Our models predict that the signal could be detected at high confidence levels by imaging atmospheric C erenkov telescopes assuming that neutralinos make up most of the DM in the Universe.

Pressure and temperature dependencies of o-Ps annihilation rates in ethane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, S.C.; Juengerman, E.M.

1985-01-01

The authors report new results on the behavior of the sharp enhancement seen recently in the pickoff annihilation rates of orthopositronium atoms as functions of pressure and temperature of ethane gas

Constraints on the dark matter annihilation from Fermi-LAT observation of M31

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Zhengwei; Yuan, Qiang [Key Laboratory of Dark Matter and Space Astronomy, Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2 West Beijing Road, Nanjing, 210008 (China); Huang, Xiaoyuan [Physik-Department T30d, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Straße, Garching, D-85748 Germany (Germany); Xu, Yupeng, E-mail: lizw@ihep.ac.cn, E-mail: huangxiaoyuan@gmail.com, E-mail: yuanq@pmo.ac.cn, E-mail: xuyp@ihep.ac.cn [Key Laboratory of Particle Astrophysics, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19B Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049 (China)

2016-12-01

Gamma-ray is a good probe of dark matter (DM) particles in the Universe. We search for the DM annihilation signals in the direction of the Andromeda galaxy (M31) using 7.5 year Fermi-LAT pass 8 data. Similar to Pshirkov et al. (2016), we find that there is residual excess emission from the direction of M31 if only the galactic disk as traced by the far infrared emission is considered. Adding a point-like source will improve the fitting effectively, although additional slight improvements can be found if an extended component such as a uniform disk or two bubbles is added instead. Taking the far infrared disk plus a point source as the background model, we search for the DM annihilation signals in the data. We find that there is strong degeneracy between the emission from the galaxy and that from 10s GeV mass DM annihilation in the main halo with quark final state. However, the required DM annihilation cross section is about 10{sup −25}–10{sup −24} cm{sup 3}s{sup −1}, orders of magnitude larger than the constraints from observations of dwarf spheroidal galaxies, indicating a non-DM origin of the emission. If DM subhalos are taken into account, the degeneracy is broken. When considering the enhancement from DM subhalos, the constraints on DM model parameters are comparable to (or slightly weaker than) those from the population of dwarf spheroidal galaxies. We also discuss the inverse Compton scattering component from DM annihilation induced electrons/positrons. For the first time we include an energy dependent template of the inverse Compton emission (i.e., a template cube) in the data analysis to take into account the effect of diffusion of charged particles. We find a significant improvement of the constraints in the high mass range of DM particles after considering the inverse Compton emission.

Impact of Sommerfeld enhancement on helium reionization via WIMP dark matter

Science.gov (United States)

Bandyopadhyay, Bidisha; Schleicher, Dominik R. G.

2018-03-01

Dark matter annihilation can have a strong impact on many astrophysical processes in the Universe. In the case of Sommerfeld-enhanced annihilation cross sections, the annihilation rates are enhanced at late times, thus enhancing the potential annihilation signatures. We here calculate the Sommerfeld-enhanced annihilation signatures during the epoch of helium reionization, the epoch where helium becomes fully ionized due to energetic photons. When considering the upper limits on the energy injection from the CMB, we find that the resulting abundance of He++ becomes independent of the dark matter particle mass. The resulting enhancement compared to a standard scenario is thus 1-2 orders of magnitude higher. For realistic scenarios compatible with CMB constraints, there is no significant shift in the epoch of helium reionization, which is completed between redshifts 3 and 4. While it is thus difficult to disentangle dark matter annihilation from astrophysical contributions (active galactic nuclei), a potential detection of dark matter particles and its interactions using the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) would allow one to quantify the dark matter contribution.

ATHENA: an actual antihydrogen annihilation

CERN Multimedia

2002-01-01

This is an image of an actual matter-antimatter annihilation due to an atom of antihydrogen in the ATHENA experiment, located on the Antiproton Decelerator (AD) at CERN since 2001. The antiproton produces four charged pions (yellow) whose positions are given by silicon microstrips (pink) before depositing energy in CsI crystals (yellow cubes). The positron also annihilates to produce back-to-back gamma rays (red).

Positron annihilation spectroscopy in condensed matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brauer, G.

1982-09-01

The topic of positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) is the investigation of all aspects connected with the annihilation of slow positrons. This work deals with the application of PAS to different problems of materials science. The first chapter is an introduction to fundamental aspects of positron annihilation, as far as they are important to the different experimental techniques of PAS. Chapter 2 is concerned with the information obtainable by PAS. The three main experimental techniques of PAS (2γ-angular correlation, positron lifetime and Doppler broadening) are explained and problems in the application of these methods are discussed. Chapter 3 contains experimental results. According to the different fields of application it was subgrouped into: 1. Investigations of crystalline solids. Detection of structural defects in Cu, estimation of defect concentrations, study of the sintering of Cu powders as well as lattice defects in V 3 Si. 2. Chemical investigations. Structure of mixed solvents, selective solvation of mixed solvents by electrolytes as well as the micellization of sodium dodecylsulphate in aqueous solutions. 3. Investigations of glasses. Influence of heat treatment and production technology on the preorder of X-amorphous silica glass as well as preliminary measurements of pyrocerams. 4. Investigations of metallic glasses. Demonstration of the influence of production technology on parameters measurable by PAS. Chapter 4 contains a summary as well as an outlook of further applications of PAS to surface physics, medicine, biology and astrophysics. (author)

SEARCH FOR DARK MATTER ANNIHILATION SIGNALS FROM THE FORNAX GALAXY CLUSTER WITH H.E.S.S

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abramowski, A. [Institut fuer Experimentalphysik, Universitaet Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, D 22761 Hamburg (Germany); Acero, F. [Laboratoire de Physique Theorique et Astroparticules, Universite Montpellier 2, CNRS/IN2P3, CC 70, Place Eugene Bataillon, F-34095 Montpellier Cedex 5 (France); Aharonian, F.; Bernloehr, K.; Bochow, A. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, P.O. Box 103980, D 69029 Heidelberg (Germany); Akhperjanian, A. G. [National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, Yerevan (Armenia); Anton, G.; Balzer, A.; Brucker, J. [Physikalisches Institut, Universitaet Erlangen-Nuernberg, Erwin-Rommel-Str. 1, D 91058 Erlangen (Germany); Barnacka, A. [Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center, ul. Bartycka 18, 00-716 Warsaw (Poland); Barres de Almeida, U. [Department of Physics, University of Durham, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Becherini, Y. [Astroparticule et Cosmologie (APC), CNRS, Universite Paris 7 Denis Diderot, 10, rue Alice Domon et Leonie Duquet, F-75205 Paris Cedex 13 (France); Becker, J. [Institut fuer Theoretische Physik, Lehrstuhl IV: Weltraum und Astrophysik, Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum, D 44780 Bochum (Germany); Behera, B. [Landessternwarte, Universitaet Heidelberg, Koenigstuhl, D 69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Birsin, E. [Institut fuer Physik, Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin, Newtonstr. 15, D 12489 Berlin (Germany); Biteau, J.; Brun, F. [Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet, Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS/IN2P3, F-91128 Palaiseau (France); Boisson, C. [LUTH, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, Universite Paris Diderot, 5 Place Jules Janssen, 92190 Meudon (France); Bolmont, J. [LPNHE, Universite Pierre et Marie Curie Paris 6, Universite Denis Diderot Paris 7, CNRS/IN2P3, 4 Place Jussieu, F-75252, Paris Cedex 5 (France); Bordas, P., E-mail: bjoern.opitz@desy.de [Institut fuer Astronomie und Astrophysik, Universitaet Tuebingen, Sand 1, D 72076 Tuebingen (Germany); Collaboration: H.E.S.S. Collaboration; and others

2012-05-10

The Fornax galaxy cluster was observed with the High Energy Stereoscopic System for a total live time of 14.5 hr, searching for very high energy (VHE; E > 100GeV) {gamma}-rays from dark matter (DM) annihilation. No significant signal was found in searches for point-like and extended emissions. Using several models of the DM density distribution, upper limits on the DM velocity-weighted annihilation cross-section ({sigma}v) as a function of the DM particle mass are derived. Constraints are derived for different DM particle models, such as those arising from Kaluza-Klein and supersymmetric models. Various annihilation final states are considered. Possible enhancements of the DM annihilation {gamma}-ray flux, due to DM substructures of the DM host halo, or from the Sommerfeld effect, are studied. Additional {gamma}-ray contributions from internal bremsstrahlung and inverse Compton radiation are also discussed. For a DM particle mass of 1 TeV, the exclusion limits at 95% of confidence level reach values of ({sigma}v){sup 95%C.L.} {approx} 10{sup -23} cm{sup 3} s{sup -1}, depending on the DM particle model and halo properties. Additional contribution from DM substructures can improve the upper limits on ({sigma}v) by more than two orders of magnitude. At masses around 4.5 TeV, the enhancement by substructures and the Sommerfeld resonance effect results in a velocity-weighted annihilation cross-section upper limit at the level of ({sigma}v){sup 95%C.L.} {approx}10{sup -26} cm{sup 3} s{sup -1}.

SEARCH FOR DARK MATTER ANNIHILATION SIGNALS FROM THE FORNAX GALAXY CLUSTER WITH H.E.S.S

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abramowski, A.; Acero, F.; Aharonian, F.; Bernlöhr, K.; Bochow, A.; Akhperjanian, A. G.; Anton, G.; Balzer, A.; Brucker, J.; Barnacka, A.; Barres de Almeida, U.; Becherini, Y.; Becker, J.; Behera, B.; Birsin, E.; Biteau, J.; Brun, F.; Boisson, C.; Bolmont, J.; Bordas, P.

2012-01-01

The Fornax galaxy cluster was observed with the High Energy Stereoscopic System for a total live time of 14.5 hr, searching for very high energy (VHE; E > 100GeV) γ-rays from dark matter (DM) annihilation. No significant signal was found in searches for point-like and extended emissions. Using several models of the DM density distribution, upper limits on the DM velocity-weighted annihilation cross-section (σv) as a function of the DM particle mass are derived. Constraints are derived for different DM particle models, such as those arising from Kaluza-Klein and supersymmetric models. Various annihilation final states are considered. Possible enhancements of the DM annihilation γ-ray flux, due to DM substructures of the DM host halo, or from the Sommerfeld effect, are studied. Additional γ-ray contributions from internal bremsstrahlung and inverse Compton radiation are also discussed. For a DM particle mass of 1 TeV, the exclusion limits at 95% of confidence level reach values of (σv) 95%C.L. ∼ 10 –23 cm 3 s –1 , depending on the DM particle model and halo properties. Additional contribution from DM substructures can improve the upper limits on (σv) by more than two orders of magnitude. At masses around 4.5 TeV, the enhancement by substructures and the Sommerfeld resonance effect results in a velocity-weighted annihilation cross-section upper limit at the level of (σv) 95%C.L. ∼10 –26 cm 3 s –1 .

A search for gamma-ray imprints of annihilating dark matter in the galaxy, and the astrophysical implications of ultra-light fundamental vector bosons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zechlin, Hannes-Sebastian

2013-12-15

Standard Model extensions imply new elementary particles that can lead to specific astrophysical signatures. In particular, weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) can constitute the unknown non-luminous cold dark matter, which contributes approximately 84% to the matter content of the Universe. Annihilation or decay of WIMPs may lead to high-energy gamma-rays. In this thesis, new methods of searching for gamma-ray signals from annihilating dark matter are developed and applied. Moreover, astrophysical imprints of new ultra-light hidden U(1) gauge bosons in radio data are investigated. Hierarchical structure formation predicts a variety of smaller bound dark matter sub-halos in Milky-Way-like galactic hosts. It is shown that the Fermi-LAT is sufficiently sensitive for detecting up to a few nearby dark matter subhalos in terms of faint gamma-ray sources with a moderate angular extent. Searches in the first and second Fermi-LAT source catalogs reveal about ten candidate sources each. To discriminate the source candidates from conventional astrophysical objects, an analysis for spectral, spatial, positional, and temporal gamma-ray properties using 3.5 years of Fermi-LAT data is carried out. In addition, a multi-wavelength analysis of archival data or follow-up observations in the radio, infrared, optical, UV, X-ray, high-energy, and very-high energy gamma-ray bands is carried out. The broad-band spectra of all promising candidates are compatible with AGN, in particular high-energy peaked BL-Lac type objects (HBLs). Dark matter annihilation can contribute to the small-scale angular anisotropy spectrum of the diffuse gamma-ray background (DGB). The detection capabilities of currently operating imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes and the planned Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) are studied. With CTA, a relative gamma-ray contribution from annihilating dark matter of 10% to the extragalactic DGB can be resolved via angular anisotropies. In terms of the dark

A search for gamma-ray imprints of annihilating dark matter in the galaxy, and the astrophysical implications of ultra-light fundamental vector bosons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zechlin, Hannes-Sebastian

2013-12-01

Standard Model extensions imply new elementary particles that can lead to specific astrophysical signatures. In particular, weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) can constitute the unknown non-luminous cold dark matter, which contributes approximately 84% to the matter content of the Universe. Annihilation or decay of WIMPs may lead to high-energy gamma-rays. In this thesis, new methods of searching for gamma-ray signals from annihilating dark matter are developed and applied. Moreover, astrophysical imprints of new ultra-light hidden U(1) gauge bosons in radio data are investigated. Hierarchical structure formation predicts a variety of smaller bound dark matter sub-halos in Milky-Way-like galactic hosts. It is shown that the Fermi-LAT is sufficiently sensitive for detecting up to a few nearby dark matter subhalos in terms of faint gamma-ray sources with a moderate angular extent. Searches in the first and second Fermi-LAT source catalogs reveal about ten candidate sources each. To discriminate the source candidates from conventional astrophysical objects, an analysis for spectral, spatial, positional, and temporal gamma-ray properties using 3.5 years of Fermi-LAT data is carried out. In addition, a multi-wavelength analysis of archival data or follow-up observations in the radio, infrared, optical, UV, X-ray, high-energy, and very-high energy gamma-ray bands is carried out. The broad-band spectra of all promising candidates are compatible with AGN, in particular high-energy peaked BL-Lac type objects (HBLs). Dark matter annihilation can contribute to the small-scale angular anisotropy spectrum of the diffuse gamma-ray background (DGB). The detection capabilities of currently operating imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes and the planned Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) are studied. With CTA, a relative gamma-ray contribution from annihilating dark matter of 10% to the extragalactic DGB can be resolved via angular anisotropies. In terms of the dark

Dynamics of optical matter creation and annihilation in colloidal liquids controlled by laser trapping power.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jin; Dai, Qiao-Feng; Huang, Xu-Guang; Wu, Li-Jun; Guo, Qi; Hu, Wei; Yang, Xiang-Bo; Lan, Sheng; Gopal, Achanta Venu; Trofimov, Vyacheslav A

2008-11-15

We investigate the dynamics of optical matter creation and annihilation in a colloidal liquid that was employed to construct an all-optical switch. It is revealed that the switching-on process can be characterized by the Fermi-Dirac distribution function, while the switching-off process can be described by a steady state followed by a single exponential decay. The phase transition times exhibit a strong dependence on trapping power. With an increasing trapping power, while the switching-on time decreases rapidly, the switch-off time increases significantly, indicating the effects of optical binding and van der Waals force on the lifetime of the optical matter.

High nuclear temperatures by antimatter-matter annihilation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gibbs, W.R.; Strottman, D.

1985-01-01

It is suggested that the quark-gluon phase be created through the use of antiproton or antideuteron beams. The first advantage to this method, using higher energy antiprotons than 1.5 GeV/c, is that the higher momenta antiprotons penetrate more deeply so that mesons produced are more nearly contained within the nucleus. Another advantage is that the annihilation products are very forward-peaked and tend to form a beam of mesons so that the energy density does not disperse very rapidly. Calculations were performed using the intranuclear cascade to try to follow the process of annihilation in some detail. The intranuclear cascade type calculation method is compared to the hydrodynamic approach. 8 refs., 8 figs

Positron annihilation spectroscopy in materials structure studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grafutin, Viktor I; Prokop'ev, Evgenii P

2002-01-01

A relatively new method of materials structure analysis - positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) - is reviewed. Measurements of positron lifetimes, the determination of positron 3γ- and 2γ-annihilation probabilities, and an investigation of the effects of different external factors on the fundamental characteristics of annihilation constitute the basis for this promising method. The ways in which the positron annihilation process operates in ionic crystals, semiconductors, metals and some condensed matter systems are analyzed. The scope of PAS is described and its prospects for the study of the electronic and defect structures are discussed. The applications of positron annihilation spectroscopy in radiation physics and chemistry of various substances as well as in physics and chemistry of solutions are exemplified. (instruments and methods of investigation)

Investigation of matter-antimatter interaction for possible propulsion applications

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan, D. L., Jr.

1974-01-01

Matter-antimatter annihilation is discussed as a means of rocket propulsion. The feasibility of different means of antimatter storage is shown to depend on how annihilation rates are affected by various circumstances. The annihilation processes are described, with emphasis on important features of atom-antiatom interatomic potential energies. A model is developed that allows approximate calculation of upper and lower bounds to the interatomic potential energy for any atom-antiatom pair. Formulae for the upper and lower bounds for atom-antiatom annihilation cross-sections are obtained and applied to the annihilation rates for each means of antimatter storage under consideration. Recommendations for further studies are presented.

Dark matter CMB constraints and likelihoods for poor particle physicists

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cline, James M.; Scott, Pat, E-mail: jcline@physics.mcgill.ca, E-mail: patscott@physics.mcgill.ca [Department of Physics, McGill University, 3600 rue University, Montréal, QC, H3A 2T8 (Canada)

2013-03-01

The cosmic microwave background provides constraints on the annihilation and decay of light dark matter at redshifts between 100 and 1000, the strength of which depends upon the fraction of energy ending up in the form of electrons and photons. The resulting constraints are usually presented for a limited selection of annihilation and decay channels. Here we provide constraints on the annihilation cross section and decay rate, at discrete values of the dark matter mass m{sub χ}, for all the annihilation and decay channels whose secondary spectra have been computed using PYTHIA in arXiv:1012.4515 (''PPPC 4 DM ID: a poor particle physicist cookbook for dark matter indirect detection''), namely e, μ, τ, V → e, V → μ, V → τ, u, d s, c, b, t, γ, g, W, Z and h. By interpolating in mass, these can be used to find the CMB constraints and likelihood functions from WMAP7 and Planck for a wide range of dark matter models, including those with annihilation or decay into a linear combination of different channels.

Dark matter CMB constraints and likelihoods for poor particle physicists

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cline, James M.; Scott, Pat

2013-01-01

The cosmic microwave background provides constraints on the annihilation and decay of light dark matter at redshifts between 100 and 1000, the strength of which depends upon the fraction of energy ending up in the form of electrons and photons. The resulting constraints are usually presented for a limited selection of annihilation and decay channels. Here we provide constraints on the annihilation cross section and decay rate, at discrete values of the dark matter mass m χ , for all the annihilation and decay channels whose secondary spectra have been computed using PYTHIA in arXiv:1012.4515 (''PPPC 4 DM ID: a poor particle physicist cookbook for dark matter indirect detection''), namely e, μ, τ, V → e, V → μ, V → τ, u, d s, c, b, t, γ, g, W, Z and h. By interpolating in mass, these can be used to find the CMB constraints and likelihood functions from WMAP7 and Planck for a wide range of dark matter models, including those with annihilation or decay into a linear combination of different channels

Constraint on the velocity dependent dark matter annihilation cross section from gamma-ray and kinematic observations of ultrafaint dwarf galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Yi; Bi, Xiao-Jun; Yin, Peng-Fei; Zhang, Xinmin

2018-03-01

Searching for γ rays from dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) is a promising approach to detect dark matter (DM) due to the high DM densities and low baryon components in dSphs. The Fermi-LAT observations from dSphs have set stringent constraints on the velocity independent annihilation cross section. However, the constraints from dSphs may change in velocity dependent annihilation scenarios because of the different velocity dispersions in galaxies. In this work, we study how to set constraints on the velocity dependent annihilation cross section from the combined Fermi-LAT observations of dSphs with the kinematic data. In order to calculate the γ ray flux from the dSph, the correlation between the DM density profile and velocity dispersion at each position should be taken into account. We study such correlation and the relevant uncertainty from kinematic observations by performing a Jeans analysis. Using the observational results of three ultrafaint dSphs with large J-factors, including Willman 1, Reticulum II, and Triangulum II, we set constraints on the p-wave annihilation cross section in the Galaxy as an example.

Annihilation physics of exotic galactic dark matter particles

Science.gov (United States)

Stecker, F. W.

1990-01-01

Various theoretical arguments make exotic heavy neutral weakly interacting fermions, particularly those predicted by supersymmetry theory, attractive candidates for making up the large amount of unseen gravitating mass in galactic halos. Such particles can annihilate with each other, producing secondary particles of cosmic-ray energies, among which are antiprotons, positrons, neutrinos, and gamma-rays. Spectra and fluxes of these annihilation products can be calculated, partly by making use of positron electron collider data and quantum chromodynamic models of particle production derived therefrom. These spectra may provide detectable signatures of exotic particle remnants of the big bang.

Polarization of photons in matter–antimatter annihilation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moskaliuk, S.S. [Bogolyubov Institute for Theoretical Physics, Metrolohichna Street, 14-b, Kyiv-143, Ukraine, UA-03143 e-mail: mss@bitp.kiev.ua (Ukraine)

2015-03-10

In this work we demonstrate the possibility of generation of linear polarization of the electromagnetic field (EMF) due to the quantum effects in matter-antimatter annihilation process for anisotropic space of the I type according to Bianchi. We study the dynamics of this process to estimate the degree of polarisation of the EMF in the external gravitational field of the anisotropic Bianchi I model. It has been established that the quantum effects in matter-antimatter annihilation process in the external gravitational field of the anisotropic Bianchi I model provide contribution to the degree of polarisation of the EMF in quadrupole harmonics.

Searching for dark matter with neutrino telescopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hooper, Dan; Silk, Joseph

2004-01-01

One of the most interesting mysteries of astrophysics is the puzzle of dark matter. Although numerous techniques have been explored and developed to detect this elusive substance, its nature remains unknown. One such method uses large high-energy neutrino telescopes to look for the annihilation products of dark matter annihilations. In this paper, we briefly review this technique. We describe the calculations used to find the rate of capture of WIMPs in the Sun or Earth and the spectrum of neutrinos produced in the resulting dark matter annihilations. We will discuss these calculations within the context of supersymmetry and models with universal extra dimensions, the lightest supersymmetric particle and lightest Kaluza-Klein particle providing the WIMP candidate in these cases, respectively. We will also discuss the status of some of the experiments relevant to these searches: AMANDA, IceCube and ANTARES

Inverse Compton gamma-rays from galactic dark matter annihilation. Anisotropy signatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Le; Sigl, Guenter; Miniati, Francesco

2010-08-01

High energy electrons and positrons from annihilating dark matter can imprint unique angular anisotropies on the diffuse gamma-ray flux by inverse Compton scattering off the interstellar radiation field. We develop a numerical tool to compute gamma-ray emission from such electrons and positrons diffusing in the smooth host halo and in substructure halos with masses down to 10 -6 M s un. We show that, unlike the total gamma-ray angular power spectrum observed by Fermi-LAT, the angular power spectrum from inverse Compton scattering is exponentially suppressed below an angular scale determined by the diffusion length of electrons and positrons. For TeV scale dark matter with a canonical thermal freeze-out cross section 3 x 10 -26 cm 3 /s, this feature may be detectable by Fermi-LAT in the energy range 100-300 GeV after more sophisticated foreground subtraction. We also find that the total flux and the shape of the angular power spectrum depends sensitively on the spatial distribution of subhalos in the Milky Way. Finally, the contribution from the smooth host halo component to the gamma-ray mean intensity is negligibly small compared to subhalos. (orig.)

Inverse Compton gamma-rays from galactic dark matter annihilation. Anisotropy signatures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Le; Sigl, Guenter [Hamburg Univ. (Germany). 2. Inst. fuer Theoretische Physik; Miniati, Francesco [ETH Zuerich (Switzerland). Physics Dept.

2010-08-15

High energy electrons and positrons from annihilating dark matter can imprint unique angular anisotropies on the diffuse gamma-ray flux by inverse Compton scattering off the interstellar radiation field. We develop a numerical tool to compute gamma-ray emission from such electrons and positrons diffusing in the smooth host halo and in substructure halos with masses down to 10{sup -6}M{sub s}un. We show that, unlike the total gamma-ray angular power spectrum observed by Fermi-LAT, the angular power spectrum from inverse Compton scattering is exponentially suppressed below an angular scale determined by the diffusion length of electrons and positrons. For TeV scale dark matter with a canonical thermal freeze-out cross section 3 x 10{sup -26} cm{sup 3}/s, this feature may be detectable by Fermi-LAT in the energy range 100-300 GeV after more sophisticated foreground subtraction. We also find that the total flux and the shape of the angular power spectrum depends sensitively on the spatial distribution of subhalos in the Milky Way. Finally, the contribution from the smooth host halo component to the gamma-ray mean intensity is negligibly small compared to subhalos. (orig.)

D-brane disformal coupling and thermal dark matter

Science.gov (United States)

Dutta, Bhaskar; Jimenez, Esteban; Zavala, Ivonne

2017-11-01

Conformal and disformal couplings between a scalar field and matter occur naturally in general scalar-tensor theories. In D-brane models of cosmology and particle physics, these couplings originate from the D-brane action describing the dynamics of its transverse (the scalar) and longitudinal (matter) fluctuations, which are thus coupled. During the post-inflationary regime and before the onset of big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN), these couplings can modify the expansion rate felt by matter, changing the predictions for the thermal relic abundance of dark matter particles and thus the annihilation rate required to satisfy the dark matter content today. We study the D-brane-like conformal and disformal couplings effect on the expansion rate of the Universe prior to BBN and its impact on the dark matter relic abundance and annihilation rate. For a purely disformal coupling, the expansion rate is always enhanced with respect to the standard one. This gives rise to larger cross sections when compared to the standard thermal prediction for a range of dark matter masses, which will be probed by future experiments. In a D-brane-like scenario, the scale at which the expansion rate enhancement occurs depends on the string coupling and the string scale.

Radiative corrections to neutralino annihilation. Recent developments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herrmann, Bjoern

2010-11-01

Evaluating the relic density of dark matter is an interesting possibility to constrain the parameter space of new physics models. However, this calculation is affected by several sources of uncertainty. On the particle physics side, considerable progress has been made in the recent years concerning the calculation of the annihilation cross-section of dark matter, which is needed in this context. In particular, within the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model, the theoretical uncertainty has been reduced through the calculation of loop corrections. The present contribution gives an overview over the achievements that have been made in QCD corrections to neutralino pair annihilation. The numerical impact is illustrated for a few examples. (orig.)

When the universe expands too fast: relentless dark matter

Science.gov (United States)

D'Eramo, Francesco; Fernandez, Nicolas; Profumo, Stefano

2017-05-01

We consider a modification to the standard cosmological history consisting of introducing a new species phi whose energy density red-shifts with the scale factor a like ρphi propto a-(4+n). For 0n>, such a red-shift is faster than radiation, hence the new species dominates the energy budget of the universe at early times while it is completely negligible at late times. If equality with the radiation energy density is achieved at low enough temperatures, dark matter can be produced as a thermal relic during the new cosmological phase. Dark matter freeze-out then occurs at higher temperatures compared to the standard case, implying that reproducing the observed abundance requires significantly larger annihilation rates. Here, we point out a completely new phenomenon, which we refer to as relentless dark matter: for large enough n, unlike the standard case where annihilation ends shortly after the departure from thermal equilibrium, dark matter particles keep annihilating long after leaving chemical equilibrium, with a significant depletion of the final relic abundance. Relentless annihilation occurs for n >= 2 and n >= 4 for s-wave and p-wave annihilation, respectively, and it thus occurs in well motivated scenarios such as a quintessence with a kination phase. We discuss a few microscopic realizations for the new cosmological component and highlight the phenomenological consequences of our calculations for dark matter searches.

Dark matter vs. astrophysics in the interpretation of AMS-02 electron and positron data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mauro, Mattia Di; Donato, Fiorenza; Fornengo, Nicolao; Vittino, Andrea, E-mail: mattia.dimauro@to.infn.it, E-mail: donato@to.infn.it, E-mail: fornengo@to.infn.it, E-mail: vittino@to.infn.it [Department of Physics, University of Torino, via P. Giuria 1, 10125 Torino (Italy)

2016-05-01

We perform a detailed quantitative analysis of the recent AMS-02 electron and positron data. We investigate the interplay between the emission from primary astrophysical sources, namely Supernova Remnants and Pulsar Wind Nebulae, and the contribution from a dark matter annihilation or decay signal. Our aim is to assess the information that can be derived on dark matter properties when both dark matter and primary astrophysical sources are assumed to jointly contribute to the leptonic observables measured by the AMS-02 experiment. We investigate both the possibility to set robust constraints on the dark matter annihilation/decay rate and the possibility to look for dark matter signals within realistic models that take into account the full complexity of the astrophysical background. Our results show that AMS-02 data enable to probe efficiently vast regions of the dark matter parameter space and, in some cases, to set constraints on the dark matter annihilation/decay rate that are comparable or even stronger than the ones derived from other indirect detection channels.

Dark matter vs. astrophysics in the interpretation of AMS-02 electron and positron data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mauro, Mattia Di; Donato, Fiorenza; Fornengo, Nicolao; Vittino, Andrea

2016-01-01

We perform a detailed quantitative analysis of the recent AMS-02 electron and positron data. We investigate the interplay between the emission from primary astrophysical sources, namely Supernova Remnants and Pulsar Wind Nebulae, and the contribution from a dark matter annihilation or decay signal. Our aim is to assess the information that can be derived on dark matter properties when both dark matter and primary astrophysical sources are assumed to jointly contribute to the leptonic observables measured by the AMS-02 experiment. We investigate both the possibility to set robust constraints on the dark matter annihilation/decay rate and the possibility to look for dark matter signals within realistic models that take into account the full complexity of the astrophysical background. Our results show that AMS-02 data enable to probe efficiently vast regions of the dark matter parameter space and, in some cases, to set constraints on the dark matter annihilation/decay rate that are comparable or even stronger than the ones derived from other indirect detection channels.

Effect of gravity on density distributions and orthopositronium annihilation rates in ethane and methane near the critical point

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, S.C.; Kafle, S.R.S.

1983-01-01

The effect of gravity on density distributions has been studied in ethane and methane near their critical points using the linear-model parametric equation of state. The results obtained from this study are used to further understand the sensitivity of orthopositronium annihilation rates to density fluctuations in molecular gases. It is shown that the influence of gravity is too small to account for the recently observed dependence of orthopositronium annihilation rates on the density of ethane gas at 306.4 K. However, a significant variation in local density vs height is calculated at temperatures closer to the gas--liquid critical point. The density and temperature dependencies of the annihilation rates of orthopositronium atoms, recently observed in ethane and methane gases, are discussed in terms of the findings of this study

Dark matter in and around stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sivertsson, Sofia

2009-01-01

There is by now compelling evidence that most of the matter in the universe is in the form of dark matter, a form of matter quite different from the matter we experience in every day life. The gravitational effects of this dark matter have been observed in many different ways but its true nature is still unknown. In most models dark matter particles can annihilate with each other into standard model particles. The direct or indirect observation of such annihilation products could give important clues for the dark matter puzzle. For signals from dark matter annihilations to be detectable, typically high dark matter densities are required. Massive objects, such as stars, can increase the local dark matter density both via scattering off nucleons and by pulling in dark matter gravitationally as the star forms. Dark matter annihilations outside the star would give rise to gamma rays and this is discussed in the first paper. Furthermore dark matter annihilations inside the star would deposit energy inside the star which, if abundant enough, could alter the stellar evolution. Aspects of this are investigated in the second paper. Finally, local dark matter over densities formed in the early universe could still be around today; prospects of detecting gamma rays from such clumps are discussed in the third paper

Doppler-broadening of positron annihilation in a biological environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torrisi, L.; La Mela, C.; Catania, Univ.

1997-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the Doppler effect of the 511 keV γ peak from positron annihilation in biological matter: The broadening of the annihilation peak is due to positron annihilation with electrons that have high momentum. In aqueous solutions annihilation depends on the temperature and it is linked positronium formation. Measurements in vivo, on human brain, were taken during the diagnosis of positron emission tomography (PET) on healthy patients by injecting them with the beta emitter of short lifetime 18F . The Doppler-broadening in biological tissues rich in water content decreased significantly compared to biological solutions and water

Antiprotons from dark matter annihilation in the Galaxy. Astrophysical uncertainties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Evoli, Carmelo [Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (China). National Astronomical Observatories; Cholis, Ilias; Ullio, Piero [SISSA, Sezione di Trieste (Italy); INFN, Sezione di Trieste (Italy); Grasso, Dario [INFN, Sezione di Pisa (Italy); Maccione, Luca [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany)

2011-08-15

The latest years have seen steady progresses in WIMP dark matter (DM) searches, with hints of possible signals suggested by both direct and indirect detection experiments. Antiprotons can play a key role validating those interpretations since they are copiously produced by WIMP annihilations in the Galactic halo, and the secondary antiproton background produced by Cosmic Ray (CR) interactions is predicted with fair accuracy and matches the observed spectrum very well. Using the publicly available numerical DRAGON code, we reconsider antiprotons as a tool to constrain DM models discussing its power and limitations. We provide updated constraints on a wide class of annihilating DM models by comparing our predictions against the most up-to-date anti p measurements, taking also into account the latest spectral information on the p, He and other CR nuclei fluxes. Doing that, we probe carefully the uncertainties associated to both secondary and DM originated antiprotons, by using a variety of distinctively different assumptions for the propagation of CRs and for the DM distribution in the Galaxy. We find that the impact of the astrophysical uncertainties on constraining the DM properties can be much stronger, up to a factor of {proportional_to}50, than the one due to uncertainties on the DM distribution ({proportional_to}2-6). Remarkably, even reducing the uncertainties on the propagation parameters derived by local observables, non-local effects can still change DM model constraints even by 50%. Nevertheless, current anti p data place tight constraints on DM models, excluding some of those suggested in connection with indirect and direct searches. Finally we discuss the power of upcoming CR spectral data from the AMS-02 observatory to drastically reduce the uncertainties discussed in this paper and estimate the expected sensitivity of this instrument to some sets of DM models. (orig.)

Exclusive channels in bar pp annihilation at rest

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bluem, P.

1992-01-01

Exclusive channels in bar pp annihilation at rest provide a powerful tool for studying the meson spectrum below the bar pp threshold. The mesons can be classified in SU(3) multiplets according to their quantum numbers. The states which do not fit into this classification are candidates for new forms of hadronic matter like glueballs, hybrids, and multi-quark states. Recent results on the search for exotic states in exclusive channels of bar pp annihilation at rest are discussed. No less important is the study of the annihilation mechanism. In particular, high-statistic measurements of bar pp annihilation at rest into two-meson final states are an excellent tool for studying quark dynamics. Examples of two-body reactions are presented. 24 refs., 9 figs., 3 tabs

When the universe expands too fast: relentless dark matter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

D' Eramo, Francesco; Fernandez, Nicolas; Profumo, Stefano, E-mail: fderamo@ucsc.edu, E-mail: nfernan2@ucsc.edu, E-mail: profumo@ucsc.edu [Department of Physics, University of California Santa Cruz, 1156 High St., Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States)

2017-05-01

We consider a modification to the standard cosmological history consisting of introducing a new species φ whose energy density red-shifts with the scale factor a like ρ{sub φ} ∝ a {sup −(4+} {sup n} {sup )}. For 0 n >, such a red-shift is faster than radiation, hence the new species dominates the energy budget of the universe at early times while it is completely negligible at late times. If equality with the radiation energy density is achieved at low enough temperatures, dark matter can be produced as a thermal relic during the new cosmological phase. Dark matter freeze-out then occurs at higher temperatures compared to the standard case, implying that reproducing the observed abundance requires significantly larger annihilation rates. Here, we point out a completely new phenomenon, which we refer to as relentless dark matter: for large enough n , unlike the standard case where annihilation ends shortly after the departure from thermal equilibrium, dark matter particles keep annihilating long after leaving chemical equilibrium, with a significant depletion of the final relic abundance. Relentless annihilation occurs for n ≥ 2 and n ≥ 4 for s -wave and p -wave annihilation, respectively, and it thus occurs in well motivated scenarios such as a quintessence with a kination phase. We discuss a few microscopic realizations for the new cosmological component and highlight the phenomenological consequences of our calculations for dark matter searches.

Atomic processes in matter-antimatter interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morgan, D.L.

1988-01-01

Atomic processes dominate antiproton stopping in matter at nearly all energies of interest. They significantly influence or determine the antiproton annihilation rate at all energies around or below several MeV. This article reviews what is known about these atomic processes. For stopping above about 10 eV the processes are antiproton-electron collisions, effective at medium keV through high MeV energies, and elastic collisions with atoms and adiabatic ionization of atoms, effective from medium eV through low keB energies. For annihilation above about 10 eV is the enhancement of the antiproton annihilation rate due to the antiproton-nucleus coulomb attraction, effective around and below a few tens of MeV. At about 10 eV and below, the atomic rearrangement/annihilation process determines both the stopping and annihilation rates. Although a fair amount of theoretical and some experimental work relevant to these processes exist, there are a number of energy ranges and material types for which experimental data does not exist and for which the theoretical information is not as well grounded or as accurate as desired. Additional experimental and theoretical work is required for accurate prediction of antiproton stopping and annihilation for energies and material relevant to antiproton experimentation and application

Revisit of cosmic ray antiprotons from dark matter annihilation with updated constraints on the background model from AMS-02 and collider data

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Ming-Yang; Pan, Xu; Yuan, Qiang; Fan, Yi-Zhong; Zong, Hong-Shi

2018-06-01

We study the cosmic ray antiprotons with updated constraints on the propagation, proton injection, and solar modulation parameters based on the newest AMS-02 data near the Earth and Voyager data in the local interstellar space, and on the cross section of antiproton production due to proton-proton collisions based on new collider data. We use a Bayesian approach to properly consider the uncertainties of the model predictions of both the background and the dark matter (DM) annihilation components of antiprotons. We find that including an extra component of antiprotons from the annihilation of DM particles into a pair of quarks can improve the fit to the AMS-02 antiproton data considerably. The favored mass of DM particles is about 60~100 GeV, and the annihilation cross section is just at the level of the thermal production of DM (langleσvrangle ~ O(10‑26) cm3 s‑1).

To the measurement of 3γ/2γ ratio for positron annihilation in matter using annihilation energy spectrum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrukhovich, S.K.; Berestov, A.V.; Antovich, N.M.; Metelitsa, O.N.

2001-01-01

Processes of the summation of cascade γ-quanta usually neglected, when registering the annihilation energy spectrum for the determination of the three-photon annihilation probability P 3γ of positronium in samples, are studied. The deviations of the actual P 3γ value from that determined without allowance made for the summation processes are 56% and 25% for Na(Tl) and Ge detectors placed at the distance of 3 cm from a positron source respectively. (author)

A Multi-frequency analysis of dark matter annihilation interpretations of recent anti-particle and γ-ray excesses in cosmic structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beck, G.; Colafrancesco, S., E-mail: geoff.m.beck@gmail.com, E-mail: sergio.colafrancesco@wits.ac.za [School of Physics, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, WITS-2050, Johannesburg (South Africa)

2016-05-01

The Fermi-LAT observation of a γ-ray excess from the galactic-centre, as well as the PAMELA, AMS, and AMS-2 anti-particle excesses, and the recent indications of a Fermi-LAT γ-ray excess in the Reticulum II dwarf galaxy have all been variously put forward as possible indirect signatures of supersymmetric neutralino dark matter. These are of particular interest as the neutralino annihilation models which fit these observations must have observable consequences across the frequency spectrum, from radio to γ-ray emission. Moreover, since dark matter is expected to be a major constituent of cosmic structure, these multi-frequency consequences should be common to such structures across the mass spectrum, from dwarf galaxies to galaxy clusters. Thus, in this work we make predictions for the multi-frequency spectra of three well-known sources dominated by dark matter on cluster, galaxy and dwarf galaxy scales, e.g. the Coma cluster, the galaxy M81, and the Draco dwarf galaxy, using models favoured by dark matter interpretations of the aforementioned observations. We pay special attention to the consequences for these models when their cross-sections are renormalised to reproduce the recent γ-ray excess observed in the Reticulum II dwarf galaxy, as well as using cross-sections from the Fermi-LAT dwarf galaxy limits, which throw a dark matter interpretation of this excess into doubt. We find that the multi-frequency data of Coma and Draco are in conflict with the dark matter interpretation of the AMS, PAMELA and Fermi positron excess. Additionally, models derived from Fermi-LAT galactic centre observations, and AMS-2 re-analysis, present similar but less extensive conflicts. Using the sensitivity projections for the Square Kilometre Array, the Cherenkov Telescope Array, as well as the ASTROGAM and ASTRO-H satellites, we determine the detection prospects for a subset of neutralino models that remain consistent with Planck cosmological constraints. Although the SKA has

Searching for Dark Matter Annihilation from Milky Way Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies with Six Years of Fermi Large Area Telescope Data.

Science.gov (United States)

Ackermann, M; Albert, A; Anderson, B; Atwood, W B; Baldini, L; Barbiellini, G; Bastieri, D; Bechtol, K; Bellazzini, R; Bissaldi, E; Blandford, R D; Bloom, E D; Bonino, R; Bottacini, E; Brandt, T J; Bregeon, J; Bruel, P; Buehler, R; Caliandro, G A; Cameron, R A; Caputo, R; Caragiulo, M; Caraveo, P A; Cecchi, C; Charles, E; Chekhtman, A; Chiang, J; Chiaro, G; Ciprini, S; Claus, R; Cohen-Tanugi, J; Conrad, J; Cuoco, A; Cutini, S; D'Ammando, F; de Angelis, A; de Palma, F; Desiante, R; Digel, S W; Di Venere, L; Drell, P S; Drlica-Wagner, A; Essig, R; Favuzzi, C; Fegan, S J; Ferrara, E C; Focke, W B; Franckowiak, A; Fukazawa, Y; Funk, S; Fusco, P; Gargano, F; Gasparrini, D; Giglietto, N; Giordano, F; Giroletti, M; Glanzman, T; Godfrey, G; Gomez-Vargas, G A; Grenier, I A; Guiriec, S; Gustafsson, M; Hays, E; Hewitt, J W; Horan, D; Jogler, T; Jóhannesson, G; Kuss, M; Larsson, S; Latronico, L; Li, J; Li, L; Llena Garde, M; Longo, F; Loparco, F; Lubrano, P; Malyshev, D; Mayer, M; Mazziotta, M N; McEnery, J E; Meyer, M; Michelson, P F; Mizuno, T; Moiseev, A A; Monzani, M E; Morselli, A; Murgia, S; Nuss, E; Ohsugi, T; Orienti, M; Orlando, E; Ormes, J F; Paneque, D; Perkins, J S; Pesce-Rollins, M; Piron, F; Pivato, G; Porter, T A; Rainò, S; Rando, R; Razzano, M; Reimer, A; Reimer, O; Ritz, S; Sánchez-Conde, M; Schulz, A; Sehgal, N; Sgrò, C; Siskind, E J; Spada, F; Spandre, G; Spinelli, P; Strigari, L; Tajima, H; Takahashi, H; Thayer, J B; Tibaldo, L; Torres, D F; Troja, E; Vianello, G; Werner, M; Winer, B L; Wood, K S; Wood, M; Zaharijas, G; Zimmer, S

2015-12-04

The dwarf spheroidal satellite galaxies (dSphs) of the Milky Way are some of the most dark matter (DM) dominated objects known. We report on γ-ray observations of Milky Way dSphs based on six years of Fermi Large Area Telescope data processed with the new Pass8 event-level analysis. None of the dSphs are significantly detected in γ rays, and we present upper limits on the DM annihilation cross section from a combined analysis of 15 dSphs. These constraints are among the strongest and most robust to date and lie below the canonical thermal relic cross section for DM of mass ≲100  GeV annihilating via quark and τ-lepton channels.

Energetic neutrinos from heavy-neutralino annihilation in the Sun. Ph.D. Thesis

Science.gov (United States)

Kamionkowski, Marc

1991-01-01

Neutralinos may be captured in the sun and annihilated therein producing high-energy neutrinos. Present limits on the flux of such neutrinos from underground detectors such as IMB and Kamiokande 2 may be used to rule out certain supersymmetric dark matter candidates, while in many other supersymmetric models the rates are large enough that if neutralinos do reside in the galactic halo, observation of a neutrino signal may be possible in the near future. Neutralinos that are either nearly pure Higgsino or a Higgsino/gaugino combination are generally captured in the sun by coherent scattering off nuclei via exchange of the lightest Higgs boson. If the squark mass is not much greater than the neutralino mass, then capture of neutralinos that are primarily gaugino occurs predominantly by spin-dependent scattering off hydrogen in the sun. The neutrino signal from annihilation of WIMPs with masses in the range of 80 to 1000 GeV in the sun should generally be stronger than that from weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) annihilation in the earth, and detection rates for mixed-state neutralinos are generally higher than those for Higgsinos or gauginos.

Codecaying Dark Matter.

Science.gov (United States)

Dror, Jeff Asaf; Kuflik, Eric; Ng, Wee Hao

2016-11-18

We propose a new mechanism for thermal dark matter freeze-out, called codecaying dark matter. Multicomponent dark sectors with degenerate particles and out-of-equilibrium decays can codecay to obtain the observed relic density. The dark matter density is exponentially depleted through the decay of nearly degenerate particles rather than from Boltzmann suppression. The relic abundance is set by the dark matter annihilation cross section, which is predicted to be boosted, and the decay rate of the dark sector particles. The mechanism is viable in a broad range of dark matter parameter space, with a robust prediction of an enhanced indirect detection signal. Finally, we present a simple model that realizes codecaying dark matter.

Strong constraints on self-interacting dark matter with light mediators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bringmann, Torsten; Walia, Parampreet

2017-04-01

Coupling dark matter to light new particles is an attractive way to combine thermal production with strong velocity-dependent self-interactions. Here we point out that in such models the dark matter annihilation rate is generically enhanced by the Sommerfeld effect, and we derive the resulting constraints from the Cosmic Microwave Background and other indirect detection probes. For the frequently studied case of s-wave annihilation these constraints exclude the entire parameter space where the self-interactions are large enough to address the small-scale problems of structure formation.

Strong constraints on self-interacting dark matter with light mediators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bringmann, Torsten; Walia, Parampreet [Oslo Univ. (Norway). Dept. of Physics; Kahlhoefer, Felix; Schmidt-Hoberg, Kai [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany)

2017-04-15

Coupling dark matter to light new particles is an attractive way to combine thermal production with strong velocity-dependent self-interactions. Here we point out that in such models the dark matter annihilation rate is generically enhanced by the Sommerfeld effect, and we derive the resulting constraints from the Cosmic Microwave Background and other indirect detection probes. For the frequently studied case of s-wave annihilation these constraints exclude the entire parameter space where the self-interactions are large enough to address the small-scale problems of structure formation.

Loop-induced dark matter direct detection signals from gamma-ray lines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frandsen, Mads Toudal; Haisch, Ulrich; Kahlhoefer, Felix

2012-01-01

Improved limits as well as tentative claims for dark matter annihilation into gamma-ray lines have been presented recently. We study the direct detection cross section induced from dark matter annihilation into two photons in a model-independent fashion, assuming no additional couplings between...... dark matter and nuclei. We find a striking non-standard recoil spectrum due to different destructively interfering contributions to the dark matter nucleus scattering cross section. While in the case of s-wave annihilation the current sensitivity of direct detection experiments is insufficient...... to compete with indirect detection searches, for p-wave annihilation the constraints from direct searches are comparable. This will allow to test dark matter scenarios with p-wave annihilation that predict a large di-photon annihilation cross section in the next generation of experiments....

Impeded Dark Matter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kopp, Joachim; Liu, Jia [PRISMA Cluster of Excellence & Mainz Institute for Theoretical Physics,Johannes Gutenberg University,Staudingerweg 7, 55099 Mainz (Germany); Slatyer, Tracy R. [Center for Theoretical Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Wang, Xiao-Ping [PRISMA Cluster of Excellence & Mainz Institute for Theoretical Physics,Johannes Gutenberg University,Staudingerweg 7, 55099 Mainz (Germany); Xue, Wei [Center for Theoretical Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States)

2016-12-12

We consider dark matter models in which the mass splitting between the dark matter particles and their annihilation products is tiny. Compared to the previously proposed Forbidden Dark Matter scenario, the mass splittings we consider are much smaller, and are allowed to be either positive or negative. To emphasize this modification, we dub our scenario “Impeded Dark Matter”. We demonstrate that Impeded Dark Matter can be easily realized without requiring tuning of model parameters. For negative mass splitting, we demonstrate that the annihilation cross-section for Impeded Dark Matter depends linearly on the dark matter velocity or may even be kinematically forbidden, making this scenario almost insensitive to constraints from the cosmic microwave background and from observations of dwarf galaxies. Accordingly, it may be possible for Impeded Dark Matter to yield observable signals in clusters or the Galactic center, with no corresponding signal in dwarfs. For positive mass splitting, we show that the annihilation cross-section is suppressed by the small mass splitting, which helps light dark matter to survive increasingly stringent constraints from indirect searches. As specific realizations for Impeded Dark Matter, we introduce a model of vector dark matter from a hidden SU(2) sector, and a composite dark matter scenario based on a QCD-like dark sector.

Impeded Dark Matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kopp, Joachim; Liu, Jia; Slatyer, Tracy R.; Wang, Xiao-Ping; Xue, Wei

2016-01-01

We consider dark matter models in which the mass splitting between the dark matter particles and their annihilation products is tiny. Compared to the previously proposed Forbidden Dark Matter scenario, the mass splittings we consider are much smaller, and are allowed to be either positive or negative. To emphasize this modification, we dub our scenario “Impeded Dark Matter”. We demonstrate that Impeded Dark Matter can be easily realized without requiring tuning of model parameters. For negative mass splitting, we demonstrate that the annihilation cross-section for Impeded Dark Matter depends linearly on the dark matter velocity or may even be kinematically forbidden, making this scenario almost insensitive to constraints from the cosmic microwave background and from observations of dwarf galaxies. Accordingly, it may be possible for Impeded Dark Matter to yield observable signals in clusters or the Galactic center, with no corresponding signal in dwarfs. For positive mass splitting, we show that the annihilation cross-section is suppressed by the small mass splitting, which helps light dark matter to survive increasingly stringent constraints from indirect searches. As specific realizations for Impeded Dark Matter, we introduce a model of vector dark matter from a hidden SU(2) sector, and a composite dark matter scenario based on a QCD-like dark sector.

Astrophysical limitations to the identification of dark matter: Indirect neutrino signals vis-a-vis direct detection recoil rates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serpico, Pasquale D.; Bertone, Gianfranco

2010-01-01

A convincing identification of dark matter (DM) particles can probably be achieved only through a combined analysis of different detections strategies, which provides an effective way of removing degeneracies in the parameter space of DM models. In practice, however, this program is made complicated by the fact that different strategies depend on different physical quantities, or on the same quantities but in a different way, making the treatment of systematic errors rather tricky. We discuss here the uncertainties on the recoil rate in direct-detection experiments and on the muon rate induced by neutrinos from dark matter annihilations in the Sun, and we show that, contrarily to the local DM density or overall cross section scale, irreducible astrophysical uncertainties affect the two rates in a different fashion, therefore limiting our ability to reconstruct the parameters of the dark matter particles. By varying within their respective errors astrophysical parameters such as the escape velocity and the velocity dispersion of dark matter particles, we show that the uncertainty on the relative strength of the neutrino and direct-detection signal is as large as a factor of 2 for typical values of the parameters, but can be even larger in some circumstances.

ANTICOOL: Simulating positron cooling and annihilation in atomic gases

Science.gov (United States)

Green, D. G.

2018-03-01

The Fortran program ANTICOOL, developed to simulate positron cooling and annihilation in atomic gases for positron energies below the positronium-formation threshold, is presented. Given positron-atom elastic scattering phase shifts, normalised annihilation rates Zeff, and γ spectra as a function of momentum k, ANTICOOL enables the calculation of the positron momentum distribution f(k , t) as a function of time t, the time-varying normalised annihilation rate Z¯eff(t) , the lifetime spectrum and time-varying annihilation γ spectra. The capability and functionality of the program is demonstrated via a tutorial-style example for positron cooling and annihilation in room temperature helium gas, using accurate scattering and annihilation cross sections and γ spectra calculated using many-body theory as input.

Dark matter from decaying topological defects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hindmarsh, Mark; Kirk, Russell; West, Stephen M.

2014-01-01

We study dark matter production by decaying topological defects, in particular cosmic strings. In topological defect or ''top-down'' (TD) scenarios, the dark matter injection rate varies as a power law with time with exponent p−4. We find a formula in closed form for the yield for all p < 3/2, which accurately reproduces the solution of the Boltzmann equation. We investigate two scenarios (p = 1, p = 7/6) motivated by cosmic strings which decay into TeV-scale states with a high branching fraction into dark matter particles. For dark matter models annihilating either by s-wave or p-wave, we find the regions of parameter space where the TD model can account for the dark matter relic density as measured by Planck. We find that topological defects can be the principal source of dark matter, even when the standard freeze-out calculation under-predicts the relic density and hence can lead to potentially large ''boost factor'' enhancements in the dark matter annihilation rate. We examine dark matter model-independent limits on this scenario arising from unitarity and discuss example model-dependent limits coming from indirect dark matter search experiments. In the four cases studied, the upper bound on Gμ for strings with an appreciable channel into TeV-scale states is significantly more stringent than the current Cosmic Microwave Background limits

Dark matter that can form dark stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gondolo, Paolo; Huh, Ji-Haeng; Kim, Hyung Do; Scopel, Stefano

2010-01-01

The first stars to form in the Universe may be powered by the annihilation of weakly interacting dark matter particles. These so-called dark stars, if observed, may give us a clue about the nature of dark matter. Here we examine which models for particle dark matter satisfy the conditions for the formation of dark stars. We find that in general models with thermal dark matter lead to the formation of dark stars, with few notable exceptions: heavy neutralinos in the presence of coannihilations, annihilations that are resonant at dark matter freeze-out but not in dark stars, some models of neutrinophilic dark matter annihilating into neutrinos only and lighter than about 50 GeV. In particular, we find that a thermal DM candidate in standard Cosmology always forms a dark star as long as its mass is heavier than ≅ 50 GeV and the thermal average of its annihilation cross section is the same at the decoupling temperature and during the dark star formation, as for instance in the case of an annihilation cross section with a non-vanishing s-wave contribution

Light and heavy dark matter particles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boehm, C.; Fayet, P.; Silk, J.

2004-01-01

It has recently been pointed out that the 511 keV emission line detected by integral/SPI from the bulge of our galaxy could be explained by annihilations of light dark matter particles into e + e - . If such a signature is confirmed, then one might expect a conflict with the interpretation of very high energy gamma rays if they also turn out to be due to dark matter annihilations. Here, we propose a way to accommodate the existence of both signals being produced by dark matter annihilations through the existence of two stable (neutral) dark matter particles, as is possible in theories inspired from N=2 supersymmetry

Constraints on particle dark matter from cosmic-ray antiprotons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fornengo, N.; Vittino, A.; Maccione, L.

2014-01-01

Cosmic-ray antiprotons represent an important channel for dark matter indirect-detection studies. Current measurements of the antiproton flux at the top of the atmosphere and theoretical determinations of the secondary antiproton production in the Galaxy are in good agreement, with no manifest deviation which could point to an exotic contribution in this channel. Therefore, antiprotons can be used as a powerful tool for constraining particle dark matter properties. By using the spectrum of PAMELA data from 50 MV to 180 GV in rigidity, we derive bounds on the dark matter annihilation cross section (or decay rate, for decaying dark matter) for the whole spectrum of dark matter annihilation (decay) channels and under different hypotheses of cosmic-rays transport in the Galaxy and in the heliosphere. For typical models of galactic propagation, the constraints are strong, setting a lower bound on the dark matter mass of a ''thermal'' relic at about 40–80 GeV for hadronic annihilation channels. These bounds are enhanced to about 150 GeV on the dark matter mass, when large cosmic-rays confinement volumes in the Galaxy are considered, and are reduced to 3–4 GeV for annihilation to light quarks (no bound for heavy-quark production) when the confinement volume is small. Bounds for dark matter lighter than few tens of GeV are due to the low energy part of the PAMELA spectrum, an energy region where solar modulation is relevant: to this aim, we have implemented a detailed solution of the transport equation in the heliosphere, which allowed us not only to extend bounds to light dark matter, but also to determine the uncertainty on the constraints arising from solar modulation modelling. Finally, we estimate the impact of soon-to-come AMS-02 data on the antiproton constraints

INSTRUMENTS AND METHODS OF INVESTIGATION: Positron annihilation spectroscopy in materials structure studies

Science.gov (United States)

Grafutin, Viktor I.; Prokop'ev, Evgenii P.

2002-01-01

A relatively new method of materials structure analysis — positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) — is reviewed. Measurements of positron lifetimes, the determination of positron 3γ- and 2γ-annihilation probabilities, and an investigation of the effects of different external factors on the fundamental characteristics of annihilation constitute the basis for this promising method. The ways in which the positron annihilation process operates in ionic crystals, semiconductors, metals and some condensed matter systems are analyzed. The scope of PAS is described and its prospects for the study of the electronic and defect structures are discussed. The applications of positron annihilation spectroscopy in radiation physics and chemistry of various substances as well as in physics and chemistry of solutions are exemplified.

Determination and applications of enhancement factors for positron and ortho-positronium annihilations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitroy, J.

2005-01-01

Electron-positron annihilation rates calculated directly from the electron and positron densities are known to underestimate the true annihilation rate. A correction factor, known as the enhancement factor, allows for the local increase of the electron density around the positron caused by the attractive electron-positron interaction. Enhancement factors are given for positrons annihilating with the 1s electron in H, He + , He, Li 2+ , and Li + . The enhancement factor for a free positron annihilating with He + and He is found to be close to that of ortho-positronium (i.e., Ps in its triplet state) annihilating with these atoms. The enhancement factor for Ps-He scattering is used in conjunction with the known annihilation rate for pickoff annihilation to derive a scattering length of 1.47a 0 for Ps-He scattering. Further, enhancement factors for e + -Ne and e + -Ar annihilation are used in conjunction with the pickoff annihilation rate to estimate scattering lengths of 1.46a 0 for Ps-Ne scattering and 1.75a 0 for Ps-Ar scattering

Two Emission Mechanisms in the Fermi Bubbles: A Possible Signal of Annihilating Dark Matter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hooper, Dan; Slatyer, Tracy R.

2013-09-01

We study the variation of the spectrum of the Fermi Bubbles with Galactic latitude. Far from the Galactic plane (|b| > 30 degrees), the observed gamma-ray emission is nearly invariant with latitude, and is consistent with arising from inverse Compton scattering of the interstellar radiation field by cosmic-ray electrons with an approximately power-law spectrum. The same electrons in the presence of microgauss-scale magnetic fields can also generate the the observed microwave "haze". At lower latitudes (b < 20 degrees), in contrast, the spectrum of the emission correlated with the Bubbles possesses a pronounced spectral feature peaking at 1-4 GeV (in E^2 dN/dE) which cannot be generated by any realistic spectrum of electrons. Instead, we conclude that a second (non-inverse-Compton) emission mechanism must be responsible for the bulk of the low-energy, low-latitude emission. This second component is spectrally similar to the excess GeV emission previously reported from the Galactic Center (GC), and also appears spatially consistent with a luminosity per volume falling approximately as r^-2.4, where r is the distance from the GC. We argue that the spectral feature visible in the low-latitude Bubbles is the extended counterpart of the GC excess, now detected out to at least 2-3 kpc from the GC. The spectrum and angular distribution of the signal is consistent with that predicted from ~10 GeV dark matter particles annihilating to leptons, or from ~50 GeV dark matter particles annihilating to quarks, following a distribution similar to the canonical Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) profile. We also consider millisecond pulsars as a possible astrophysical explanation for the signal, as observed millisecond pulsars possess a spectral cutoff at approximately the required energy. Any such scenario would require a large population of unresolved millisecond pulsars extending at least 2-3 kpc from the GC.

Unified Origin for Baryonic Visible Matter and Antibaryonic Dark Matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davoudiasl, Hooman; Morrissey, David E.; Tulin, Sean; Sigurdson, Kris

2010-01-01

We present a novel mechanism for generating both the baryon and dark matter densities of the Universe. A new Dirac fermion X carrying a conserved baryon number charge couples to the standard model quarks as well as a GeV-scale hidden sector. CP-violating decays of X, produced nonthermally in low-temperature reheating, sequester antibaryon number in the hidden sector, thereby leaving a baryon excess in the visible sector. The antibaryonic hidden states are stable dark matter. A spectacular signature of this mechanism is the baryon-destroying inelastic scattering of dark matter that can annihilate baryons at appreciable rates relevant for nucleon decay searches.

Unified origin for baryonic visible matter and antibaryonic dark matter.

Science.gov (United States)

Davoudiasl, Hooman; Morrissey, David E; Sigurdson, Kris; Tulin, Sean

2010-11-19

We present a novel mechanism for generating both the baryon and dark matter densities of the Universe. A new Dirac fermion X carrying a conserved baryon number charge couples to the standard model quarks as well as a GeV-scale hidden sector. CP-violating decays of X, produced nonthermally in low-temperature reheating, sequester antibaryon number in the hidden sector, thereby leaving a baryon excess in the visible sector. The antibaryonic hidden states are stable dark matter. A spectacular signature of this mechanism is the baryon-destroying inelastic scattering of dark matter that can annihilate baryons at appreciable rates relevant for nucleon decay searches.

A Simple Singlet Fermionic Dark-Matter Model Revisited

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qin Hong-Yi; Wang Wen-Yu; Xiong Zhao-Hua

2011-01-01

We evaluate the spin-independent elastic dark matter-nucleon scattering cross section in the framework of the simple singlet fermionic dark matter extension of the standard model and constrain the model parameter space with the following considerations: (i) new dark matter measurement, in which, apart from WMAP and CDMS, the results from the XENON experiment are also used in constraining the model; (ii) new fitted value of the quark fractions in nucleons, in which the updated value of f T s from the recent lattice simulation is much smaller than the previous one and may reduce the scattering rate significantly; (iii) new dark matter annihilation channels, in which the scenario where top quark and Higgs pairs produced by dark matter annihilation was not included in the previous works. We find that unlike in the minimal supersymmetric standard model, the cross section is just reduced by a factor of about 1/4 and dark matter lighter than 100 GeV is not favored by the WMAP, CDMS and XENON experiments. (the physics of elementary particles and fields)

Influence of mobility and annihilation of forest dislocations on radiation creep rate of metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pyatiletov, Yu.S.; Tyupkina, O.G.

1988-01-01

Dependence of radiation creep rate ε of metals on stress σ is calculated. It is established that account of mobility and annihilation of 'forest' dislocations leads to the increase of calculational value ε and the effect increases with the growth of σ, reaching 10-15% at σ ∼ 0.8 σ cr (σ cr - critical shear stress)

Neutrinos from WIMP annihilations obtained using a full three-flavor Monte Carlo approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blennow, Mattias; Ohlsson, Tommy; Edsjö, Joakim

2008-01-01

Weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) are one of the main candidates for making up the dark matter in the Universe. If these particles make up the dark matter, then they can be captured by the Sun or the Earth, sink to the respective cores, annihilate, and produce neutrinos. Thus, these neutrinos can be a striking dark matter signature at neutrino telescopes looking towards the Sun and/or the Earth. Here, we improve previous analyses on computing the neutrino yields from WIMP annihilations in several respects. We include neutrino oscillations in a full three-flavor framework as well as all effects from neutrino interactions on the way through the Sun (absorption, energy loss, and regeneration from tau decays). In addition, we study the effects of non-zero values of the mixing angle θ 13 as well as the normal and inverted neutrino mass hierarchies. Our study is performed in an event-based setting which makes these results very useful both for theoretical analyses and for building a neutrino telescope Monte Carlo code. All our results for the neutrino yields, as well as our Monte Carlo code, are publicly available. We find that the yield of muon-type neutrinos from WIMP annihilations in the Sun is enhanced or suppressed, depending on the dominant WIMP annihilation channel. This effect is due to an effective flavor mixing caused by neutrino oscillations. For WIMP annihilations inside the Earth, the distance from source to detector is too small to allow for any significant amount of oscillations at the neutrino energies relevant for neutrino telescopes

Dark Matter Coannihilation with a Lighter Species.

Science.gov (United States)

Berlin, Asher

2017-09-22

We propose a new thermal freeze-out mechanism for ultraheavy dark matter. Dark matter coannihilates with a lighter unstable species that is nearby in mass, leading to an annihilation rate that is exponentially enhanced relative to standard weakly interactive massive particles. This scenario destabilizes any potential dark matter candidate. In order to remain consistent with astrophysical observations, our proposal necessitates very long-lived states, motivating striking phenomenology associated with the late decays of ultraheavy dark matter, potentially as massive as the scale of grand unified theories, M_{GUT}∼10^{16}  GeV.

SOLAR CONSTRAINTS ON ASYMMETRIC DARK MATTER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lopes, Ilídio; Silk, Joseph

2012-01-01

The dark matter content of the universe is likely to be a mixture of matter and antimatter, perhaps comparable to the measured asymmetric mixture of baryons and antibaryons. During the early stages of the universe, the dark matter particles are produced in a process similar to baryogenesis, and dark matter freezeout depends on the dark matter asymmetry and the annihilation cross section (s-wave and p-wave annihilation channels) of particles and antiparticles. In these η-parameterized asymmetric dark matter (ηADM) models, the dark matter particles have an annihilation cross section close to the weak interaction cross section, and a value of dark matter asymmetry η close to the baryon asymmetry η B . Furthermore, we assume that dark matter scattering of baryons, namely, the spin-independent scattering cross section, is of the same order as the range of values suggested by several theoretical particle physics models used to explain the current unexplained events reported in the DAMA/LIBRA, CoGeNT, and CRESST experiments. Here, we constrain ηADM by investigating the impact of such a type of dark matter on the evolution of the Sun, namely, the flux of solar neutrinos and helioseismology. We find that dark matter particles with a mass smaller than 15 GeV, a spin-independent scattering cross section on baryons of the order of a picobarn, and an η-asymmetry with a value in the interval 10 –12 -10 –10 , would induce a change in solar neutrino fluxes in disagreement with current neutrino flux measurements. This result is also confirmed by helioseismology data. A natural consequence of this model is suppressed annihilation, thereby reducing the tension between indirect and direct dark matter detection experiments, but the model also allows a greatly enhanced annihilation cross section. All the cosmological ηADM scenarios that we discuss have a relic dark matter density Ωh 2 and baryon asymmetry η B in agreement with the current WMAP measured values, Ω DM h 2 = 0

Exponentially Light Dark Matter from Coannihilation

OpenAIRE

D'Agnolo, Raffaele Tito; Mondino, Cristina; Ruderman, Joshua T.; Wang, Po-Jen

2018-01-01

Dark matter may be a thermal relic whose abundance is set by mutual annihilations among multiple species. Traditionally, this coannihilation scenario has been applied to weak scale dark matter that is highly degenerate with other states. We show that coannihilation among states with split masses points to dark matter that is exponentially lighter than the weak scale, down to the keV scale. We highlight the regime where dark matter does not participate in the annihilations that dilute its numb...

Study of the electron-positron annihilation in the galactic center region with the Integral/SPI spectrometer; Etude de l'annihilation electron-positon dans la region du centre galactique avec le spectrometre INTEGRAL/SPI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sizun, P

2007-04-15

A spectral feature was detected in 1970 in the gamma-ray emission from the central regions of the Milky Way, during balloon flight observations. Located near 511 keV, this feature was soon attributed to the gamma-ray line tracing the annihilation of electrons with their anti-particles, positrons. However, none of the multiple astrophysical scenarios contemplated to explain the production of positrons in the Galactic bulge has been able to reproduce the high injection rate deduced from the flux of the 511 keV line, close to 10{sup 43} positrons per second. Launched in 2002, the European gamma-ray satellite INTEGRAL was provided with a spectrometer, SPI, whose unprecedented imaging and spectral capabilities in this energy range enable us to further study the source of the 511 keV line detected in the Galactic centre region. Indeed, a better determination of the spatial extent of the source, the intrinsic width of the line and the fraction of positrons annihilating in-flight, directly or via the formation of ortho-Positronium atoms would improve our knowledge of both the annihilation medium and the initial source of positrons, and could allow us to discriminate between the various explanatory scenarios. The first part of this thesis deals with a key ingredient in the extraction of the annihilation spectrum: the optimization of the instrumental background model. New data screening and tracer selection procedures are presented. Classical multi-linear models are compared to neural and Bayesian networks. Finally, three years of observation are used to constrain the width of the source and derive its spectrum. The second part of the thesis focuses on one of the possible scenarios explaining the high positron injection rate deduced from the flux of the 511 keV line: the annihilation of light dark matter particles into electron-positron pairs. The various radiation mechanisms involved are modeled and confronted to observations in order to set an upper limit on the injection

Cosmic ray-dark matter scattering: a new signature of (asymmetric) dark matter in the gamma ray sky

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Profumo, Stefano; Ubaldi, Lorenzo

2011-01-01

We consider the process of scattering of Galactic cosmic-ray electrons and protons off of dark matter with the radiation of a final-state photon. This process provides a novel way to search for Galactic dark matter with gamma rays. We argue that for a generic weakly interacting massive particle, barring effects such as co-annihilation or a velocity-dependent cross section, the gamma-ray emission from cosmic-ray scattering off of dark matter is typically smaller than that from dark matter pair-annihilation. However, if dark matter particles cannot pair-annihilate, as is the case for example in asymmetric dark matter scenarios, cosmic-ray scattering with final state photon emission provides a unique window to detect a signal from dark matter with gamma rays. We estimate the expected flux level and its spectral features for a generic supersymmetric setup, and we also discuss dipolar and luminous dark matter. We show that in some cases the gamma-ray emission might be large enough to be detectable with the Fermi Large Area Telescope

Gravitational effects of condensate dark matter on compact stellar objects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, X.Y.; Wang, F.Y.; Cheng, K.S.

2012-01-01

We study the gravitational effect of non-self-annihilating dark matter on compact stellar objects. The self-interaction of condensate dark matter can give high accretion rate of dark matter onto stars. Phase transition to condensation state takes place when the dark matter density exceeds the critical value. A compact degenerate dark matter core is developed and alter the structure and stability of the stellar objects. Condensate dark matter admixed neutron stars is studied through the two-fluid TOV equation. The existence of condensate dark matter deforms the mass-radius relation of neutron stars and lower their maximum baryonic masses and radii. The possible effects on the Gamma-ray Burst rate in high redshift are discussed

Bound-state formation for thermal relic dark matter and unitarity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harling, Benedict von; Petraki, Kalliopi

2014-01-01

We show that the relic abundance of thermal dark matter annihilating via a long-range interaction, is significantly affected by the formation and decay of dark matter bound states in the early universe, if the dark matter mass is above a few TeV . We determine the coupling required to obtain the observed dark matter density, taking into account both the direct 2-to-2 annihilations and the formation of bound states, and provide an analytical fit. We argue that the unitarity limit on the inelastic cross-section is realized only if dark matter annihilates via a long-range interaction, and we determine the upper bound on the mass of thermal-relic dark matter to be about 197 (139) TeV for (non)-self-conjugate dark matter

WEAKLY INTERACTING MASSIVE PARTICLE DARK MATTER AND FIRST STARS: SUPPRESSION OF FRAGMENTATION IN PRIMORDIAL STAR FORMATION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, Rowan J.; Glover, Simon C. O.; Klessen, Ralf S.; Iocco, Fabio; Schleicher, Dominik R. G.; Hirano, Shingo; Yoshida, Naoki

2012-01-01

We present the first three-dimensional simulations to include the effects of dark matter annihilation feedback during the collapse of primordial minihalos. We begin our simulations from cosmological initial conditions and account for dark matter annihilation in our treatment of the chemical and thermal evolution of the gas. The dark matter is modeled using an analytical density profile that responds to changes in the peak gas density. We find that the gas can collapse to high densities despite the additional energy input from the dark matter. No objects supported purely by dark matter annihilation heating are formed in our simulations. However, we find that dark matter annihilation heating has a large effect on the evolution of the gas following the formation of the first protostar. Previous simulations without dark matter annihilation found that protostellar disks around Population III stars rapidly fragmented, forming multiple protostars that underwent mergers or ejections. When dark matter annihilation is included, however, these disks become stable to radii of 1000 AU or more. In the cases where fragmentation does occur, it is a wide binary that is formed.

Applications of positron annihilation spectroscopy in materials research

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Jag J.

1988-01-01

Positron Annihilation Spectroscopy (PAS) has emerged as a powerful technique for research in condensed matter. It has been used extensively in the study of metals, ionic crystals, glasses and polymers. The present review concentrates on applications of positron lifetime measurements for elucidation of the physicochemical structure of polymers.

Production bias and cluster annihilation: Why necessary?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Singh, B.N.; Trinkaus, H.; Woo, C.H.

1994-01-01

the primary cluster density is high. Therefore, a sustained high swelling rate driven by production bias must involve the annihilation of primary clusters at sinks. A number of experimental observations which are unexplainable in terms of the conventional dislocation bias for monointerstitials is considered......-field approach. The production bias approach, on the other hand, is based on the physical features of the cascade damage and is therefore considered to be more appropriate for describing the damage accumulation under cascade damage conditions. However, production bias can not produce high a swelling rate when....... It is found that the production bias and cluster annihilation are necessary to explain these observations, with, in many cases, the explicit consideration of the annihilation of the primary interstitial clusters....

In defense of anti-matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rogers, S.; Thompson, W.B.

1980-01-01

There appears to be a prejudice in the astronomical world against an obvious high-energy source - the mutual annihilation of matter and anti-matter. In favor of this prejudice is the lack of any convincing evidence of the presence of naturally occurring anti-matter. Only recently have cosmic-ray antiprotons been detected (cf. Golden et al., 1979), and then in numbers consistent with secondary production in flight, while annihilation X-rays have also been detected, but again in circumstances where they might well be attributed to secondary effects of some other high-energy process. (orig.)

SOLAR CONSTRAINTS ON ASYMMETRIC DARK MATTER

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lopes, Ilidio [Centro Multidisciplinar de Astrofisica, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Universidade Tecnica de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal); Silk, Joseph, E-mail: ilidio.lopes@ist.utl.pt, E-mail: silk@astro.ox.ac.uk [Institut d' Astrophysique de Paris, F-75014 Paris (France)

2012-10-01

The dark matter content of the universe is likely to be a mixture of matter and antimatter, perhaps comparable to the measured asymmetric mixture of baryons and antibaryons. During the early stages of the universe, the dark matter particles are produced in a process similar to baryogenesis, and dark matter freezeout depends on the dark matter asymmetry and the annihilation cross section (s-wave and p-wave annihilation channels) of particles and antiparticles. In these {eta}-parameterized asymmetric dark matter ({eta}ADM) models, the dark matter particles have an annihilation cross section close to the weak interaction cross section, and a value of dark matter asymmetry {eta} close to the baryon asymmetry {eta}{sub B}. Furthermore, we assume that dark matter scattering of baryons, namely, the spin-independent scattering cross section, is of the same order as the range of values suggested by several theoretical particle physics models used to explain the current unexplained events reported in the DAMA/LIBRA, CoGeNT, and CRESST experiments. Here, we constrain {eta}ADM by investigating the impact of such a type of dark matter on the evolution of the Sun, namely, the flux of solar neutrinos and helioseismology. We find that dark matter particles with a mass smaller than 15 GeV, a spin-independent scattering cross section on baryons of the order of a picobarn, and an {eta}-asymmetry with a value in the interval 10{sup -12}-10{sup -10}, would induce a change in solar neutrino fluxes in disagreement with current neutrino flux measurements. This result is also confirmed by helioseismology data. A natural consequence of this model is suppressed annihilation, thereby reducing the tension between indirect and direct dark matter detection experiments, but the model also allows a greatly enhanced annihilation cross section. All the cosmological {eta}ADM scenarios that we discuss have a relic dark matter density {Omega}h {sup 2} and baryon asymmetry {eta}{sub B} in agreement with

Sensitivity of orthopositronium annihilation to density fluctuations in ethane gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eftekhari, A.

1982-01-01

The annihilation rates of orthopositronium (o-Ps) and free positrons and positronium formation fractions have been measured in gaseous ethane at seven temperatures between 295 and 377 K for densities in the range 1.2-286 amagat. The pick off quenching rate of o-Ps is observed to vary with temperature at low densities of ethane. The observed behavior of the o-Ps annihilation rates with density and temperature is interpreted in terms of density fluctuations in ethane gas. A simple theoretical model is developed which explains the observed annihilation behavior reasonably well at those temperatures and densities where density fluctuations are small. The annihilation rates of flow-energy positrons indicate the formation of positron-ethane collision complexes and self-trapping of positrons in clusters of ethane molecules. The o-Ps yields appear to be independent of temperature and show a strong dependence on the density of the gas

Computer investigations on the asymptotic behavior of the rate coefficient for the annihilation reaction A + A → product and the trapping reaction in three dimensions.

Science.gov (United States)

Litniewski, Marek; Gorecki, Jerzy

2011-06-28

We have performed intensive computer simulations of the irreversible annihilation reaction: A + A → C + C and of the trapping reaction: A + B → C + B for a variety of three-dimensional fluids composed of identical spherical particles. We have found a significant difference in the asymptotic behavior of the rate coefficients for these reactions. Both the rate coefficients converge to the same value with time t going to infinity but the convergence rate is different: the O(t(-1/2)) term for the annihilation reaction is higher than the corresponding term for the trapping reaction. The simulation results suggest that ratio of the terms is a universal quantity with the value equal to 2 or slightly above. A model for the annihilation reaction based on the superposition approximation predicts the difference in the O(t(-1/2)) terms, but overestimates the value for the annihilation reaction by about 30%. We have also performed simulations for the dimerization process: A + A → E, where E stands for a dimer. The dimerization decreases the reaction rate due to the decrease in the diffusion constant for A. The effect is successfully predicted by a simple model.

Applications of positron annihilation spectroscopy in materials research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, J.J.

1988-01-01

Positron Annihilation Spectroscopy (PAS) has emerged as a powerful technique for research in condensed matter. It has been used extensively in the study of metals, ionic crystals, glasses and polymers. The present review concentrates on applications of positron lifetime measurements for elucidation of the physicochemical structure of polymers. 10 references

Study of the electron-positron annihilation in the galactic center region with the Integral/SPI spectrometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sizun, P.

2007-04-01

A spectral feature was detected in 1970 in the gamma-ray emission from the central regions of the Milky Way, during balloon flight observations. Located near 511 keV, this feature was soon attributed to the gamma-ray line tracing the annihilation of electrons with their anti-particles, positrons. However, none of the multiple astrophysical scenarios contemplated to explain the production of positrons in the Galactic bulge has been able to reproduce the high injection rate deduced from the flux of the 511 keV line, close to 10 43 positrons per second. Launched in 2002, the European gamma-ray satellite INTEGRAL was provided with a spectrometer, SPI, whose unprecedented imaging and spectral capabilities in this energy range enable us to further study the source of the 511 keV line detected in the Galactic centre region. Indeed, a better determination of the spatial extent of the source, the intrinsic width of the line and the fraction of positrons annihilating in-flight, directly or via the formation of ortho-Positronium atoms would improve our knowledge of both the annihilation medium and the initial source of positrons, and could allow us to discriminate between the various explanatory scenarios. The first part of this thesis deals with a key ingredient in the extraction of the annihilation spectrum: the optimization of the instrumental background model. New data screening and tracer selection procedures are presented. Classical multi-linear models are compared to neural and Bayesian networks. Finally, three years of observation are used to constrain the width of the source and derive its spectrum. The second part of the thesis focuses on one of the possible scenarios explaining the high positron injection rate deduced from the flux of the 511 keV line: the annihilation of light dark matter particles into electron-positron pairs. The various radiation mechanisms involved are modeled and confronted to observations in order to set an upper limit on the injection

Search for Dark Matter Satellites Using the FERMI-LAT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ackermann, M.; /DESY; Albert, A.; /Ohio State U.; Baldini, L.; /INFN, Pisa; Ballet, J.; /DAPNIA, Saclay; Barbiellini, G.; /INFN, Trieste /Trieste U.; Bastieri, D.; /INFN, Padua /Padua U.; Bechtol, K.; /Stanford U., HEPL /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Stanford U., Phys. Dept.; Bellazzini, R.; /INFN, Pisa; Blandford, R.D.; /Stanford U., HEPL /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Stanford U., Phys. Dept.; Bloom, E.D.; /Stanford U., HEPL /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Stanford U., Phys. Dept. /SLAC; Bonamente, E.; /INFN, Perugia /Perugia U.; Borgland, A.W.; /Stanford U., HEPL /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Stanford U., Phys. Dept.; Bottacini, E.; /Stanford U., HEPL /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Stanford U., Phys. Dept.; Brandt, T.J.; /IRAP, Toulouse /Toulouse III U.; Bregeon, J.; /INFN, Pisa; Brigida, M.; /Bari U. /INFN, Bari; Bruel, P.; /Ecole Polytechnique; Buehler, R.; /Stanford U., HEPL /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Stanford U., Phys. Dept.; Burnett, T.H.; /Washington U., Seattle; Caliandro, G.A.; /ICE, Bellaterra; Cameron, R.A.; /Stanford U., HEPL /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Stanford U., Phys. Dept. /IASF, Milan /IASF, Milan /DAPNIA, Saclay /INFN, Perugia /Perugia U. /Stanford U., HEPL /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Stanford U., Phys. Dept. /Stanford U., HEPL /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Stanford U., Phys. Dept. /ASDC, Frascati /Perugia U. /Stanford U., HEPL /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Stanford U., Phys. Dept. /Montpellier U. /Stockholm U. /Stockholm U., OKC /ASDC, Frascati /Bari U. /INFN, Bari /Naval Research Lab, Wash., D.C. /Stanford U., HEPL /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Stanford U., Phys. Dept. /Stanford U., HEPL /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Stanford U., Phys. Dept. /Stanford U., HEPL /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Stanford U., Phys. Dept. /Stanford U., HEPL /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Stanford U., Phys. Dept. /Stanford U., HEPL /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Stanford U., Phys. Dept. /Montpellier U. /Bari U. /INFN, Bari /Ecole Polytechnique /Stanford U., HEPL /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Stanford U., Phys. Dept. /Hiroshima U. /Stanford U., HEPL /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Stanford U., Phys. Dept. /Bari U. /INFN, Bari /INFN, Bari /INFN, Perugia /Perugia U. /Bari U. /INFN, Bari /Bari U. /INFN, Bari /Bologna Observ. /Stanford U., HEPL /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Stanford U., Phys. Dept. /Stanford U., HEPL /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Stanford U., Phys. Dept.; /more authors..

2012-08-16

Numerical simulations based on the {Lambda}CDM model of cosmology predict a large number of as yet unobserved Galactic dark matter satellites. We report the results of a Large Area Telescope (LAT) search for these satellites via the {gamma}-ray emission expected from the annihilation of weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter. Some dark matter satellites are expected to have hard {gamma}-ray spectra, finite angular extents, and a lack of counterparts at other wavelengths. We sought to identify LAT sources with these characteristics, focusing on {gamma}-ray spectra consistent with WIMP annihilation through the b{bar b} channel. We found no viable dark matter satellite candidates using one year of data, and we present a framework for interpreting this result in the context of numerical simulations to constrain the velocity-averaged annihilation cross section for a conventional 100 GeV WIMP annihilating through the b{bar b} channel.

Search for Dark Matter Satellites Using the Fermi-Lat

Science.gov (United States)

Ackermann, M.; Albert, A.; Baldini, L.; Ballet, J.; Barbiellini, G.; Bastieri, D.; Bechtol, K.; Bellazzini, R.; Blandford, R. D.; Bloom, E. D.;

Dark matter implications of the WMAP-Planck Haze

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Egorov, Andrey E.; Pierpaoli, Elena [University of Southern California, 3620 McClintock Ave., SGM 408, Los Angeles, CA 90089 (United States); Gaskins, Jennifer M. [California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Pietrobon, Davide, E-mail: egorov@usc.edu, E-mail: jgaskins@uva.nl, E-mail: pierpaol@usc.edu, E-mail: daddeptr@gmail.com [University of California, Berkeley, Space Sciences Laboratory, 7 Gauss Rd, Berkeley CA 94720 (United States)

2016-03-01

Gamma rays and microwave observations of the Galactic Center and surrounding areas indicate the presence of anomalous emission, whose origin remains ambiguous. The possibility of dark matter annihilation explaining both signals through prompt emission at gamma rays and secondary emission at microwave frequencies from interactions of high-energy electrons produced in annihilation with the Galactic magnetic fields has attracted much interest in recent years. We investigate the dark matter interpretation of the Galactic Center gamma-ray excess by searching for the associated synchrotron emission in the WMAP and Planck microwave data. Considering various magnetic field and cosmic-ray propagation models, we predict the synchrotron emission due to dark matter annihilation in our Galaxy, and compare it with the WMAP and Planck data at 23–70 GHz. In addition to standard microwave foregrounds, we separately model the microwave counterpart to the Fermi Bubbles and the signal due to dark matter annihilation, and use component separation techniques to extract the signal associated with each template from the total emission. We confirm the presence of the Haze at the level of ≈7% of the total sky intensity at 23 GHz in our chosen region of interest, with a harder spectrum (I ∼ ν{sup −0.8}) than the synchrotron from regular cosmic-ray electrons. The data do not show a strong preference towards fitting the Haze by either the Bubbles or dark matter emission only. Inclusion of both components provides a better fit with a dark matter contribution to the Haze emission of ≈20% at 23 GHz, however, due to significant uncertainties in foreground modeling, we do not consider this a clear detection of a dark matter signal. We set robust upper limits on the annihilation cross section by ignoring foregrounds, and also report best-fit dark matter annihilation parameters obtained from a complete template analysis. We conclude that the WMAP and Planck data are consistent with a

Dark matter implications of the WMAP-Planck Haze

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Egorov, Andrey E.; Pierpaoli, Elena; Gaskins, Jennifer M.; Pietrobon, Davide

2016-01-01

Gamma rays and microwave observations of the Galactic Center and surrounding areas indicate the presence of anomalous emission, whose origin remains ambiguous. The possibility of dark matter annihilation explaining both signals through prompt emission at gamma rays and secondary emission at microwave frequencies from interactions of high-energy electrons produced in annihilation with the Galactic magnetic fields has attracted much interest in recent years. We investigate the dark matter interpretation of the Galactic Center gamma-ray excess by searching for the associated synchrotron emission in the WMAP and Planck microwave data. Considering various magnetic field and cosmic-ray propagation models, we predict the synchrotron emission due to dark matter annihilation in our Galaxy, and compare it with the WMAP and Planck data at 23–70 GHz. In addition to standard microwave foregrounds, we separately model the microwave counterpart to the Fermi Bubbles and the signal due to dark matter annihilation, and use component separation techniques to extract the signal associated with each template from the total emission. We confirm the presence of the Haze at the level of ≈7% of the total sky intensity at 23 GHz in our chosen region of interest, with a harder spectrum (I ∼ ν −0.8 ) than the synchrotron from regular cosmic-ray electrons. The data do not show a strong preference towards fitting the Haze by either the Bubbles or dark matter emission only. Inclusion of both components provides a better fit with a dark matter contribution to the Haze emission of ≈20% at 23 GHz, however, due to significant uncertainties in foreground modeling, we do not consider this a clear detection of a dark matter signal. We set robust upper limits on the annihilation cross section by ignoring foregrounds, and also report best-fit dark matter annihilation parameters obtained from a complete template analysis. We conclude that the WMAP and Planck data are consistent with a dark

Charged mediators in dark matter scattering

Science.gov (United States)

Stengel, Patrick

2017-11-01

We consider a scenario, within the framework of the MSSM, in which dark matter is bino-like and dark matter-nucleon spin-independent scattering occurs via the exchange of light squarks which exhibit left-right mixing. We show that direct detection experiments such as LUX and SuperCDMS will be sensitive to a wide class of such models through spin-independent scattering. The dominant nuclear physics uncertainty is the quark content of the nucleon, particularly the strangeness content. We also investigate parameter space with nearly degenerate neutralino and squark masses, thus enhancing dark matter annihilation and nucleon scattering event rates.

Neutrinos from WIMP annihilations in the Sun including neutrino oscillations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blennow, Mattias; Edsjö, Joakim; Ohlsson, Tommy

2011-01-01

The prospects to detect neutrinos from the Sun arising from dark matter annihilations in the core of the Sun are reviewed. Emphasis is placed on new work investigating the effects of neutrino oscillations on the expected neutrino fluxes.

Neutrinos from WIMP annihilations in the Sun including neutrino oscillations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blennow, Mattias; Edsjoe, Joakim; Ohlsson, Tommy

2006-01-01

The prospects for detecting neutrinos from the Sun arising from dark matter annihilations in the core of the Sun are reviewed. Emphasis is placed on new work investigating the effects of neutrino oscillations on the expected neutrino fluxes

Dynamics of an exclusion process with creation and annihilation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Juhasz, Robert; Santen, Ludger

2004-01-01

We examine the dynamical properties of an exclusion process with creation and annihilation of particles in the framework of a phenomenological domain-wall theory, by scaling arguments and by numerical simulation. We find that the length and the time scales are finite in the maximum current phase for finite creation and annihilation rates as opposed to the algebraically decaying correlations of the totally asymmetric simple exclusion process (TASEP). Critical exponents of the transition to the TASEP are determined. The case where bulk creation and annihilation rates vanish faster than the inverse of the system size N is also analysed. We point out that shock localization is possible even for rates proportional to N -a , 1 < a < 2

Galactic center gamma-ray excess from dark matter annihilation: is there a black hole spike?

Science.gov (United States)

Fields, Brian D; Shapiro, Stuart L; Shelton, Jessie

2014-10-10

If the supermassive black hole Sgr A* at the center of the Milky Way grew adiabatically from an initial seed embedded in a Navarro-Frenk-White dark matter (DM) halo, then the DM profile near the hole has steepened into a spike. We calculate the dramatic enhancement to the gamma-ray flux from the Galactic center (GC) from such a spike if the 1-3 GeV excess observed in Fermi data is due to DM annihilations. We find that for the parameter values favored in recent fits, the point-source-like flux from the spike is 35 times greater than the flux from the inner 1° of the halo, far exceeding all Fermi point source detections near the GC. We consider the dependence of the spike signal on astrophysical and particle parameters and conclude that if the GC excess is due to DM, then a canonical adiabatic spike is disfavored by the data. We discuss alternative Galactic histories that predict different spike signals, including (i) the nonadiabatic growth of the black hole, possibly associated with halo and/or black hole mergers, (ii) gravitational interaction of DM with baryons in the dense core, such as heating by stars, or (iii) DM self-interactions. We emphasize that the spike signal is sensitive to a different combination of particle parameters than the halo signal and that the inclusion of a spike component to any DM signal in future analyses would provide novel information about both the history of the GC and the particle physics of DM annihilations.

Impacts of WIMP dark matter upon stellar evolution: main-sequence stars

CERN Document Server

Scott, Pat; Edsjo, Joakim

2008-01-01

The presence of large amounts of WIMP dark matter in stellar cores has been shown to have significant effects upon models of stellar evolution. We present a series of detailed grids of WIMP-influenced stellar models for main sequence stars, computed using the DarkStars code. We describe the changes in stellar structure and main sequence evolution which occur for masses ranging from 0.3 to 2.0 solar masses and metallicities from Z = 0.0003-0.02, as a function of the rate of energy injection by WIMPs. We then go on to show what rates of energy injection can be obtained using realistic orbital parameters for stars near supermassive black holes, including detailed considerations of dark matter halo velocity and density profiles. Capture and annihilation rates are strongly boosted when stars follow elliptical rather than circular orbits, causing WIMP annihilation to provide up to 100 times the energy of hydrogen fusion in stars at the Galactic centre.

Searching for dwarf spheroidal galaxies and other galactic dark matter substructures with the Fermi large area telescope

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Drlica-Wagner, Alex [Stanford Univ., CA (United States). Dept. of Physics

2013-08-01

Over the past century, it has become clear that about a quarter of the known universe is composed of an invisible, massive component termed ''dark matter''. Some of the most popular theories of physics beyond the Standard Model suggest that dark matter may be a new fundamental particle that could self-annihilate to produce γ rays. Nearby over-densities in the dark matter halo of our Milky Way present some of the most promising targets for detecting the annihilation of dark matter. We used the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on-board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope to search for γ rays produced by dark matter annihilation in Galactic dark matter substructures. We searched for γ-ray emission coincident with Milky Way dwarf spheroidal satellite galaxies, which trace the most massive Galactic dark matter substructures. We also sought to identify nearby dark matter substructures that lack all astrophysical tracers and would be detectable only through γ-ray emission from dark matter annihilation. We found no conclusive evidence for γ-ray emission from dark matter annihilation, and we set stringent and robust constraints on the dark matter annihilation cross section. While γ-ray searches for dark matter substructure are currently the most sensitive and robust probes of dark matter annihilation, they are just beginning to intersect the theoretically preferred region of dark matter parameter space. Thus, we consider future prospects for increasing the sensitivity of γ-ray searches through improvements to the LAT instrument performance and through upcoming wide- field optical surveys.

Indirect detection constraints on s- and t-channel simplified models of dark matter

Science.gov (United States)

Carpenter, Linda M.; Colburn, Russell; Goodman, Jessica; Linden, Tim

2016-09-01

Recent Fermi-LAT observations of dwarf spheroidal galaxies in the Milky Way have placed strong limits on the gamma-ray flux from dark matter annihilation. In order to produce the strongest limit on the dark matter annihilation cross section, the observations of each dwarf galaxy have typically been "stacked" in a joint-likelihood analysis, utilizing optical observations to constrain the dark matter density profile in each dwarf. These limits have typically been computed only for singular annihilation final states, such as b b ¯ or τ+τ- . In this paper, we generalize this approach by producing an independent joint-likelihood analysis to set constraints on models where the dark matter particle annihilates to multiple final-state fermions. We interpret these results in the context of the most popular simplified models, including those with s- and t-channel dark matter annihilation through scalar and vector mediators. We present our results as constraints on the minimum dark matter mass and the mediator sector parameters. Additionally, we compare our simplified model results to those of effective field theory contact interactions in the high-mass limit.

Sensitivity of CTA to dark matter signals from the Galactic Center

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pierre, Mathias [Département Physique, École Normale Supérieure de Cachan, 61 Avenue du Président Wilson, Cachan, 94230 France (France); Siegal-Gaskins, Jennifer M. [California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91125 (United States); Scott, Pat, E-mail: mathias.pierre@ens-cachan.fr, E-mail: jsg@tapir.caltech.edu, E-mail: patscott@physics.mcgill.ca [Department of Physics, McGill University, 3600 Rue University, Montréal, Québec, H3A 2T8 Canada (Canada)

2014-06-01

The Galactic Center is one of the most promising targets for indirect detection of dark matter with gamma rays. We investigate the sensitivity of the upcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) to dark matter annihilation and decay in the Galactic Center. As the inner density profile of the Milky Way's dark matter halo is uncertain, we study the impact of the slope of the Galactic density profile, inwards of the Sun, on the prospects for detecting a dark matter signal with CTA. Adopting the Ring Method to define the signal and background regions in an ON-OFF analysis approach, we find that the sensitivity achieved by CTA to annihilation signals is strongly dependent on the inner profile slope, whereas the dependence is more mild in the case of dark matter decay. Surprisingly, we find that the optimal choice of signal and background regions is virtually independent of the assumed density profile. For the fiducial case of a Navarro-Frenk-White profile, we find that CTA will be able to probe annihilation cross-sections well below the canonical thermal relic value for dark matter masses from a few tens of GeV up to ∼ 5 TeV for annihilation to τ{sup +}τ{sup −}, and will achieve only a slightly weaker sensitivity for annihilation to b b-bar or μ{sup +}μ{sup −}. CTA will improve significantly on current sensitivity to annihilation signals for dark matter masses above ∼ 100 GeV, covering parameter space that is complementary to that probed by searches with the Fermi Large Area Telescope. The interpretation of apparent excesses in the measured cosmic-ray electron and positron spectra as signals of dark matter decay will also be testable with CTA observations of the Galactic Center. We demonstrate that both for annihilation and for decay, including spectral information for hard channels (such as μ{sup +}μ{sup −} and τ{sup +}τ{sup −}) leads to enhanced sensitivity for dark matter masses above m{sub DM} ∼ 200 GeV.

Sensitivity of CTA to dark matter signals from the Galactic Center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pierre, Mathias; Siegal-Gaskins, Jennifer M.; Scott, Pat

2014-01-01

The Galactic Center is one of the most promising targets for indirect detection of dark matter with gamma rays. We investigate the sensitivity of the upcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) to dark matter annihilation and decay in the Galactic Center. As the inner density profile of the Milky Way's dark matter halo is uncertain, we study the impact of the slope of the Galactic density profile, inwards of the Sun, on the prospects for detecting a dark matter signal with CTA. Adopting the Ring Method to define the signal and background regions in an ON-OFF analysis approach, we find that the sensitivity achieved by CTA to annihilation signals is strongly dependent on the inner profile slope, whereas the dependence is more mild in the case of dark matter decay. Surprisingly, we find that the optimal choice of signal and background regions is virtually independent of the assumed density profile. For the fiducial case of a Navarro-Frenk-White profile, we find that CTA will be able to probe annihilation cross-sections well below the canonical thermal relic value for dark matter masses from a few tens of GeV up to ∼ 5 TeV for annihilation to τ + τ − , and will achieve only a slightly weaker sensitivity for annihilation to b b-bar or μ + μ − . CTA will improve significantly on current sensitivity to annihilation signals for dark matter masses above ∼ 100 GeV, covering parameter space that is complementary to that probed by searches with the Fermi Large Area Telescope. The interpretation of apparent excesses in the measured cosmic-ray electron and positron spectra as signals of dark matter decay will also be testable with CTA observations of the Galactic Center. We demonstrate that both for annihilation and for decay, including spectral information for hard channels (such as μ + μ − and τ + τ − ) leads to enhanced sensitivity for dark matter masses above m DM ∼ 200 GeV

Cosmological constraints on dark matter annihilation and decay. Cross-correlation analysis of the extragalactic γ-ray background and cosmic shear

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shirasaki, Masato [National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Mitaka, Tokyo (Japan); Macias, Oscar; Horiuchi, Shunsaku [Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA (United States). Center for Neutrino Physics; Shirai, Satoshi [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany); Yoshida, Naoki [Tokyo Univ. (Japan). Dept. of Physics; Tokyo Univ., Chiba (Japan). Kavli Inst. for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (WPI); Japan Science and Technology Agency, Saitama (Japan). CREST

2016-07-15

We derive constraints on dark matter (DM) annihilation cross section and decay lifetime from cross-correlation analyses of the data from Fermi-LAT and weak lensing surveys that cover a wide area of ∝660 squared degrees in total. We improve upon our previous analyses by using an updated extragalactic γ-ray background data reprocessed with the Fermi Pass 8 pipeline, and by using well-calibrated shape measurements of about twelve million galaxies in the Canada-France-Hawaii Lensing Survey (CFHTLenS) and Red-Cluster-Sequence Lensing Survey (RCSLenS). We generate a large set of full-sky mock catalogs from cosmological N-body simulations and use them to estimate statistical errors accurately. The measured cross correlation is consistent with null detection, which is then used to place strong cosmological constraints on annihilating and decaying DM. For leptophilic DM, the constraints are improved by a factor of ∝ 100 in the mass range of O(1) TeV when including contributions from secondary γ rays due to the inverse-Compton upscattering of background photons. Annihilation cross-sections of left angle σν right angle ∝ 10{sup -23} cm{sup 3}/s are excluded for TeV-scale DM depending on channel. Lifetimes of ∝10{sup 25} sec are also excluded for the decaying TeV-scale DM. Finally, we apply this analysis to wino DM and exclude the wino mass around 200 GeV. These constraints will be further tightened, and all the interesting wino DM parameter region can be tested, by using data from future wide-field cosmology surveys.

Cosmological constraints on dark matter annihilation and decay. Cross-correlation analysis of the extragalactic γ-ray background and cosmic shear

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shirasaki, Masato; Macias, Oscar; Horiuchi, Shunsaku; Yoshida, Naoki; Tokyo Univ., Chiba; Japan Science and Technology Agency, Saitama

2016-07-01

We derive constraints on dark matter (DM) annihilation cross section and decay lifetime from cross-correlation analyses of the data from Fermi-LAT and weak lensing surveys that cover a wide area of ∝660 squared degrees in total. We improve upon our previous analyses by using an updated extragalactic γ-ray background data reprocessed with the Fermi Pass 8 pipeline, and by using well-calibrated shape measurements of about twelve million galaxies in the Canada-France-Hawaii Lensing Survey (CFHTLenS) and Red-Cluster-Sequence Lensing Survey (RCSLenS). We generate a large set of full-sky mock catalogs from cosmological N-body simulations and use them to estimate statistical errors accurately. The measured cross correlation is consistent with null detection, which is then used to place strong cosmological constraints on annihilating and decaying DM. For leptophilic DM, the constraints are improved by a factor of ∝ 100 in the mass range of O(1) TeV when including contributions from secondary γ rays due to the inverse-Compton upscattering of background photons. Annihilation cross-sections of left angle σν right angle ∝ 10"-"2"3 cm"3/s are excluded for TeV-scale DM depending on channel. Lifetimes of ∝10"2"5 sec are also excluded for the decaying TeV-scale DM. Finally, we apply this analysis to wino DM and exclude the wino mass around 200 GeV. These constraints will be further tightened, and all the interesting wino DM parameter region can be tested, by using data from future wide-field cosmology surveys.

Constraints on Leptophilic Dark Matter from the AMS-02 Experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cavasonza, Leila Ali; Gast, Henning; Schael, Stefan; Krämer, Michael; Pellen, Mathieu

2017-01-01

The annihilation of dark matter particles in the Galactic halo of the Milky Way may lead to cosmic ray signatures that can be probed by the AMS-02 experiment, which has measured the composition and fluxes of charged cosmic rays with unprecedented precision. Given the absence of characteristic spectral features in the electron and positron fluxes measured by AMS-02, we derive upper limits on the dark matter annihilation cross section for leptophilic dark matter models. Our limits are based on a new background model that describes all recent measurements of the energy spectra of cosmic-ray positrons and electrons. For thermal dark matter relics, we can exclude dark matter masses below about 100 GeV. We include the radiation of electroweak gauge bosons in the dark matter annihilation process and compute the antiproton signal that can be expected within leptophilic dark matter models.

Constraints on Leptophilic Dark Matter from the AMS-02 Experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cavasonza, Leila Ali; Gast, Henning; Schael, Stefan [I. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52074 Aachen (Germany); Krämer, Michael [Institute for Theoretical Particle Physics and Cosmology, RWTH Aachen University, D-52074 Aachen (Germany); Pellen, Mathieu, E-mail: cavasonza@physik.rwth-aachen.de [Institut für Theoretische Physik und Astrophysik, Universität Würzburg, D-97074 Würzburg (Germany)

2017-04-10

The annihilation of dark matter particles in the Galactic halo of the Milky Way may lead to cosmic ray signatures that can be probed by the AMS-02 experiment, which has measured the composition and fluxes of charged cosmic rays with unprecedented precision. Given the absence of characteristic spectral features in the electron and positron fluxes measured by AMS-02, we derive upper limits on the dark matter annihilation cross section for leptophilic dark matter models. Our limits are based on a new background model that describes all recent measurements of the energy spectra of cosmic-ray positrons and electrons. For thermal dark matter relics, we can exclude dark matter masses below about 100 GeV. We include the radiation of electroweak gauge bosons in the dark matter annihilation process and compute the antiproton signal that can be expected within leptophilic dark matter models.

Positron annihilation and pressure-induced electronic s-d transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McMahan, A.K.; Skriver, H.L.

1985-06-01

The polycrystalline, partial annihilation rates for positrons in compressed cesium have been calculated using the linear muffin-tin orbitals method. These results suggest that the pressure-induced electronic s-d transition in Cs should be directly observable by momentum sensitive positron annihilation experiments

Continuum photon spectrum from Z1Z1 annihilations in universal extra dimensions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melbéus, Henrik; Merle, Alexander; Ohlsson, Tommy

2012-01-01

We calculate the continuum photon spectrum from the pair annihilation of a Z 1 LKP in non-minimal universal extra dimensions. We find that, due to the preferred annihilation into W + W - pairs, the continuum flux of collinear photons is relatively small compared to the standard case of the B 1 as the LKP. This conclusion applies in particular to the spectral endpoint, where also the additional fermionic contributions are not large enough to increase the flux significantly. When searching for the line signal originating from Z 1 Z 1 annihilations, this is actually a perfect situation, since the continuum signal can be regarded as background to the smoking gun signature of a peak in the photon flux at an energy that is nearly equal to the mass of the dark matter particle. This signal, in combination with (probably) a non-observation of the continuum signal at lower photon energies, constitutes a perfect handle to probe the hypothesis of the Z 1 LKP being the dominant component of the dark matter observed in the Universe.

Examination of minor actinide annihilation by BWR core

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hida, Kazuki

1995-01-01

From the viewpoint of reducing burden for disposing high level waste generated from spent fuel, the examination of recycling minor actinide (MA) to reactors and reducing its accumulation has been advanced. In this study, the possibility of annihilation in the case of recycling it to a BWR was examined. The main MAs are 237 Np, 241 Am, 243 Am, 242 Cm, and 244 Cm. However, as for Cm isotopes, the half life is short, the amount of generation is small, and the rate of neutron emission is high, therefore, those are disposed as waste, and 237 Np, 241 Am and 243 Am were taken as the objects of recycling. In order to grasp the basic characteristics in the case of recycling MAs to a BWR, MAs were added to UO 2 fuel, MOX fuel and HCR fuel and burned, and the nuclear conversion characteristics were examined. As the result, it was found that they were converted to short half life nuclides, and as the neutron spectra were softer, the rate of annihilation was higher. In the case of recycling MAs by concentrating to a specific reactor, reactivity loss, the degree of uranium enrichment required for compensating reactivity, and the rate of MA annihilation were calculated. Based on these data, the MA recycling system was set up, and the rate of MA annihilation was evaluated. This is reported. (K.I.)

Z2 SIMP dark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernal, Nicolás; Chu, Xiaoyong

2016-01-01

Dark matter with strong self-interactions provides a compelling solution to several small-scale structure puzzles. Under the assumption that the coupling between dark matter and the Standard Model particles is suppressed, such strongly interacting massive particles (SIMPs) allow for a successful thermal freeze-out through N-to-N' processes, where N dark matter particles annihilate to N' of them. In the most common scenarios, where dark matter stability is guaranteed by a Z 2 symmetry, the seemingly leading annihilating channel, i.e. 3-to-2 process, is forbidden, so the 4-to-2 one dominate the production of the dark matter relic density. Moreover, cosmological observations require that the dark matter sector is colder than the thermal bath of Standard Model particles, a condition that can be dynamically generated via a small portal between dark matter and Standard Model particles, à la freeze-in. This scenario is exemplified in the context of the Singlet Scalar dark matter model

Connections between the seesaw model and dark matter searches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adulpravitchai, Adisorn; Gu Peihong; Lindner, Manfred

2010-01-01

In some dark matter models, the coupling of the dark matter particle to the standard model Higgs determines the dark matter relic density while it is also consistent with dark matter direct-detection experiments. On the other hand, the seesaw model for generating the neutrino masses probably arises from a spontaneous symmetry breaking of global lepton number. The dark matter particle thus can significantly annihilate into massless Majorons when the lepton number-breaking scale and hence the seesaw scale are near the electroweak scale. This leads to an interesting interplay between neutrino physics and dark matter physics, and the annihilation mode has an interesting implication on dark matter searches.

Constraining particle dark matter using local galaxy distribution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ando, Shin’ichiro; Ishiwata, Koji

2016-01-01

It has been long discussed that cosmic rays may contain signals of dark matter. In the last couple of years an anomaly of cosmic-ray positrons has drawn a lot of attentions, and recently an excess in cosmic-ray anti-proton has been reported by AMS-02 collaboration. Both excesses may indicate towards decaying or annihilating dark matter with a mass of around 1–10 TeV. In this article we study the gamma rays from dark matter and constraints from cross correlations with distribution of galaxies, particularly in a local volume. We find that gamma rays due to inverse-Compton process have large intensity, and hence they give stringent constraints on dark matter scenarios in the TeV scale mass regime. Taking the recent developments in modeling astrophysical gamma-ray sources as well as comprehensive possibilities of the final state products of dark matter decay or annihilation into account, we show that the parameter regions of decaying dark matter that are suggested to explain the excesses are excluded. We also discuss the constrains on annihilating scenarios.

Sterile neutrinos and indirect dark matter searches in IceCube

Science.gov (United States)

Argüelles, Carlos A.; Kopp, Joachim

2012-07-01

If light sterile neutrinos exist and mix with the active neutrino flavors, this mixing will affect the propagation of high-energy neutrinos from dark matter annihilation in the Sun. In particular, new Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein resonances can occur, leading to almost complete conversion of some active neutrino flavors into sterile states. We demonstrate how this can weaken IceCube limits on neutrino capture and annihilation in the Sun and how potential future conflicts between IceCube constraints and direct detection or collider data might be resolved by invoking sterile neutrinos. We also point out that, if the dark matter-nucleon scattering cross section and the allowed annihilation channels are precisely measured in direct detection and collider experiments in the future, IceCube can be used to constrain sterile neutrino models using neutrinos from the dark matter annihilation.

Search for γ -Ray Line Signals from Dark Matter Annihilations in the Inner Galactic Halo from 10 Years of Observations with H.E.S.S.

Science.gov (United States)

Abdallah, H.; Abramowski, A.; Aharonian, F.; Ait Benkhali, F.; Angüner, E. O.; Arakawa, M.; Arrieta, M.; Aubert, P.; Backes, M.; Balzer, A.; Barnard, M.; Becherini, Y.; Becker Tjus, J.; Berge, D.; Bernhard, S.; Bernlöhr, K.; Blackwell, R.; Böttcher, M.; Boisson, C.; Bolmont, J.; Bonnefoy, S.; Bordas, P.; Bregeon, J.; Brun, F.; Brun, P.; Bryan, M.; Büchele, M.; Bulik, T.; Capasso, M.; Caroff, S.; Carosi, A.; Carr, J.; Casanova, S.; Cerruti, M.; Chakraborty, N.; Chaves, R. C. G.; Chen, A.; Chevalier, J.; Colafrancesco, S.; Condon, B.; Conrad, J.; Davids, I. D.; Decock, J.; Deil, C.; Devin, J.; deWilt, P.; Dirson, L.; Djannati-Ataï, A.; Domainko, W.; Donath, A.; Drury, L. O'C.; Dutson, K.; Dyks, J.; Edwards, T.; Egberts, K.; Eger, P.; Emery, G.; Ernenwein, J.-P.; Eschbach, S.; Farnier, C.; Fegan, S.; Fernandes, M. V.; Fiasson, A.; Fontaine, G.; Förster, A.; Funk, S.; Füßling, M.; Gabici, S.; Gallant, Y. A.; Garrigoux, T.; Gaté, F.; Giavitto, G.; Giebels, B.; Glawion, D.; Glicenstein, J. F.; Gottschall, D.; Grondin, M.-H.; Hahn, J.; Haupt, M.; Hawkes, J.; Heinzelmann, G.; Henri, G.; Hermann, G.; Hinton, J. A.; Hofmann, W.; Hoischen, C.; Holch, T. L.; Holler, M.; Horns, D.; Ivascenko, A.; Iwasaki, H.; Jacholkowska, A.; Jamrozy, M.; Janiak, M.; Jankowsky, D.; Jankowsky, F.; Jingo, M.; Jouvin, L.; Jung-Richardt, I.; Kastendieck, M. A.; Katarzyński, K.; Katsuragawa, M.; Katz, U.; Kerszberg, D.; Khangulyan, D.; Khélifi, B.; King, J.; Klepser, S.; Klochkov, D.; Kluźniak, W.; Komin, Nu.; Kosack, K.; Krakau, S.; Kraus, M.; Krüger, P. P.; Laffon, H.; Lamanna, G.; Lau, J.; Lees, J.-P.; Lefaucheur, J.; Lemière, A.; Lemoine-Goumard, M.; Lenain, J.-P.; Leser, E.; Liu, R.; Lohse, T.; Lorentz, M.; López-Coto, R.; Lypova, I.; Malyshev, D.; Marandon, V.; Marcowith, A.; Mariaud, C.; Marx, R.; Maurin, G.; Maxted, N.; Mayer, M.; Meintjes, P. J.; Meyer, M.; Mitchell, A. M. W.; Moderski, R.; Mohamed, M.; Mohrmann, L.; Morâ, K.; Moulin, E.; Murach, T.; Nakashima, S.; de Naurois, M.; Ndiyavala, H.; Niederwanger, F.; Niemiec, J.; Oakes, L.; O'Brien, P.; Odaka, H.; Ohm, S.; Ostrowski, M.; Oya, I.; Padovani, M.; Panter, M.; Parsons, R. D.; Pekeur, N. W.; Pelletier, G.; Perennes, C.; Petrucci, P.-O.; Peyaud, B.; Piel, Q.; Pita, S.; Poireau, V.; Poon, H.; Prokhorov, D.; Prokoph, H.; Pühlhofer, G.; Punch, M.; Quirrenbach, A.; Raab, S.; Rauth, R.; Reimer, A.; Reimer, O.; Renaud, M.; de los Reyes, R.; Rieger, F.; Rinchiuso, L.; Romoli, C.; Rowell, G.; Rudak, B.; Rulten, C. B.; Sahakian, V.; Saito, S.; Sanchez, D. A.; Santangelo, A.; Sasaki, M.; Schandri, M.; Schlickeiser, R.; Schüssler, F.; Schulz, A.; Schwanke, U.; Schwemmer, S.; Seglar-Arroyo, M.; Settimo, M.; Seyffert, A. S.; Shafi, N.; Shilon, I.; Shiningayamwe, K.; Simoni, R.; Sol, H.; Spanier, F.; Spir-Jacob, M.; Stawarz, Ł.; Steenkamp, R.; Stegmann, C.; Steppa, C.; Sushch, I.; Takahashi, T.; Tavernet, J.-P.; Tavernier, T.; Taylor, A. M.; Terrier, R.; Tibaldo, L.; Tiziani, D.; Tluczykont, M.; Trichard, C.; Tsirou, M.; Tsuji, N.; Tuffs, R.; Uchiyama, Y.; van der Walt, J.; van Eldik, C.; van Rensburg, C.; van Soelen, B.; Vasileiadis, G.; Veh, J.; Venter, C.; Viana, A.; Vincent, P.; Vink, J.; Voisin, F.; Völk, H. J.; Vuillaume, T.; Wadiasingh, Z.; Wagner, S. J.; Wagner, P.; Wagner, R. M.; White, R.; Wierzcholska, A.; Willmann, P.; Wörnlein, A.; Wouters, D.; Yang, R.; Zaborov, D.; Zacharias, M.; Zanin, R.; Zdziarski, A. A.; Zech, A.; Zefi, F.; Ziegler, A.; Zorn, J.; Żywucka, N.; H. E. S. S. Collaboration

2018-05-01

Spectral lines are among the most powerful signatures for dark matter (DM) annihilation searches in very-high-energy γ rays. The central region of the Milky Way halo is one of the most promising targets given its large amount of DM and proximity to Earth. We report on a search for a monoenergetic spectral line from self-annihilations of DM particles in the energy range from 300 GeV to 70 TeV using a two-dimensional maximum likelihood method taking advantage of both the spectral and spatial features of the signal versus background. The analysis makes use of Galactic center observations accumulated over ten years (2004-2014) with the H.E.S.S. array of ground-based Cherenkov telescopes. No significant γ -ray excess above the background is found. We derive upper limits on the annihilation cross section ⟨σ v ⟩ for monoenergetic DM lines at the level of 4 ×10-28 cm3 s-1 at 1 TeV, assuming an Einasto DM profile for the Milky Way halo. For a DM mass of 1 TeV, they improve over the previous ones by a factor of 6. The present constraints are the strongest obtained so far for DM particles in the mass range 300 GeV-70 TeV. Ground-based γ -ray observations have reached sufficient sensitivity to explore relevant velocity-averaged cross sections for DM annihilation into two γ -ray photons at the level expected from the thermal relic density for TeV DM particles.

Low Mass Dark Matter: Some Perspectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Shaolong

2012-01-01

The low mass (10 GeV scale) dark matter is indicted and favored by several recent dark matter direct detection experimental results, such as DAMA and CoGeNT. In this talk, we discuss some aspects of the low mass dark matter. We study the indirect detection of dark matter through neutrino flux from their annihilation in the center of the Sun, in a class of models where the dark matter-nucleon spin-independent interactions break the isospin symmetry. The indirect detection using neutrino telescopes can impose a relatively stronger constraint and brings tension to such explanation, if the dark matter self-annihilation is dominated by heavy quarks or τ-lepton final states. The asymmetric dark matter doesn't suffer the constraints from the indirect detection results. We propose a model of asymmetric dark matter where the matter and dark matter share the common origin, the asymmetries in both the matter and dark matter sectors are simultaneously generated through leptogenesis, and we explore how this model can be tested in direct search experiments.

Asymmetric dark matter and the Sun

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frandsen, Mads Toudal; Sarkar, Subir

2010-01-01

Cold dark matter particles with an intrinsic matter-antimatter asymmetry do not annihilate after gravitational capture by the Sun and can affect its interior structure. The rate of capture is exponentially enhanced when such particles have self-interactions of the right order to explain structure...... formation on galactic scales. A `dark baryon' of mass 5 GeV is a natural candidate and has the required relic abundance if its asymmetry is similar to that of ordinary baryons. We show that such particles can solve the `solar composition problem'. The predicted small decrease in the low energy neutrino...

Hunting 1-500 GeV dark matter gamma-ray lines with the Fermi LAT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vertongen, Gilles; Weniger, Christoph

2010-12-01

Monochromatic photons could be produced in the annihilation or decay of dark matter particles. At high energies, the search for such line features in the cosmic gamma-ray spectrum is essentially background free because plausible astrophysical processes are not expected to produce such a signal. The observation of a gamma-ray line would hence be a 'smoking-gun' signature for dark matter, making the search for such signals particularly attractive. Among the different dark matter models predicting gamma-ray lines, the local supersymmetric extension of the standard model with small R-parity violation and gravitino LSP is of particular interest because it provides a framework where primordial nucleosynthesis, gravitino dark matter and thermal leptogenesis are naturally consistent. Using the two-years Fermi LAT data, we present a dedicated search for gamma-ray lines coming from dark matter annihilation or decay in the Galactic halo. Taking into account the full detector response, and using a binned profile likelihood method, we search for significant line features in the energy spectrum of the diffuse flux observed in different regions of the sky. No evidence for line signals at the 5σ level is found for photon energies between 1 and 500 GeV, and the corresponding bounds on dark matter decay rates and annihilation cross sections are presented. Implications for gravitino dark matter in presence of small R-parity violation are discussed, as well as the impact of our results on the prospect for seeing long-lived neutralinos or staus at the LHC. (orig.)

Bounds on dark matter interpretation of Fermi-LAT GeV excess

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyoungchul Kong

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Annihilation of light dark matter of mDM≈(10–40 GeV into the Standard Model fermions has been suggested as a possible origin of the gamma-ray excess at GeV energies in the Fermi-LAT data. In this paper, we examine possible model-independent signatures of such dark matter models in other experiments such as AMS-02, colliders, and cosmic microwave background (CMB measurements. We point out that first generation of fermion final states is disfavored by the existing experimental data. Currently AMS-02 positron measurements provide stringent bounds on cross sections of dark matter annihilation into leptonic final states, and e+e− final state is in severe tension with this constraint, if not ruled out. The e+e− channel will be complementarily verified in an early stage of ILC and future CMB measurements. Light quark final states (qq¯ are relatively strongly constrained by the LHC and dark matter direct detection experiments even though these bounds are model-dependent. Dark matter signals from annihilations into qq¯ channels would be constrained by AMS-02 antiproton data which will be released in very near future. In optimistic case, diffuse radio emission from nearby galaxy (clusters and the galactic center might provide another hint or limit on dark matter annihilation.

Indirect detection of dark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pieri, L.

2008-01-01

In the Cold Dark Matter scenario, the Dark Matter particle candidate may be a Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (Wimp). Annihilation of two Wimps in local or cosmological structures would result in the production of a number of standard model particles such as photons, leptons and baryons which could be observed with the presently available or future experiments such as the Pamela or Glast satellites or the Cherenkov Telescopes. In this work we review the status-of-the-art of the theoretical and phenomenological studies about the possibility of indirect detection of signals coming from Wimp annihilation.

Gamma-ray Background Spectrum and Annihilation Rate in the Baryon-symmetric Big-bang Cosmology

Science.gov (United States)

Puget, J. L.

1973-01-01

An attempt was made to acquire experimental information on the problem of baryon symmetry on a large cosmological scale by observing the annihilation products. Data cover absorption cross sections and background radiation due to other sources for the two main products of annihilation, gamma rays and neutrinos. Test results show that the best direct experimental test for the presence of large scale antimatter lies in the gamma ray background spectrum between 1 and 70 MeV.

Natural Implementation of Neutralino Dark Matter

CERN Document Server

King, S F

2006-01-01

The prediction of neutralino dark matter is generally regarded as one of the successes of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). However the successful regions of parameter space allowed by WMAP and collider constraints are quite restricted. We discuss fine-tuning with respect to both dark matter and Electroweak Symmetry Breaking (EWSB) and explore regions of MSSM parameter space with non-universal gaugino and third family scalar masses in which neutralino dark matter may be implemented naturally. In particular allowing non-universal gauginos opens up the bulk region that allows Bino annihilation via t-channel slepton exchange, leading to ``supernatural dark matter'' corresponding to no fine-tuning at all with respect to dark matter. By contrast we find that the recently proposed ``well tempered neutralino'' regions involve substantial fine-tuning of MSSM parameters in order to satisfy the dark matter constraints, although the fine tuning may be ameliorated if several annihilation channels act simu...

Review of indirect detection of dark matter with neutrinos

Science.gov (United States)

Danninger, Matthias

2017-09-01

Dark Matter could be detected indirectly through the observation of neutrinos produced in dark matter self-annihilations or decays. Searches for such neutrino signals have resulted in stringent constraints on the dark matter self-annihilation cross section and the scattering cross section with matter. In recent years these searches have made significant progress in sensitivity through new search methodologies, new detection channels, and through the availability of rich datasets from neutrino telescopes and detectors, like IceCube, ANTARES, Super-Kamiokande, etc. We review recent experimental results and put them in context with respect to other direct and indirect dark matter searches. We also discuss prospects for discoveries at current and next generation neutrino detectors.

Stability of matter-antimatter molecules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong, Cheuk-Yin; Lee, Teck-Ghee

2011-01-01

Highlights: → We examine stability of matter-antimatter molecules with four constituents. → The binding of matter-antimatter molecules is a common phenomenon. → Molecules have bound states if ratio of constituent masses greater than ∼4. → We evaluate molecular binding energies and annihilation lifetimes. - Abstract: We examine the stability of matter-antimatter molecules by reducing the four-body problem into a simpler two-body problem with residual interactions. We find that matter-antimatter molecules with constituents (m 1 + ,m 2 - ,m-bar 2 + ,m-bar 1 - ) possess bound states if their constituent mass ratio m 1 /m 2 is greater than about 4. This stability condition suggests that the binding of matter-antimatter molecules is a rather common phenomenon. We evaluate the binding energies and eigenstates of matter-antimatter molecules (μ + e - )-(e + μ - ),(π + e - )-(e + π - ),(K + e - )-(e + K - ),(pe - )-(e + p-bar),(pμ - )-(μ + p-bar), and (K + μ - ) - (μ + K - ), which satisfy the stability condition. We estimate the molecular annihilation lifetimes in their s states.

Prospects for Dark Matter Measurements with the Advanced Gamma Ray Imaging System (AGIS)

Science.gov (United States)

Buckley, James

2009-05-01

AGIS, a concept for a future gamma-ray observatory consisting of an array of 50 atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes, would provide a powerful new tool for determining the nature of dark matter and its role in structure formation in the universe. The advent of more sensitive direct detection experiments, the launch of Fermi and the startup of the LHC make the near future an exciting time for dark matter searches. Indirect measurements of cosmic-ray electrons may already provide a hint of dark matter in our local halo. However, gamma-ray measurements will provide the only means for mapping the dark matter in the halo of our galaxy and other galaxies. In addition, the spectrum of gamma-rays (either direct annihilation to lines or continuum emission from other annihilation channels) will be imprinted with the mass of the dark matter particle, and the particular annihilation channels providing key measurements needed to identify the dark matter particle. While current gamma-ray instruments fall short of the generic sensitivity required to measure the dark matter signal from any sources other than the (confused) region around the Galactic center, we show that the planned AGIS array will have the angular resolution, energy resolution, low threshold energy and large effective area required to detect emission from dark matter annihilation in Galactic substructure or nearby Dwarf spheroidal galaxies.

Impact of dark matter on reionization and heating

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mapelli, M.; Ripamonti, E.

2007-01-01

Abstract: We derived the evolution of the energy deposition in the intergalactic medium (IGM) by different decaying (or annihilating) dark matter (DM) candidates. Heavy annihilating DM particles (with mass larger than a few GeV) have no influence on reionization and heating, even if we assume that

The impact of the phase-space density on the indirect detection of dark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferrer, Francesc; Hunter, Daniel R.

2013-01-01

We study the indirect detection of dark matter when the local dark matter velocity distribution depends upon position, as expected for the Milky Way and its dwarf spheroidal satellites, and the annihilation cross-section is not purely s-wave. Using a phase-space distribution consistent with the dark matter density profile, we present estimates of cosmic and gamma-ray fluxes from dark matter annihilations. The expectations for the indirect detection of dark matter can differ significantly from the usual calculation that assumes that the velocity of the dark matter particles follows a Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution

arXiv Exponentially Light Dark Matter from Coannihilation

CERN Document Server

D'Agnolo, Raffaele Tito; Ruderman, Joshua T.; Wang, Po-Jen

Dark matter may be a thermal relic whose abundance is set by mutual annihilations among multiple species. Traditionally, this coannihilation scenario has been applied to weak scale dark matter that is highly degenerate with other states. We show that coannihilation among states with split masses points to dark matter that is exponentially lighter than the weak scale, down to the keV scale. We highlight the regime where dark matter does not participate in the annihilations that dilute its number density. In this "sterile coannihilation" limit, the dark matter relic density is independent of its couplings, implying a broad parameter space of thermal relic targets for future experiments. Light dark matter from coannihilation evades stringent bounds from the cosmic microwave background, but will be tested by future direct detection, fixed target, and long-lived particle experiments.

Constraining heavy dark matter with cosmic-ray antiprotons

Science.gov (United States)

Cuoco, Alessandro; Heisig, Jan; Korsmeier, Michael; Krämer, Michael

2018-04-01

Cosmic-ray observations provide a powerful probe of dark matter annihilation in the Galaxy. In this paper we derive constraints on heavy dark matter from the recent precise AMS-02 antiproton data. We consider all possible annihilation channels into pairs of standard model particles. Furthermore, we interpret our results in the context of minimal dark matter, including higgsino, wino and quintuplet dark matter. We compare the cosmic-ray antiproton limits to limits from γ-ray observations of dwarf spheroidal galaxies and to limits from γ-ray and γ-line observations towards the Galactic center. While the latter limits are highly dependent on the dark matter density distribution and only exclude a thermal wino for cuspy profiles, the cosmic-ray limits are more robust, strongly disfavoring the thermal wino dark matter scenario even for a conservative estimate of systematic uncertainties.

Mixed Wino Dark Matter: consequences for direct, indirect and collider detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baer, Howard; Mustafayev, Azar; Park, Eun-Kyung; Profumo, Stefano

2005-01-01

In supersymmetric models with gravity-mediated SUSY breaking and gaugino mass unification, the predicted relic abundance of neutralinos usually exceeds the strict limits imposed by the WMAP collaboration. One way to obtain the correct relic abundance is to abandon gaugino mass universality and allow a mixed wino-bino lightest SUSY particle (LSP). The enhanced annihilation and scattering cross sections of mixed wino dark matter (MWDM) compared to bino dark matter lead to enhanced rates for direct dark matter detection, as well as for indirect detection at neutrino telescopes and for detection of dark matter annihilation products in the galactic halo. For collider experiments, MWDM leads to a reduced but significant mass gap between the lightest neutralinos so that Z-tilde 2 two-body decay modes are usually closed. This means that dilepton mass edges- the starting point for cascade decay reconstruction at the CERN LHC- should be accessible over almost all of parameter space. Measurement of the m Z-tilde2 -m Z-tilde1 mass gap at LHC plus various sparticle masses and cross sections as a function of beam polarization at the International Linear Collider (ILC) would pinpoint MWDM as the dominant component of dark matter in the universe

Conservative constraints on dark matter from the Fermi-LAT isotropic diffuse gamma-ray background spectrum

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abazajian, Kevork N.; Agrawal, Prateek; Chacko, Zackaria [Maryland Center for Fundamental Physics, Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742 (United States); Kilic, Can, E-mail: kev@umd.edu, E-mail: apr@umd.edu, E-mail: zchacko@umd.edu, E-mail: kilic@physics.rutgers.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854 (United States)

2010-11-01

We examine the constraints on final state radiation from Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) dark matter candidates annihilating into various standard model final states, as imposed by the measurement of the isotropic diffuse gamma-ray background by the Large Area Telescope aboard the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope. The expected isotropic diffuse signal from dark matter annihilation has contributions from the local Milky Way (MW) as well as from extragalactic dark matter. The signal from the MW is very insensitive to the adopted dark matter profile of the halos, and dominates the signal from extragalactic halos, which is sensitive to the low mass cut-off of the halo mass function. We adopt a conservative model for both the low halo mass survival cut-off and the substructure boost factor of the Galactic and extragalactic components, and only consider the primary final state radiation. This provides robust constraints which reach the thermal production cross-section for low mass WIMPs annihilating into hadronic modes. We also reanalyze limits from HESS observations of the Galactic Ridge region using a conservative model for the dark matter halo profile. When combined with the HESS constraint, the isotropic diffuse spectrum rules out all interpretations of the PAMELA positron excess based on dark matter annihilation into two lepton final states. Annihilation into four leptons through new intermediate states, although constrained by the data, is not excluded.

Conservative constraints on dark matter from the Fermi-LAT isotropic diffuse gamma-ray background spectrum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abazajian, Kevork N.; Agrawal, Prateek; Chacko, Zackaria; Kilic, Can

2010-01-01

We examine the constraints on final state radiation from Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) dark matter candidates annihilating into various standard model final states, as imposed by the measurement of the isotropic diffuse gamma-ray background by the Large Area Telescope aboard the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope. The expected isotropic diffuse signal from dark matter annihilation has contributions from the local Milky Way (MW) as well as from extragalactic dark matter. The signal from the MW is very insensitive to the adopted dark matter profile of the halos, and dominates the signal from extragalactic halos, which is sensitive to the low mass cut-off of the halo mass function. We adopt a conservative model for both the low halo mass survival cut-off and the substructure boost factor of the Galactic and extragalactic components, and only consider the primary final state radiation. This provides robust constraints which reach the thermal production cross-section for low mass WIMPs annihilating into hadronic modes. We also reanalyze limits from HESS observations of the Galactic Ridge region using a conservative model for the dark matter halo profile. When combined with the HESS constraint, the isotropic diffuse spectrum rules out all interpretations of the PAMELA positron excess based on dark matter annihilation into two lepton final states. Annihilation into four leptons through new intermediate states, although constrained by the data, is not excluded

Two-singlet model for light cold dark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abada, Abdessamad; Ghaffor, Djamal; Nasri, Salah

2011-01-01

We extend the standard model by adding two gauge-singlet Z 2 -symmetric scalar fields that interact with visible matter only through the Higgs particle. One is a stable dark matter WIMP, and the other one undergoes a spontaneous breaking of the symmetry that opens new channels for the dark matter annihilation, hence lowering the mass of the WIMP. We study the effects of the observed dark matter relic abundance on the WIMP annihilation cross section and find that in most regions of the parameters' space, light dark matter is viable. We also compare the elastic-scattering cross section of our dark matter candidate off a nucleus with existing (CDMSII and XENON100) and projected (SuperCDMS and XENON1T) experimental exclusion bounds. We find that most of the allowed mass range for light dark matter will be probed by the projected sensitivity of the XENON1T experiment.

Indirect research of dark matter toward dwarf galaxies with the ANTARES neutrino telescope

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dumas, Alexis

2014-01-01

The first part of this document summarizes the astrophysical arguments to suppose the existence of dark matter. The cosmological model γCDM is presented as well as the concept of cross section of dark matter self-annihilation. Dwarf galaxies satellites of the Milky Way, the sources of our study are introduced into a second chapter. After recalling the large structures that make up the universe, the issues related to dwarf galaxies are addressed: missing satellites problem, distribution of dark matter density within them and tidal forces due to the Milky Way. The second part discusses the modeling of the dark matter density in dwarf galaxies. The methodology, using the Jeans equation and dispersion of projected stars velocities, is presented. Three dark matter profiles are retained: NFW, Burkert and Einasto and fifteen dwarf galaxies. Neutrino production during the self-annihilation of dark matter is then addressed. The energy spectra of neutrinos are generated with PYTHIA software and compared with other results for the galactic center. Twenty-three assumptions of mass dark matter candidates are chosen, ranging from 25 GeV/c 2 100 TeV/c 2 . Five self-annihilation channels are selected for analysis: b - b, W + W - T + T - μ + μ - νμ νμ. The third part includes a presentation of the detector used for the study, the ANTARES neutrino telescope. Three reconstruction algorithms developed and used in collaboration are also detailed: AAFIT, BBFit and GridFit. The analysis of data ANTARES aimed to find a neutrinos excess characteristic of dark matter self-annihilation is summarized in the sixth and final chapter. No excess was observed, a limit on the cross section of dark matter self-annihilation was determined. (author)

Supersymmetric Dark Matter and Prospects for its Detection

Science.gov (United States)

Yamamoto, Takahiro

Dark matter is a prominent and dominant form of matter in the Universe. Yet, despite various intense efforts, its nongravitational effects have not been observed. In this dissertation, we explore the nature of such elusive particles within a supersymmetric SU(3)C ⊗ SU(2)L ⊗ U(1)Y gauge theory. Although large regions of parameter space within supersymmetric models have been excluded by recent results from collider experiments and direct and indirect dark matter searches, we find that there is a wide range of viable parameter space once the requirements of minimal flavor violation and mass universality are relaxed. In particular, we focus on a class of models in which electroweak-scale Majorana dark matter has interactions with the Standard Model sector via relatively light charged scalars with large chiral mixing and CP-violation. Our model is shown to lead to enhanced dark matter pair annihilation, and is constrained by precise measurements of the lepton dipole moments. We illustrate that our model satisfies all constraints, including the observed thermal relic density, and investigate prospects for the detection of dark matter annihilation products. We also examine the effects of chiral mixing and CP-violationn on the variation in the ratio of the flux of monoenergetic photons from annihilation to two photons relative to that from annihilation to a photon and a Z boson, as well as the helicity asymmetry in the diphoton final state. We also find the most general spectrum for internal bremsstrahlung, which interpolates between the regimes dominated by virtual internal bremsstrahlung and by final state radiation, and that it provides distinctive gamma-ray signals, which could potentially be observed in the near future.

AMS-02 fits dark matter

Science.gov (United States)

Balázs, Csaba; Li, Tong

2016-05-01

In this work we perform a comprehensive statistical analysis of the AMS-02 electron, positron fluxes and the antiproton-to-proton ratio in the context of a simplified dark matter model. We include known, standard astrophysical sources and a dark matter component in the cosmic ray injection spectra. To predict the AMS-02 observables we use propagation parameters extracted from observed fluxes of heavier nuclei and the low energy part of the AMS-02 data. We assume that the dark matter particle is a Majorana fermion coupling to third generation fermions via a spin-0 mediator, and annihilating to multiple channels at once. The simultaneous presence of various annihilation channels provides the dark matter model with additional flexibility, and this enables us to simultaneously fit all cosmic ray spectra using a simple particle physics model and coherent astrophysical assumptions. Our results indicate that AMS-02 observations are not only consistent with the dark matter hypothesis within the uncertainties, but adding a dark matter contribution improves the fit to the data. Assuming, however, that dark matter is solely responsible for this improvement of the fit, it is difficult to evade the latest CMB limits in this model.

AMS-02 fits dark matter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Balázs, Csaba; Li, Tong [ARC Centre of Excellence for Particle Physics at the Tera-scale,School of Physics and Astronomy, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3800 (Australia)

2016-05-05

In this work we perform a comprehensive statistical analysis of the AMS-02 electron, positron fluxes and the antiproton-to-proton ratio in the context of a simplified dark matter model. We include known, standard astrophysical sources and a dark matter component in the cosmic ray injection spectra. To predict the AMS-02 observables we use propagation parameters extracted from observed fluxes of heavier nuclei and the low energy part of the AMS-02 data. We assume that the dark matter particle is a Majorana fermion coupling to third generation fermions via a spin-0 mediator, and annihilating to multiple channels at once. The simultaneous presence of various annihilation channels provides the dark matter model with additional flexibility, and this enables us to simultaneously fit all cosmic ray spectra using a simple particle physics model and coherent astrophysical assumptions. Our results indicate that AMS-02 observations are not only consistent with the dark matter hypothesis within the uncertainties, but adding a dark matter contribution improves the fit to the data. Assuming, however, that dark matter is solely responsible for this improvement of the fit, it is difficult to evade the latest CMB limits in this model.

Origin and annihilation physics of positrons in the Galaxy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexis, Anthony

2014-01-01

A gamma radiation at 511 keV is observed since the early 1970's toward the Galactic bulge region. This emission is the signature of a large number of electron-positron annihilations, the positron being the electron's antiparticle. Unfortunately, the origin of the positrons responsible for this emission is still a mystery. Many positron-source candidates have been suggested but none of them can account for the galactic annihilation emission. The spatial distribution of this emission is indeed very atypical. Since 2002, the SPI spectrometer onboard the INTEGRAL space laboratory revealed an emission strongly concentrated toward the galactic bulge and a weaker emission from the galactic disk. This morphology is unusual because it does not correspond to any of the known galactic astrophysical-object or interstellar-matter distributions. The assumption that positrons annihilate close to their sources (i.e. the spatial distribution of the annihilation emission reflects the spatial distribution of the sources) has consequently been called into question. Recent studies suggest that positrons could propagate far away from their sources before annihilating. This physical aspect could be the key point to solve the riddle of the galactic positron origin. This thesis is devoted to the modelling of the propagation and annihilation of positrons in the Galaxy, in order to compare simulated spatial models of the annihilation emission with recent measurements provided by SPI/INTEGRAL. This method allows to put constraints on the origin of galactic positrons. We therefore developed a propagation Monte-Carlo code of positrons within the Galaxy in which we implemented all the theoretical and observational knowledge about positron physics (sources, transport modes, energy losses, annihilation modes) and the interstellar medium of our Galaxy (interstellar gas distributions, galactic magnetic fields, structures of the gaseous phases). Due to uncertainties in several physical parameters

Detectability of γ-rays from clumps of dark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lake, G.

1990-01-01

If the dark matter in our Galaxy is made up of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) with masses of the order of several GeV (for example, photinos or Higgsinos), γ-rays produced by their annihilation would in principle be observable. But the expected flux from a smoothly distributed dark matter halo is much smaller than the observed diffuse background, and although narrow lines might be produced, their intensity would be much too low to see with the Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO). A complementary approach is to consider unique spatial signatures. Numerical simulations of galaxy formation show that even in the central bulge of the Galaxy, the mean density of the dark matter could be equal to that of the stars. If this were so, GRO could see the Galactic Centre as a source of annihilating dark matter. Other lumps formed as part of the hierarchical formation of the Galaxy could also produce sources that would be recognized by the shape of their continuum spectrum and a line feature in sufficiently bright sources. Even Geminga, the second strongest source of γ-rays at energies greater than 50 MeV, could be annihilating dark matter. (author)

Development of an Electron-Positron Source for Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

2009-12-19

REPORT Development of an electron- positron source for positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy : FINAL REPORT 14. ABSTRACT 16. SECURITY...to generate radiation, to accelerate particles, and to produce electrons and positrons from vacuum. From applications using existing high-repetition...theoretical directions. This report reviews work directed toward the application of positron generation from laser interaction with matter 1. REPORT DATE

Light element abundances in a matter-antimatter model of the universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aly, J.J.

1978-01-01

This paper is devoted to the problem of light element synthesis in a baryon symmetric Big-Bang cosmology, in which the universe is constituted at the end of the leptonic era by a nucleon-antinucleon emulsion. If the initial typical size of the matter or antimatter regions is sufficiently high to avoid significant neutron annihilation, nucleosynthesis can proceed in this kind of model in the same way as in the conventional Big-Bang. But the abundances of the created light elements can be modified at a later time by interaction of the nuclei with the high energy particles and photons resulting from annihilation. In this article, we consider two specific mechanisms able to change the abundances: a 4 He 'nucleodisruption' process (proposed by Combes et al., 1975), which leads to deuterium production, and 4 He photodisintegration by annihilation γ-rays, which leads to an increase of the 3 He and D production. General relations are established which allow one to compute the abundances of the so created elements when the size l of the matter or antimatter regions and the annihilation rate are given as function of time. These relations are applied to the Omnes model, in which the size l grows by a coalescence mechanism. It is shown that in this model the D and 3 He abundances are much greater than the limits on primordial abundances deduced from the present observations. (orig.) [de

Constraints on the Galactic Halo Dark Matter from Fermi-LAT Diffuse Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Atwood, W. B.; Baldini, L.; Barbiellini, G.; Bastieri, D.; Bechtol, K.; Bellazzini, R.; Blandford, R. D.; Bloom, E. D.;

Indirect searches for dark matter

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The current status of indirect searches for dark matter has been reviewed in a schematic way here. The main relevant experimental results of the recent years have been listed and the excitements and disappointments that their phenomenological interpretations in terms of almost-standard annihilating dark matter have ...

Antideuteron annihilation on nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cugnon, J.

1992-01-01

An investigation of antideuteron annihilation on nuclei within an intranuclear cascade (INC) model is presented. Two models are set up to describe the annihilation itself, which either implies the antideuteron as a whole and occurs at a single point, or which may be considered as two independent nucleon-antinucleon annihilation occurring at different points and different times. Particular attention is paid to the energy transferred from the pions issued from the annihilation to the nuclear system and to the possibility of having a multifragmentation of the target. The latter feature is investigated within a percolation model. The pion distribution and the energy distribution are also discussed. Predictions of proton multiplicity distributions are compared with experiment. (orig.)

The weak conversion rate in quark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heiselberg, H.

1992-01-01

The weak conversion rate of strange to down quarks, s + u ↔ u + d, is calculated analytically for degenerate u, d and s quark matter to leading orders in temperature and deviations from chemical equilibrium. The rate is applied to burning of neutron matter into quark matter, to evaporation from quark nuggets in the early universe, for estimating the lifetime of strangelets, and to pulsar glitches

Natural implementation of neutralino dark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

King, Steve F.; Roberts, Jonathan P.

2006-01-01

The prediction of neutralino dark matter is generally regarded as one of the successes of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). However the successful regions of parameter space allowed by WMAP and collider constraints are quite restricted. We discuss fine-tuning with respect to both dark matter and Electroweak Symmetry Breaking (EWSB) and explore regions of MSSM parameter space with non-universal gaugino and third family scalar masses in which neutralino dark matter may be implemented naturally. In particular allowing non-universal gauginos opens up the bulk region that allows Bino annihilation via t-channel slepton exchange, leading to 'supernatural dark matter' corresponding to no fine-tuning at all with respect to dark matter. By contrast we find that the recently proposed 'well tempered neutralino' regions involve substantial fine-tuning of MSSM parameters in order to satisfy the dark matter constraints, although the fine tuning may be ameliorated if several annihilation channels act simultaneously. Although we have identified regions of 'supernatural dark matter' in which there is no fine tuning to achieve successful dark matter, the usual MSSM fine tuning to achieve EWSB always remains

Natural implementation of neutralino dark matter

Science.gov (United States)

King, Steve F.; Roberts, Jonathan P.

2006-09-01

The prediction of neutralino dark matter is generally regarded as one of the successes of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). However the successful regions of parameter space allowed by WMAP and collider constraints are quite restricted. We discuss fine-tuning with respect to both dark matter and Electroweak Symmetry Breaking (EWSB) and explore regions of MSSM parameter space with non-universal gaugino and third family scalar masses in which neutralino dark matter may be implemented naturally. In particular allowing non-universal gauginos opens up the bulk region that allows Bino annihilation via t-channel slepton exchange, leading to ``supernatural dark matter'' corresponding to no fine-tuning at all with respect to dark matter. By contrast we find that the recently proposed ``well tempered neutralino'' regions involve substantial fine-tuning of MSSM parameters in order to satisfy the dark matter constraints, although the fine tuning may be ameliorated if several annihilation channels act simultaneously. Although we have identified regions of ``supernatural dark matter'' in which there is no fine tuning to achieve successful dark matter, the usual MSSM fine tuning to achieve EWSB always remains.

Annihilation gamma ray background characterization and rejection for a positron camera

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Levin, C.S.; Tornai, M.P.; MacDonald, L.R.

1996-01-01

We have developed a miniature (1.2 cm 2 ) beta-ray camera prototype to assist a surgeon in locating and removing the margins of a resected tumor. When imaging positron emitting radiopharmaceuticals, annihilation gamma ray interactions in the detector can mimic those of the betas. The extent of the background contamination depends on the detector, geometry and tumor specificity of the radiopharmaceutical. We have characterized the effects that annihilation gamma rays have on positron imaging with the camera. We studied beta and gamma ray detection rates and imaging using small positron or electron sources directly exposed to the detector to simulate hot tumor remnants and a cylinder filled with 18 F to simulate annihilation background from the brain. For various ratios of phantom brain/tumor activity, a annihilation gamma rate of 1.8 cts/sec/gCi was measured in the CaF 2 (Eu) detector. We present two gamma-ray background rejection schemes that use a β-γ coincidence. Results show that the coincidence methods works with ∼99% gamma ray rejection efficiency

Highlights on gamma rays, neutrinos and antiprotons from TeV Dark Matter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gammaldi Viviana

2016-01-01

Full Text Available It has been shown that the gamma-ray flux observed by HESS from the J1745-290 Galactic Center source is well fitted as the secondary gamma-rays photons generated from Dark Matter annihilating into Standard Model particles in combination with a simple power law background. The neutrino flux expected from such Dark Matter source has been also analyzed. The main results of such analyses for 50 TeV Dark Matter annihilating into W+W− gauge boson and preliminary results for antiprotons are presented.

Search for dark matter annihilation in the earth using the ANTARES neutrino telescope

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Albert, A.; André, M.; Anghinolfi, M.; Anton, G.; Ardid, M.; Aubert, J.J.; Avgitas, T.; Baret, B.; Barrios-Marti, J.; Basa, S.; Bertin, V.; Biagi, S.; Bormuth, R.; Bourret, S.; Bouwhuis, M.C.; Bruijn, R.; Brunner, J.; Busto, J.; Capone, A.; Caramete, L.; Carr, J.; Celli, S.; Chiarusi, T.; Circella, M.; Coelho, J.A.; Coleiro, A.; Coniglione, R.; Costantini, H.; Coyle, P.; Creusot, A.; Deschamps, A.; De Bonis, G.; Distefano, C.; Di Palma, I.; Donzaud, C.; Dornic, D.; Drouhin, D.; Eberl, T.; El Bojaddaini, I.; Elsasser, D.; Enzenhofer, A.; Felis, I.; Fusco, L.A.; Galata, S.; Gay, P.; Geisselsoder, S.; Geyer, K.; Giordano, V.; Gleixner, A.; Glotin, H.; Grégoire, T.; Gracia-Ruiz, R.; Graf, K.; Hallmann, S.; van Haren, H.; Heijboer, A.J.; Hello, Y.; Hernandez-Rey, J.J.; Hofestadt, J.; Hugon, C.; Hossl, J.; Illuminati, G.; James, C.W.; de Jong, M.; Jongen, M.; Kadler, M.; Kalekin, O.; Katz, U.; Kiessling, D.; Kouchner, A.; Kreter, M.; Kreykenbohm, I.; Kulikovskiy, V.; Lachaud, C.; Lahmann, R.; Lefevre, D.; Leonora, E.; Lotze, M.; Loucatos, S.; Marcelin, M.; Margiotta, A.; Marinelli, A.; Martinez-Mora, J.A.; Mathieu, A.; Mele, R.; Melis, K.; Michael, T.; Migliozzi, P.; Moussa, A.; Mueller, C.; Nezri, E.; Pavalas, G.E.; Pellegrino, C.; Perrina, C.; Piattelli, P.; Popa, V.; Pradier, T.; Quinn, L.; Racca, C.; Riccobene, G.; Roensch, K.; Sanchez-Losa, A.; Saldana, M.; Salvadori, I.; Samtleben, D.F.E.; Sanguineti, M.; Sapienza, P.; Schnabel, J.; Schussler, F.; Seitz, T.; Sieger, C.; Spurio, M.; Stolarczyk, Th.; Taiuti, M.; Tayalati, Y.; Trovato, A.; Tselengidou, M.; Turpin, D.; Tönnis, C.; Vallage, B.; Vallee, C.; Van Elewyck, V.; Vivolo, D.; Vizzoca, A.; Wagner, S.; Wilms, J.; Zornoza, J.D.; Zuniga, J.

2017-01-01

A search for a neutrino signal from WIMP pair annihilations in the centre of the Earth has been performed with the data collected with the ANTARES neutrino telescope from 2007 to 2012. The event selection criteria have been developed and tuned to maximise the sensitivity of the experiment to such a

Bulk viscosity in 2SC quark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alford, Mark G; Schmitt, Andreas

2007-01-01

The bulk viscosity of three-flavour colour-superconducting quark matter originating from the nonleptonic process u + s ↔ u + d is computed. It is assumed that up and down quarks form Cooper pairs while the strange quark remains unpaired (2SC phase). A general derivation of the rate of strangeness production is presented, involving contributions from a multitude of different subprocesses, including subprocesses that involve different numbers of gapped quarks as well as creation and annihilation of particles in the condensate. The rate is then used to compute the bulk viscosity as a function of the temperature, for an external oscillation frequency typical of a compact star r-mode. We find that, for temperatures far below the critical temperature T c for 2SC pairing, the bulk viscosity of colour-superconducting quark matter is suppressed relative to that of unpaired quark matter, but for T ∼> T c /30 the colour-superconducting quark matter has a higher bulk viscosity. This is potentially relevant for the suppression of r-mode instabilities early in the life of a compact star

A Search for Weakly Interacting Particles with the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search Experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bruch, Tobias [Univ. of Zurich (Switzerland)

2010-01-01

Dark matter particles cannot only be detected directly in laboratories, but also indirectly by their annihilation products. Previous predictions of the neutrino flux from WIMP annihilation in the Earth and the Sun have assumed that galactic dark matter is distributed according to the SHM. Although the dark disc has a local density comparable to the dark halo, its higher phase space density at low velocities greatly enhances capture rates in the Sun and Earth. For typical dark disc properties, the resulting muon flux from the Earth is increased by three orders of magnitude over the SHM, while for the Sun the increase is one order of magnitude. This significantly increases the prospects of neutrino telescopes to fix or constrain parameters in WIMP models. The flux from the Earth is extremely sensitive to the detailed properties of the dark disc, while the flux from the Sun is more robust.

Simulation of the annihilation emission of galactic positrons; Modelisation de l'emission d'annihilation des positrons Galactiques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gillard, W

2008-01-15

Positrons annihilate in the central region of our Galaxy. This has been known since the detection of a strong emission line centered on an energy of 511 keV in the direction of the Galactic center. This gamma-ray line is emitted during the annihilation of positrons with electrons from the interstellar medium. The spectrometer SPI, onboard the INTEGRAL observatory, performed spatial and spectral analyses of the positron annihilation emission. This thesis presents a study of the Galactic positron annihilation emission based on models of the different interactions undergone by positrons in the interstellar medium. The models are relied on our present knowledge of the properties of the interstellar medium in the Galactic bulge, where most of the positrons annihilate, and of the physics of positrons (production, propagation and annihilation processes). In order to obtain constraints on the positrons sources and physical characteristics of the annihilation medium, we compared the results of the models to measurements provided by the SPI spectrometer. (author)

Heavy ion collisions, the quark-gluon plasma and antinucleon annihilation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sarma, Nataraja

1985-01-01

Studies in high energy physics have indicated that nucleon and mesons are composed of quarks confined in bags by the strong colours mediated by gluons. It is reasonably expected that at suitably high baryon density and temperature of the nucleus, these bags of nucleon and mesons fuse into a big bag of quarks or gluons i.e. hadronic matter undergoes transition to a quark-gluon phase. Two techniques to achieve this transition in a laboratory are: (1) collision of two heavy nuclei, and (2) annihilation of antinucleons and antinuclei in nuclear matter. Theoretical studies as well as experimental studies associated with the transition to quark-gluon phase are reviewed. (author)

Positron annihilation lifetime study of oxide dispersion strengthened steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krsjak, V.; Szaraz, Z.; Hähner, P.

2012-01-01

A comparative positron annihilation lifetime study has been performed on various commercial ferritic and ferritic/martensitic oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steels. Both as-extruded and recrystallized materials were investigated. In the materials with recrystallized coarse-grained microstructures, only the positron trapping at small vacancy clusters and yttria nanofeatures was observed. Materials which had not undergone recrystallization treatment clearly showed additional positron trapping which is associated with dislocations. Dislocation densities were calculated from a two-component decomposition of the positron lifetime spectra by assuming the first component to be a superposition of the bulk controlled annihilation rate and the dislocation controlled trapping rate. The second component (which translates into lifetimes of 240–260 ps) was found to be well separated in all those ODS materials. This paper presents the potentialities and limitations of the positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy, and discusses the results of the experimental determination of the defect concentrations and sensitivity of this technique to the material degradation due to thermally induced precipitation of chromium-rich α′ phases.

Baryon production in e+e- annihilation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saxon, D.H.

1988-11-01

The phenomenology of baryon production in high energy e + e - annihilation is described. Much can be understood in terms of mass effects. Comparisons with the rates for different flavours and spins, with momentum and transverse momentum spectra and with particle correlations are used to confront models. Diquark models give good descriptions, except for the on/off Υ(1s) rates. Areas for experimental and theoretical development are indicated. (author)

D-brane anti-brane annihilation in an expanding universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Majumdar, Mahbub; Davis, Anne-Christine

2003-01-01

The time-varying density of D-branes and anti-D-branes in an expanding universe is calculated. The D-brane anti-brane annihilation rate is shown to be too small to compete with the expansion rate of a FRW type universe and the branes over-close the universe. This brane problem is analogous to the old monopole problem. Interestingly however, it is shown that small dimension D-branes annihilate more slowly than high dimension branes. Hence, an initially brany universe may be filled with only low dimension branes at late times. When combined with an appropriate late inflationary theory this leads to an attractive dynamical way to create a realistic braneworld scenario. (author)

Direct and indirect singlet scalar dark matter detection in the lepton-specific two-Higgs-doublet model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boucenna, M. S.; Profumo, S.

2011-01-01

A recent study of gamma-ray data from the Galactic center motivates the investigation of light (∼7-10 GeV) particle dark matter models featuring tau-lepton pairs as dominant annihilation final state. The lepton-specific two-Higgs-doublet model provides a natural framework where light, singlet scalar dark matter can pair-annihilate dominantly into tau leptons. We calculate the nucleon-dark matter cross section for singlet scalar dark matter within the lepton-specific two-Higgs-doublet model framework, and compare with recent results from direct detection experiments. We study how direct dark matter searches can be used to constrain the dark matter interpretation of gamma-ray observations, for different dominant annihilation final states. We show that models exist with the correct thermal relic abundance that could fit the claimed gamma-ray excess from the Galactic center region and have direct detection cross sections of the order of what is needed to interpret recent anomalous events reported by direct detection experiments.

Mapping dark matter in the gamma-ray sky with galaxy catalogs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ando, S.; Benoit-Lévy, A.; Komatsu, E.

2014-01-01

Cross correlating gamma-ray maps with locations of galaxies in the low-redshift Universe vastly increases sensitivity to signatures of annihilation of dark matter particles. Low-redshift galaxies are ideal targets, as the largest contribution to anisotropy in the gamma-ray sky from annihilation

Intergalactic medium heating by dark matter

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ripamonti, E.; Mapelli, M.; Ferrara, A.

2006-01-01

Abstract: We derive the evolution of the energy deposition in the intergalactic medium (IGM) by dark matter (DM) decays/annihilations for both sterile neutrinos and light dark matter (LDM) particles. At z > 200 sterile neutrinos transfer a fraction f_abs~0.5 of their rest mass energy into the IGM;

Ruling out dark matter interpretation of the galactic GeV excess by gamma-ray data of galaxy clusters.

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Man Ho; Leung, Chung Hei

2017-11-02

Recently, some very tight constraints of annihilating dark matter have been obtained from gamma-ray data of the Milky Way and Milky Way dwarf spheroidal satellite galaxies. In this article, we report that there are two excellent galaxy clusters (A2877 and Fornax) which can provide interesting constraints for annihilating dark matter. The lower limits of the dark matter mass for the thermal relic annihilation cross section are 25 GeV, 6 GeV, 130 GeV and 100 GeV respectively for the e + e - , μ + μ - , τ + τ - and [Formula: see text] channels. For some configuration of our working assumptions, our results improve the Fermi-LAT upper limits of annihilation cross sections by a factor of 1.3 - 1.8 for wide ranges of dark matter mass for e + e - , μ + μ - and [Formula: see text] channels, and a factor of 1.2-1.8 for τ + τ - channel with dark matter mass ≤100 GeV. These limits basically rule out most of the existing popular dark matter interpretation of the GeV excess in the Milky Way.

Natural SUSY dark matter model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohanty, Subhendra; Rao, Soumya; Roy, D.P.

2013-01-01

The most natural region of cosmologically compatible dark matter relic density in terms of low fine-tuning in a minimal supersymmetric standard model with nonuniversal gaugino masses is the so called bulk annihilation region. We study this region in a simple and predictive SUSY- GUT model of nonuniversal gaugino masses, where the latter transform as a combination of singlet plus a nonsinglet representation of the GUTgroup SU(5). The model prediction for the direct dark matter detection rates is well below the present CDMS and XENON100 limits, but within the reach of a future 1Ton XENON experiment. The most interesting and robust model prediction is an indirect detection signal of hard positron events, which resembles closely the shape of the observed positron spectrum from the PAMELA experiment. (author)

Positron-annihilation-radiation transmission gauge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Padawer, G.M.

1984-01-01

A radiographic method and apparatus for nondestructively monitoring a specimen for density variations are disclosed. A positron-annihilation-radiation-emitting point source is situated approximately midway along the axis separating two detectors sensitive to positron-annihilation (0.511-MeV photon) radiation. The outputs of the two detectors are fed to an electronic circuit that reckons only time-coincident events that are sensed simultaneously in the two detectors. The specimen to be measured is positioned between the source and one of the detectors such that the cone of detected, i.e., coincident, photons intercepts the region of interest. The number of coincidences that are counted in a preset time interval are recorded, or, alternatively, the coincidence count rate is monitored directly with a ratemeter. A linear scan of the region of interest is performed by the sequential displacing of the source/detectors axis with respect to the measured specimen, or the specimen with respect to the source/detectors axis. The number of coincidence counts accumulated within a preset time interval are recorded for each displacement. The spatial variation of density within the specimen is inferred from corresponding variations in the coincidence count rate

Matter-antimatter Cosmology

Science.gov (United States)

Omnes, R.

1973-01-01

The possible existence of antimatter on a large scale in the universe is evaluated. As a starting point, an attempt was made to understand the origin of matter as being essentially analogous to the origin of backgound thermal radiation. Several theories and models are examined, with particular emphasis on nucleon-antinucleon interactions at intermediate energies. Data also cover annihilation interaction with the matter-antimatter boundary to produce the essential fluid motion known as coalesence.

Simplified dark matter models in the light of AMS-02 antiproton data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Tong [ARC Centre of Excellence for Particle Physics at the Tera-scale,School of Physics and Astronomy, Monash University,Melbourne, Victoria 3800 (Australia)

2017-04-19

In this work we perform an analysis of the recent AMS-02 antiproton flux and the antiproton-to-proton ratio in the framework of simplified dark matter models. To predict the AMS-02 observables we adopt the propagation and injection parameters determined by the observed fluxes of nuclei. We assume that the dark matter particle is a Dirac fermionic dark matter, with leptophobic pseudoscalar or axialvector mediator that couples only to Standard Model quarks and dark matter particles. We find that the AMS-02 observations are consistent with the dark matter framework within the uncertainties. The antiproton data prefer a dark matter (mediator) mass in the 700 GeV–5 TeV region for the annihilation with pseudoscalar mediator and greater than 700 GeV (200 GeV–1 TeV) for the annihilation with axialvector mediator, respectively, at about 68% confidence level. The AMS-02 data require an effective dark matter annihilation cross section in the region of 1×10{sup −25}–1×10{sup −24} (1×10{sup −25}–4×10{sup −24}) cm{sup 3}/s for the simplified model with pseudoscalar (axialvector) mediator. The constraints from the LHC and Fermi-LAT are also discussed.

Simplified dark matter models in the light of AMS-02 antiproton data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Tong

2017-01-01

In this work we perform an analysis of the recent AMS-02 antiproton flux and the antiproton-to-proton ratio in the framework of simplified dark matter models. To predict the AMS-02 observables we adopt the propagation and injection parameters determined by the observed fluxes of nuclei. We assume that the dark matter particle is a Dirac fermionic dark matter, with leptophobic pseudoscalar or axialvector mediator that couples only to Standard Model quarks and dark matter particles. We find that the AMS-02 observations are consistent with the dark matter framework within the uncertainties. The antiproton data prefer a dark matter (mediator) mass in the 700 GeV–5 TeV region for the annihilation with pseudoscalar mediator and greater than 700 GeV (200 GeV–1 TeV) for the annihilation with axialvector mediator, respectively, at about 68% confidence level. The AMS-02 data require an effective dark matter annihilation cross section in the region of 1×10 −25 –1×10 −24 (1×10 −25 –4×10 −24 ) cm 3 /s for the simplified model with pseudoscalar (axialvector) mediator. The constraints from the LHC and Fermi-LAT are also discussed.

Examining The Fermi-LAT Third Source Catalog in search of dark matter subhalos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bertoni, Bridget [Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 (United States); Hooper, Dan [Center for Particle Astrophysics, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Batavia, IL 60510 (United States); Linden, Tim, E-mail: bbertoni@stanford.edu, E-mail: dhooper@fnal.gov, E-mail: linden.70@osu.edu [Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637 (United States)

2015-12-01

Dark matter annihilations taking place in nearby subhalos could appear as gamma-ray sources without detectable counterparts at other wavelengths. In this study, we consider the collection of unassociated gamma-ray sources reported by the Fermi Collaboration in an effort to identify the most promising dark matter subhalo candidates. While we identify 24 bright, high-latitude, non-variable sources with spectra that are consistent with being generated by the annihilations of ∼ 20–70 GeV dark matter particles (assuming annihilations to b b-bar ), it is not possible at this time to distinguish these sources from radio-faint gamma-ray pulsars. Deeper multi-wavelength observations will be essential to clarify the nature of these sources. It is notable that we do not find any such sources that are well fit by dark matter particles heavier than ∼100 GeV. We also study the angular distribution of the gamma-rays from this set of subhalo candidates, and find that the source 3FGL J2212.5+0703 prefers a spatially extended profile (of width ∼ 0.15°) over that of a point source, with a significance of 4.2σ (3.6σ after trials factor). Although not yet definitive, this bright and high-latitude gamma-ray source is well fit as a nearby subhalo of m{sub χ} ≅ 20–50 GeV dark matter particles (annihilating to b b-bar ) and merits further multi-wavelength investigation. Based on the subhalo distribution predicted by numerical simulations, we derive constraints on the dark matter annihilation cross section that are competitive to those resulting from gamma-ray observations of dwarf spheroidal galaxies, the Galactic Center, and the extragalactic gamma-ray background.

Positron annihilation spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sundar, C.S.; Viswanathan, B.

1996-01-01

An overview of positron annihilation spectroscopy, the experimental techniques and its application to studies on defects and electronic structure of materials is presented. The scope of this paper is to present the requisite introductory material, that will enable a better appreciation of the subsequent specialized articles on the applications of positron annihilation spectroscopy to investigate various problems in materials science. (author). 31 refs., 3 figs

Positron annihilation in vitreous silica glasses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uedono, Akira; Tanigawa, Shoichiro

1993-01-01

The annihilation characteristics of positrons in vitreous silica glasses (v-SiO 2 ) were studied by measurements of two-dimensional angular correlation of positron annihilation radiations and positron lifetime spectra. From the measurements, it was found that positrons and positronium (Ps) atoms mainly annihilate from trapped states by vacancy-type defects in v-SiO 2 . For v-SiO 2 specimens with cylindrical porous structures, annihilations of Ps with anisotropic momentum distributions were observed. This fact was attributed to the momentum uncertainty due to localization of Ps in a finite dimension of pores. This investigation showed possibilities for the detection of microstructures in v-SiO 2 by the positron annihilation technique. (author)

Indirect detection of heavy supersymmetric dark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamionkowski, M.

1991-02-01

If neutralinos reside in the galactic halo they will be captured in the Sun and annihilate therein producing high-energy neutrinos. Present limits on the flux of such neutrinos from underground detectors such as IMB and Kamiokande 2 may be used to rule out certain supersymmetric dark-matter candidates, while in many other supersymmetric models the rates are large enough that if neutralinos do reside in the galactic halo, observation of a neutrino signal may be possible in the near future. 10 refs., 2 figs

QCD in e+e- annihilation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ali, A.

1981-04-01

The promise of e + e - annihilation as an ideal laboratory to test Quantum Chromodynamics, QCD, has been the dominating theme in elementary particle physics during the last several years. An attempt is made to partially survey the subject in deep perturbative region in e + e - annihilation where theoretical ambiguities are minimal. Topics discussed include a review of the renormalization group methods relevant for e + e - annihilation, total hadronic cross section, jets and large-psub(T) phenomena, non-perturbative quark and gluon fragmentation effects and analysis of the jet distributions measured at DORIS, SPEAR and PETRA. My hope is to review realistic tests of QCD in e + e - annihilation - as opposed to the ultimate tests, which abound in literature. (orig.)

Constraining the Milky Way dark matter density profile with gamma-rays with Fermi-LAT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernal, Nicolás; Palomares-Ruiz, Sergio

2012-01-01

We study the abilities of the Fermi-LAT instrument on board of the Fermi mission to simultaneously constrain the Milky Way dark matter density profile and some dark matter particle properties, as annihilation cross section, mass and branching ratio into dominant annihilation channels. A single dark matter density profile is commonly assumed to determine the capabilities of gamma-ray experiments to extract dark matter properties or to set limits on them. However, our knowledge of the Milky Way halo is far from perfect, and thus in general, the obtained results are too optimistic. Here, we study the effect these astrophysical uncertainties would have on the determination of dark matter particle properties and conversely, we show how gamma-ray searches could also be used to learn about the structure of the Milky Way halo, as a complementary tool to other type of observational data that study the gravitational effect caused by the presence of dark matter. In addition, we also show how these results would improve if external information on the annihilation cross section and on the local dark matter density were included and compare our results with the predictions from numerical simulations

Matter reflects Antimatter

CERN Document Server

Bianconi, A.; Cristiano, A.; Leali, M.; Lodi Rizzini, E.; Venturelli, L.; Zurlo, N.

2008-01-01

It is common belief that the interaction between antimatter and ordinary solid matter is dominated by annihilation. However, non-destructive processes may play a relevant role too. One century ago E. Rutherford wrote about the "diffuse reflection" of alpha and beta particles by thin layers of different metals: "The observations ... of Geiger and Marsden on the scattering of alpha rays indicate that some of the alpha particles must suffer a deflexion of more than a right angle at a single encounter.... It will be shown that the main deductions from the theory are independent of whether the central charge is supposed to be positive or negative". Although the theory of electromagnetic scattering is in first approximation independent of the relative sign of the colliding particles, in the case where projectile antiprotons are shot against a wall of solid matter the Rutherford diffuse reflection mechanism competes with the annihilation process. So it is not obvious at all that a relevant part of an antiproton beam...

Hidden charged dark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng, Jonathan L.; Kaplinghat, Manoj; Tu, Huitzu; Yu, Hai-Bo

2009-01-01

Can dark matter be stabilized by charge conservation, just as the electron is in the standard model? We examine the possibility that dark matter is hidden, that is, neutral under all standard model gauge interactions, but charged under an exact (\\rm U)(1) gauge symmetry of the hidden sector. Such candidates are predicted in WIMPless models, supersymmetric models in which hidden dark matter has the desired thermal relic density for a wide range of masses. Hidden charged dark matter has many novel properties not shared by neutral dark matter: (1) bound state formation and Sommerfeld-enhanced annihilation after chemical freeze out may reduce its relic density, (2) similar effects greatly enhance dark matter annihilation in protohalos at redshifts of z ∼ 30, (3) Compton scattering off hidden photons delays kinetic decoupling, suppressing small scale structure, and (4) Rutherford scattering makes such dark matter self-interacting and collisional, potentially impacting properties of the Bullet Cluster and the observed morphology of galactic halos. We analyze all of these effects in a WIMPless model in which the hidden sector is a simplified version of the minimal supersymmetric standard model and the dark matter is a hidden sector stau. We find that charged hidden dark matter is viable and consistent with the correct relic density for reasonable model parameters and dark matter masses in the range 1 GeV ∼ X ∼< 10 TeV. At the same time, in the preferred range of parameters, this model predicts cores in the dark matter halos of small galaxies and other halo properties that may be within the reach of future observations. These models therefore provide a viable and well-motivated framework for collisional dark matter with Sommerfeld enhancement, with novel implications for astrophysics and dark matter searches

Neutrino Probes of the Nature of Light Dark Matter

CERN Document Server

Agarwalla, Sanjib K; Fernandez Martinez, Enrique; Mena, Olga

2011-01-01

Dark matter particles gravitationally trapped inside the Sun may annihilate into Standard Model particles, producing a flux of neutrinos. The prospects of detecting these neutrinos in future multi-\\kton{} neutrino detectors designed for other physics searches are explored here. We study the capabilities of a 34/100 \\kton{} liquid argon detector and a 100 \\kton{} magnetized iron calorimeter detector. These detectors are expected to determine the energy and the direction of the incoming neutrino with unprecedented precision allowing for tests of the dark matter nature at very low dark matter masses, in the range of 5-50 GeV. By suppressing the atmospheric background with angular cuts, these techniques would be sensitive to dark matter - nucleon spin dependent cross sections at the fb level, reaching down to a few ab for the most favorable annihilation channels and detector technology.

Physics of antimatter-matter reactions for interstellar propulsion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morgan, D.L. Jr.

1986-01-01

At the stage of the antiproton-nucleon annihilation chain of events relevant to propulsion the annihilation produces energetic charged pions and gamma rays. If annihilation occurs in a complex nucleus, protons, neutrons, and other nuclear fragments are also produced. The charge, number, and energy of the annihilation products are such that annihilation rocket engine concepts involving relatively low specific impulse (I/sub sp/ ≅ 1000 to 2000 s) and very high I/sub sp/ (3 x 10 7 s) appear feasible and have efficiencies on the order of 50% for annihilation energy to propulsion energy conversion. At I/sub sp/'s of around 15,000 s, however, it may be that only the kinetic energy of the charged nuclear fragments can be utilized for propulsion in engines of ordinary size. An estimate of this kinetic energy was made from known pieces of experimental and theoretical information. Its value is about 10% of the annihilation energy. Control over the mean penetration depth of protons into matter prior to annihilation is necessary so that annihilation occurs in the proper region within the engine. Control is possible by varying the antiproton kinetic energy to obtain a suitable annihilation cross section. The annihilation cross section at low energies is on the order of or larger than atomic areas due to a rearrangement reaction, but it is very low at high energy where its value is closer to nuclear areas

LEP shines light on dark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fox, Patrick J.; Harnik, Roni; Kopp, Joachim; Tsai, Yuhsin

2011-01-01

Dark matter pair production at high energy colliders may leave observable signatures in the energy and momentum spectra of the objects recoiling against the dark matter. We use LEP data on monophoton events with large missing energy to constrain the coupling of dark matter to electrons. Within a large class of models, our limits are complementary to and competitive with limits on dark matter annihilation and on WIMP-nucleon scattering from indirect and direct searches. Our limits, however, do not suffer from systematic and astrophysical uncertainties associated with direct and indirect limits. For example, we are able to rule out light (< or approx. 10 GeV) thermal relic dark matter with universal couplings exclusively to charged leptons. In addition, for dark matter mass below about 80 GeV, LEP limits are stronger than Fermi constraints on annihilation into charged leptons in dwarf spheroidal galaxies. Within its kinematic reach, LEP also provides the strongest constraints on the spin-dependent direct detection cross section in models with universal couplings to both quarks and leptons. In such models the strongest limit is also set on spin-independent scattering for dark matter masses below ∼4 GeV. Throughout our discussion, we consider both low energy effective theories of dark matter, as well as several motivated renormalizable scenarios involving light mediators.

Simulation of the annihilation emission of galactic positrons; Modelisation de l'emission d'annihilation des positrons Galactiques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gillard, W

2008-01-15

Positrons annihilate in the central region of our Galaxy. This has been known since the detection of a strong emission line centered on an energy of 511 keV in the direction of the Galactic center. This gamma-ray line is emitted during the annihilation of positrons with electrons from the interstellar medium. The spectrometer SPI, onboard the INTEGRAL observatory, performed spatial and spectral analyses of the positron annihilation emission. This thesis presents a study of the Galactic positron annihilation emission based on models of the different interactions undergone by positrons in the interstellar medium. The models are relied on our present knowledge of the properties of the interstellar medium in the Galactic bulge, where most of the positrons annihilate, and of the physics of positrons (production, propagation and annihilation processes). In order to obtain constraints on the positrons sources and physical characteristics of the annihilation medium, we compared the results of the models to measurements provided by the SPI spectrometer. (author)

Relativistic and nonrelativistic annihilation of dark matter: a sanity check using an effective field theory approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cannoni, Mirco [Universidad de Huelva, Departamento de Fisica Aplicada, Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales, Huelva (Spain)

2016-03-15

We find an exact formula for the thermally averaged cross section times the relative velocity left angle σv{sub rel} right angle with relativistic Maxwell-Boltzmann statistics. The formula is valid in the effective field theory approach when the masses of the annihilation products can be neglected compared with the dark matter mass and cut-off scale. The expansion at x = m/T >> 1 directly gives the nonrelativistic limit of left angle σv{sub rel} right angle, which is usually used to compute the relic abundance for heavy particles that decouple when they are nonrelativistic. We compare this expansion with the one obtained by expanding the total cross section σ(s) in powers of the nonrelativistic relative velocity vr. We show the correct invariant procedure that gives the nonrelativistic average left angle σv{sub rel} right angle {sub nr} coinciding with the large x expansion of left angle σv{sub rel} right angle in the comoving frame. We explicitly formulate flux, cross section, thermal average, collision integral of the Boltzmann equation in an invariant way using the true relativistic relative v{sub rel}, showing the uselessness of the Moeller velocity and further elucidating the conceptual and numerical inconsistencies related with its use. (orig.)

Relativistic and nonrelativistic annihilation of dark matter: a sanity check using an effective field theory approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cannoni, Mirco

2016-01-01

We find an exact formula for the thermally averaged cross section times the relative velocity left angle σv rel right angle with relativistic Maxwell-Boltzmann statistics. The formula is valid in the effective field theory approach when the masses of the annihilation products can be neglected compared with the dark matter mass and cut-off scale. The expansion at x = m/T >> 1 directly gives the nonrelativistic limit of left angle σv rel right angle, which is usually used to compute the relic abundance for heavy particles that decouple when they are nonrelativistic. We compare this expansion with the one obtained by expanding the total cross section σ(s) in powers of the nonrelativistic relative velocity vr. We show the correct invariant procedure that gives the nonrelativistic average left angle σv rel right angle nr coinciding with the large x expansion of left angle σv rel right angle in the comoving frame. We explicitly formulate flux, cross section, thermal average, collision integral of the Boltzmann equation in an invariant way using the true relativistic relative v rel , showing the uselessness of the Moeller velocity and further elucidating the conceptual and numerical inconsistencies related with its use. (orig.)

Relative Biological Effectiveness and Peripheral Damage of Antiproton Annihilation

CERN Multimedia

Kavanagh, J N; Kaiser, F; Tegami, S; Schettino, G; Kovacevic, S; Hajdukovic, D; Knudsen, H; Currell, F J; Toelli, H T; Doser, M; Holzscheiter, M; Herrmann, R; Timson, D J; Alsner, J; Landua, R; Comor, J; Moller, S P; Beyer, G

2002-01-01

The use of ions to deliver radiation to a body for therapeutic purposes has the potential to be significant improvement over the use of low linear energy transfer (LET) radiation because of the improved energy deposition profile and the enhanced biological effects of ions relative to photons. Proton therapy centers exist and are being used to treat patients. In addition, the initial use of heavy ions such as carbon is promising to the point that new treatment facilities are planned. Just as with protons or heavy ions, antiprotons can be used to deliver radiation to the body in a controlled way; however antiprotons will exhibit additional energy deposition due to annihilation of the antiprotons within the body. The slowing down of antiprotons in matter is similar to that of protons except at the very end of the range beyond the Bragg peak. Gray and Kalogeropoulos estimated the additional energy deposited by heavy nuclear fragments within a few millimeters of the annihilation vertex to be approximately 30 MeV (...

Prospects for detecting supersymmetric dark matter in the Galactic halo

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Springel, V.; White, S. D. M.; Frenk, C. S.; Navarro, J. F.; Jenkins, A.; Vogelsberger, M.; Wang, J.; Ludlow, A.; Helmi, A.

2008-01-01

Dark matter is the dominant form of matter in the Universe, but its nature is unknown. It is plausibly an elementary particle, perhaps the lightest supersymmetric partner of known particle species(1). In this case, annihilation of dark matter in the halo of the Milky Way should produce gamma-rays at

Pore annihilation in a single-crystal nickel-base superalloy during hot isostatic pressing: Experiment and modelling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Epishin, Alexander; Fedelich, Bernard; Link, Thomas; Feldmann, Titus; Svetlov, Igor L.

2013-01-01

Pore annihilation during hot isostatic pressing (HIP) was investigated in the single-crystal nickel-base superalloy CMSX-4 experimentally by interrupted HIP tests at 1288 °C/103 MPa. The kinetics of pore annihilation was determined by density measurement and quantitative metallography. Transmission electron microscopy of a HIPed specimen showed that the pores shrink via dislocation movement on octahedral glide planes. Theoretically pore closure under HIP condition was modelled by the finite element method using crystal plasticity and large strain theories. The modelling gives a similar kinetics of pore annihilation as observed experimentally, however somewhat higher annihilation rate

Dark matter, neutron stars, and strange quark matter.

Science.gov (United States)

Perez-Garcia, M Angeles; Silk, Joseph; Stone, Jirina R

2010-10-01

We show that self-annihilating weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter accreted onto neutron stars may provide a mechanism to seed compact objects with long-lived lumps of strange quark matter, or strangelets, for WIMP masses above a few GeV. This effect may trigger a conversion of most of the star into a strange star. We use an energy estimate for the long-lived strangelet based on the Fermi-gas model combined with the MIT bag model to set a new limit on the possible values of the WIMP mass that can be especially relevant for subdominant species of massive neutralinos.

Annihilation cross section of Kaluza Klien dark matter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sharma, Rakesh, E-mail: rakesh-sharma-ujn@yahoo.co.in [Northern India Textile Research Association Technical Campus Ghaziabad U.P. 201002 (India); Upadhyaya, G. K., E-mail: gopalujjain@yahoo.co.in; Sharma, S. [School of Studies in Physics, Vikram University Ujjain, M.P. 456010 India (India)

2015-07-31

The question as to how this universe came into being and as to how it has evolved to its present stage, is an old question. The answer to this question unfolds many secrets regarding fundamental particles and forces between them. Theodor Kaluza proposed the concept that the universe is composed of more than four space-time dimensions. In his work, electromagnetism is united with gravity. Various extra dimension formulations have been proposed to solve a variety of problems. Recently, the idea of more than four space time dimensions is applied to the search for particle identity of dark matter (DM). Signature of dark matter can be revealed by analysis of very high energy electrons which are coming from outer space. We investigate recent advancement in the field of dark matter search with reference to very high energy electrons from outer space [1-8].

Constraints on Majorana dark matter from a fourth lepton family

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hapola, T.; Jarvinen, M.; Kouvaris, C.

2014-01-01

We study the possibility of dark matter in the form of heavy neutrinos from a fourth lepton family with helicity suppressed couplings such that dark matter is produced thermally via annihilations in the early Universe. We present all possible constraints for this scenario coming from LHC...... account for the dark matter abundance....

Hybrid mesons (Q anti Qg) in N anti N annihilation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dover, C.B.; Gutsche, T.; Faessler, A.

1993-09-01

N anti N annihilation reactions provide exciting possibilities to study mesonic resonances beyond the usual Q anti Q spectrum. Particularly the search for Q anti Qg mesons containing an explicit dynamical excitation of the gluon field is not promising, since hybrids are predicted to display unique features: exotic quantum numbers (J πC ) and dynamical selection rules for their decay modes. The authors have investigated the possibility of producing hybrids from p anti p atomic states in reactions of the type N anti N(L= 0,1) → π + Q anti Qg. Production rates for hybrid mesons are found to display a strong dependence on the quantum numbers and kinematical factors associated with the transition. The dependence on the orbital angular momentum L of the p anti p atomic state, accessible in p anti p annihilation at rest, would provide a striking signature for the production of hybrids. In estimating branching ratios for the formation of Q anti Qg hybrid mesons in N anti N annihilation reactions at rest, the authors have employed a microscopic model with constituent quarks and gluons in analogy to the annihilation model for the production of Q anti Q mesons

Positron annihilation study of structural subnanovoids and irradiation damages in silica-based glasses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inoue, K.

2004-01-01

Structural subnanovoids in glass solidified with radioactive waste disposal were studied by positron annihilation 2-dimensional angular correlation and positron life time measurements. Positroniums in crystalline SiO 2 were in a delocalized state, but in glass SiO 2 were in a localized state. Pick-off annihilation (pair annihilation between an ortho-positroniums and a spin antiparallel electron) rate was shortened with decreasing molarity of glass network formers and consequently radii of structural subnanovoids were reduced. The sizes of structural subnanovoids determined from the pick-off annihilation were good agreement with those measured by momentum distribution of para-positroniums. In waste disposal model glass, no presence of positronims indicated that radioactive substances occupied almost all subnanovoids, and therefore voids with large size enough to localize positroniums (above 0.1 nm radius) could not be present. (Y. Kazumata)

Quasinuclear baryonium and annihilation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kerbikov, B.O.; Shapiro, I.S.

1978-01-01

The properties of the quasinuclear baryonium are considered in the framework of the dynamical coupled channel model. The main principles of the model are reviewed. The energy spectrum of the N anti N system and the problem of the baryonium radius are discussed. A detailed investigation of the problem of baryonium annihilation width and the low energy N anti N annihilation cross section is presented

Skyrmion creation and annihilation by spin waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Yizhou; Yin, Gen; Lake, Roger K.; Zang, Jiadong; Shi, Jing

2015-01-01

Single skyrmion creation and annihilation by spin waves in a crossbar geometry are theoretically analyzed. A critical spin-wave frequency is required both for the creation and the annihilation of a skyrmion. The minimum frequencies for creation and annihilation are similar, but the optimum frequency for creation is below the critical frequency for skyrmion annihilation. If a skyrmion already exists in the cross bar region, a spin wave below the critical frequency causes the skyrmion to circulate within the central region. A heat assisted creation process reduces the spin-wave frequency and amplitude required for creating a skyrmion. The effective field resulting from the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and the emergent field of the skyrmion acting on the spin wave drive the creation and annihilation processes

Search for scalar dark matter via pseudoscalar portal interactions in light of the Galactic Center gamma-ray excess

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Kwei-Chou

2018-01-01

In light of the observed Galactic center gamma-ray excess, we investigate a simplified model, for which the scalar dark matter interacts with quarks through a pseudoscalar mediator. The viable regions of the parameter space, that can also account for the relic density and evade the current searches, are identified, if the low-velocity dark matter annihilates through an s -channel off shell mediator mostly into b ¯b , and/or annihilates directly into two hidden on shell mediators, which subsequently decay into the quark pairs. These two kinds of annihilations are s wave. The projected monojet limit set by the high luminosity LHC sensitivity could constrain the favored parameter space, where the mediator's mass is larger than the dark matter mass by a factor of 2. We show that the projected sensitivity of 15-year Fermi-LAT observations of dwarf spheroidal galaxies can provide a stringent constraint on the most parameter space allowed in this model. If the on shell mediator channel contributes to the dark matter annihilation cross sections over 50%, this model with a lighter mediator can be probed in the projected PICO-500L experiment.

Biological Effectiveness of Antiproton Annihilation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Maggiore, C.; Agazaryan, N.; Bassler, N.

2004-01-01

from the annihilation of antiprotons produce an increase in ‘‘biological dose’’ in the vicinity of the narrow Bragg peak for antiprotons compared to protons. This experiment is the first direct measurement of the biological effects of antiproton annihilation. The background, description, and status...

The study of defects in metallic alloys by positron annihilation spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romero, R.; Salgueiro, W.; Somoza, A.

1990-01-01

Positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) has become in a very useful non destructive testing to the study of condensed matter. Specially, in the last two decades, with the advent of solid state detectors and high-resolution time spectrometers. The basic information obtained with PAS in solid-state physics is on electronic structure in free defect materials. However, positron annihilation techniques (lifetime, angular correlation and Doppler broadening) have been succesfully applied to study crystal lattice defects with lower-than-average electron density, such as vacancies, small vacancy clusters, etc.. In this sense, information about: vacancy formation and migration energies, dislocations, grain boundaries, solid-solid phase transformation and radiation damage was obtained. In this work the application of the positron lifetime technique to study the thermal effects on a fine-grained superplastic Al-Ca-Zn alloy and the quenched-in defects in monocrystals of β Cu-Zn-Al alloy for several quenching temperatures is shown. (Author) [es

Simulation of the annihilation emission of galactic positrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gillard, W.

2008-01-01

Positrons annihilate in the central region of our Galaxy. This has been known since the detection of a strong emission line centered on an energy of 511 keV in the direction of the Galactic center. This gamma-ray line is emitted during the annihilation of positrons with electrons from the interstellar medium. The spectrometer SPI, onboard the INTEGRAL observatory, performed spatial and spectral analyses of the positron annihilation emission. This thesis presents a study of the Galactic positron annihilation emission based on models of the different interactions undergone by positrons in the interstellar medium. The models are relied on our present knowledge of the properties of the interstellar medium in the Galactic bulge, where most of the positrons annihilate, and of the physics of positrons (production, propagation and annihilation processes). In order to obtain constraints on the positrons sources and physical characteristics of the annihilation medium, we compared the results of the models to measurements provided by the SPI spectrometer. (author)

Applications of slow positrons to cancer research: Search for selectivity of positron annihilation to skin cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jean, Y.C.; Li Ying; Liu Gaung; Chen, Hongmin; Zhang Junjie; Gadzia, Joseph E.

2006-01-01

Slow positrons and positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) have been applied to medical research in searching for positron annihilation selectivity to cancer cells. We report the results of positron lifetime and Doppler broadening energy spectroscopies in human skin samples with and without cancer as a function of positron incident energy (up to 8 μm depth) and found that the positronium annihilates at a significantly lower rate and forms at a lower probability in the samples having either basal cell carcinoma (BCC) or squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) than in the normal skin. The significant selectivity of positron annihilation to skin cancer may open a new research area of developing positron annihilation spectroscopy as a novel medical tool to detect cancer formation externally and non-invasively at the early stages

Applications of slow positrons to cancer research: Search for selectivity of positron annihilation to skin cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jean, Y.C. [Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 205 Spenscer Chemistry Building, 5009 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110 (United States)]. E-mail: jeany@umkc.edu; Li Ying [Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 205 Spenscer Chemistry Building, 5009 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110 (United States); Liu Gaung [Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 205 Spenscer Chemistry Building, 5009 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110 (United States); Chen, Hongmin [Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 205 Spenscer Chemistry Building, 5009 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110 (United States); Zhang Junjie [Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 205 Spenscer Chemistry Building, 5009 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110 (United States); Gadzia, Joseph E. [Dermatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66103 (United States); Kansas Medical Clinic, Topeka, KS 66614 (United States)

2006-02-28

Slow positrons and positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) have been applied to medical research in searching for positron annihilation selectivity to cancer cells. We report the results of positron lifetime and Doppler broadening energy spectroscopies in human skin samples with and without cancer as a function of positron incident energy (up to 8 {mu}m depth) and found that the positronium annihilates at a significantly lower rate and forms at a lower probability in the samples having either basal cell carcinoma (BCC) or squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) than in the normal skin. The significant selectivity of positron annihilation to skin cancer may open a new research area of developing positron annihilation spectroscopy as a novel medical tool to detect cancer formation externally and non-invasively at the early stages.

Dark matter identification with gamma rays from dwarf galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perelstein, Maxim; Shakya, Bibhushan

2010-01-01

If the positron fraction and combined electron-positron flux excesses recently observed by PAMELA, Fermi and HESS are due to dark matter annihilation into lepton-rich final states, the accompanying final state radiation (FSR) photons may be detected by ground-based atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (ACTs). Satellite dwarf galaxies in the vicinity of the Milky Way are particularly promising targets for this search. We find that current and near-future ACTs have an excellent potential for discovering the FSR photons from dwarfs, although a discovery cannot be guaranteed due to large uncertainties in the fluxes resulting from lack of precise knowledge of dark matter distribution within the dwarfs. We also investigate the possibility of discriminating between different dark matter models based on the measured FSR photon spectrum. For typical parameters, we find that the ACTs can reliably distinguish models predicting dark matter annihilation into two-lepton final states from those favoring four-lepton final states (as in, for example, ''axion portal'' models). In addition, we find that the dark matter particle mass can also be determined from the FSR spectrum

Positron annihilation characterization of nanostructured ferritic alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alinger, M.J.; Glade, S.C.; Wirth, B.D.; Odette, G.R.; Toyama, T.; Nagai, Y.; Hasegawa, M.

2009-01-01

Nanostructured ferritic alloys (NFAs) were produced by mechanically alloying Fe-14Cr-3W-0.4Ti and 0.25Y 2 O 3 (wt%) powders followed by hot isostatic pressing consolidation at 850, 1000 and 1150 deg. C. Positron annihilation lifetime and orbital momentum spectroscopy measurements are in qualitative agreement with small angle neutron scattering, transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography observations, indicating that up to 50% of the annihilations occur at high densities of Y-Ti-O enriched nm-scale features (NFs). Some annihilations may also occur in small cavities. In Y-free control alloys, that do not contain NFs, positrons primarily annihilate in the Fe-Cr matrix and at features such as dislocations, while a small fraction annihilate in large cavities or Ar bubbles.

Antihydrogen annihilation reconstruction with the ALPHA silicon detector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andresen, G.B. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C (Denmark); Ashkezari, M.D. [Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 1S6 (Canada); Bertsche, W. [Department of Physics, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP (United Kingdom); Bowe, P.D. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C (Denmark); Butler, E. [European Laboratory for Particle Physics, CERN, CH-1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland); Cesar, C.L. [Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-972 (Brazil); Chapman, S. [Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-7300 (United States); Charlton, M.; Deller, A.; Eriksson, S. [Department of Physics, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP (United Kingdom); Fajans, J. [Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-7300 (United States); Friesen, T. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 1N4 (Canada); Fujiwara, M.C. [TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 2A3 (Canada); Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 1N4 (Canada); Gill, D.R. [TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 2A3 (Canada); Gutierrez, A. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4 (Canada); Hangst, J.S. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C (Denmark); Hardy, W.N. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4 (Canada); Hayden, M.E. [Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 1S6 (Canada); Hayano, R.S. [Department of Physics, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan); Humphries, A.J. [Department of Physics, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP (United Kingdom); and others

2012-08-21

The ALPHA experiment has succeeded in trapping antihydrogen, a major milestone on the road to spectroscopic comparisons of antihydrogen with hydrogen. An annihilation vertex detector, which determines the time and position of antiproton annihilations, has been central to this achievement. This detector, an array of double-sided silicon microstrip detector modules arranged in three concentric cylindrical tiers, is sensitive to the passage of charged particles resulting from antiproton annihilation. This article describes the method used to reconstruct the annihilation location and to distinguish the annihilation signal from the cosmic ray background. Recent experimental results using this detector are outlined.

Antihydrogen annihilation reconstruction with the ALPHA silicon detector

CERN Document Server

Andresen, G B; Bertsche, W; Bowe, P D; Butler, E; Cesar, C L; Chapman, S; Charlton, M; Deller, A; Eriksson, S; Fajans, J; Friesen, T; Fujiwara, M C; Gill, D.R; Gutierrez, A; Hangst, J S; Hardy, W N; Hayden, M E; Hayano, R S; Humphries, A J; Hydomako, R; Jonsell, S; Jorgensen, L V; Kurchaninov, L; Madsen, N; Menary, S; Nolan, P; Olchanski, K; Olin, A; Povilus, A; Pusa, P; Sarid, E; Seif el Nasr, S; Silveira, D M; So, C; Storey, J W; Thompson, R I; van der Werf, D P; Yamazaki, Y

2012-01-01

The ALPHA experiment has succeeded in trapping antihydrogen, a major milestone on the road to spectroscopic comparisons of antihydrogen with hydrogen. An annihilation vertex detector, which determines the time and position of antiproton annihilations, has been central to this achievement. This detector, an array of double-sided silicon microstrip detector modules arranged in three concentric cylindrical tiers, is sensitive to the passage of charged particles resulting from antiproton annihilation. This article describes the method used to reconstruct the annihilation location and to distinguish the annihilation signal from the cosmic ray background. Recent experimental results using this detector are outlined.

Indirect detection of dark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carr, J; Lamanna, G; Lavalle, J

2006-01-01

This article is an experimental review of the status and prospects of indirect searches for dark matter. Experiments observe secondary particles such as positrons, antiprotons, antideuterons, gamma-rays and neutrinos which could originate from annihilations of dark matter particles in various locations in the galaxy. Data exist from some experiments which have been interpreted as hints of evidence for dark matter. These data and their interpretations are reviewed together with the new experiments which are planned to resolve the puzzles and make new measurements which could give unambiguous results

Inelastic Boosted Dark Matter at direct detection experiments

OpenAIRE

Giudice, Gian F.; Kim, Doojin; Park, Jong-Chul; Shin, Seodong

2018-01-01

We explore a novel class of multi-particle dark sectors, called Inelastic Boosted Dark Matter (iBDM). These models are constructed by combining properties of particles that scatter off matter by making transitions to heavier states (Inelastic Dark Matter) with properties of particles that are produced with a large Lorentz boost in annihilation processes in the galactic halo (Boosted Dark Matter). This combination leads to new signals that can be observed at ordinary direct detection experimen...

Determining the dark matter mass with DeepCore

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Das, Chitta R. [Centro de Física Teórica de Partículas, Instituto Superior Técnico (CFTP), Universidade Tćnica de Lisboa, Avenida Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal); Mena, Olga [Instituto de Física Corpuscular (IFIC), CSIC-Universitat de València, Apartado de Correos 22085, E-46071 Valencia (Spain); Palomares-Ruiz, Sergio, E-mail: sergio.palomares.ruiz@ist.utl.pt [Centro de Física Teórica de Partículas, Instituto Superior Técnico (CFTP), Universidade Tćnica de Lisboa, Avenida Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal); Instituto de Física Corpuscular (IFIC), CSIC-Universitat de València, Apartado de Correos 22085, E-46071 Valencia (Spain); Pascoli, Silvia [IPPP, Department of Physics, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom)

2013-10-01

Cosmological and astrophysical observations provide increasing evidence of the existence of dark matter in our Universe. Dark matter particles with a mass above a few GeV can be captured by the Sun, accumulate in the core, annihilate, and produce high energy neutrinos either directly or by subsequent decays of Standard Model particles. We investigate the prospects for indirect dark matter detection in the IceCube/DeepCore neutrino telescope and its capabilities to determine the dark matter mass.

Superheavy dark matter through Higgs portal operators

Science.gov (United States)

Kolb, Edward W.; Long, Andrew J.

2017-11-01

The WIMPzilla hypothesis is that the dark matter is a super-weakly-interacting and superheavy particle. Conventionally, the WIMPzilla abundance is set by gravitational particle production during or at the end of inflation. In this study we allow the WIMPzilla to interact directly with Standard Model fields through the Higgs portal, and we calculate the thermal production (freeze-in) of WIMPzilla dark matter from the annihilation of Higgs boson pairs in the plasma. The two particle-physics model parameters are the WIMPzilla mass and the Higgs-WIMPzilla coupling. The two cosmological parameters are the reheating temperature and the expansion rate of the universe at the end of inflation. We delineate the regions of parameter space where either gravitational or thermal production is dominant, and within those regions we identify the parameters that predict the observed dark matter relic abundance. Allowing for thermal production opens up the parameter space, even for Planck-suppressed Higgs-WIMPzilla interactions.

Photons from dark matter in a (non-universal) extra dimension model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Regis, Marco

2008-01-01

We study the multi-wavelength signal induced by pairs annihilations at the galactic center (GC) of a recently proposed dark matter (DM) candidate. The weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) candidate, named A - , is the first Kaluza-Klein mode of a five-dimensional Abelian gauge boson. Electroweak precision tests and the DM cosmological bound constrain its mass and pair annihilation rate in small ranges, leading to precise predictions of indirect signals from what concerns the particle physics side. The related multi-wavelength emission is expected to be faint, unless a significant enhancement of the DM density is present at the GC. We find that in this case, and depending on few additional assumptions, the next generation of gamma-ray and wide-field radio observations can test the model, possibly even with the detection of the induced monochromatic gamma-ray emission

Positron annihilation characteristics in multi-wall carbon nanotubes with different average diameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tuyen, L A; Khiem, D D; Phuc, P T; Kajcsos, Zs; Lázár, K; Tap, T D

2013-01-01

Positron lifetime spectroscopy was used to study multi-wall carbon nanotubes. The measurements were performed in vacuum on the samples having different average diameters. The positron lifetime values depend on the nanotube diameter. The results also show an influence of the nanotube diameter on the positron annihilation intensity on the nanotube surface. The change in the annihilation probability is described and interpreted by the modified diffusion model introducing the positron escape rate from the nanotubes to their external surface.

Positron annihilation spectroscopy study of porous silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Britkov, O.M.; Gavrilov, S.A.; Kalugin, V.V.; Timoshenkov, S.P.; Grafutin, V.I.; Ilyukhina, O.V.; Myasishcheva, G.G.; Prokop'ev, E.P.; Funtikov, Yu.V.

2007-01-01

Experimental studies of porous silicon by means of a standard positron annihilation technique based on measuring the angular distribution of annihilation photons, are reported. It was shown that the spectra of angular correlation of annihilation radiation in porous silicon are approximated well by a parabola (I p ) and two Gaussians (I g1 , I g2 ). The narrow Gaussian component I g1 is most likely due to the annihilation of localized para-positronium in pores. The full width at half maximum is on the order of 0.8 mrad, a value that corresponds to the kinetic energy of an annihilating positron-electron pair (0.079 ± 0.012 eV), and its intensity is about 1.5%. The total positronium yield in porous silicon reaches 6% in this case. The particle radius determined in the study is about 10-20 A [ru

Supersymmetric dark matter: Indirect detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bergstroem, L.

2000-01-01

Dark matter detection experiments are improving to the point where they can detect or restrict the primary particle physics candidates for non baryonic dark matter. The methods for detection are usually categorized as direct, i.e., searching for signals caused by passage of dark matter particles in terrestrial detectors, or indirect. Indirect detection methods include searching for antimatter and gamma rays, in particular gamma ray lines, in cosmic rays and high-energy neutrinos from the centre of the Earth or Sun caused by accretion and annihilation of dark matter particles. A review is given of recent progress in indirect detection, both on the theoretical and experimental side

Status of the scalar singlet dark matter model

Science.gov (United States)

Athron, Peter; Balázs, Csaba; Bringmann, Torsten; Buckley, Andy; Chrząszcz, Marcin; Conrad, Jan; Cornell, Jonathan M.; Dal, Lars A.; Edsjö, Joakim; Farmer, Ben; Jackson, Paul; Kahlhoefer, Felix; Krislock, Abram; Kvellestad, Anders; McKay, James; Mahmoudi, Farvah; Martinez, Gregory D.; Putze, Antje; Raklev, Are; Rogan, Christopher; Saavedra, Aldo; Savage, Christopher; Scott, Pat; Serra, Nicola; Weniger, Christoph; White, Martin

2017-08-01

One of the simplest viable models for dark matter is an additional neutral scalar, stabilised by a Z_2 symmetry. Using the GAMBIT package and combining results from four independent samplers, we present Bayesian and frequentist global fits of this model. We vary the singlet mass and coupling along with 13 nuisance parameters, including nuclear uncertainties relevant for direct detection, the local dark matter density, and selected quark masses and couplings. We include the dark matter relic density measured by Planck, direct searches with LUX, PandaX, SuperCDMS and XENON100, limits on invisible Higgs decays from the Large Hadron Collider, searches for high-energy neutrinos from dark matter annihilation in the Sun with IceCube, and searches for gamma rays from annihilation in dwarf galaxies with the Fermi-LAT. Viable solutions remain at couplings of order unity, for singlet masses between the Higgs mass and about 300 GeV, and at masses above ˜ 1 TeV. Only in the latter case can the scalar singlet constitute all of dark matter. Frequentist analysis shows that the low-mass resonance region, where the singlet is about half the mass of the Higgs, can also account for all of dark matter, and remains viable. However, Bayesian considerations show this region to be rather fine-tuned.

X-ray lines and self-interacting dark matter.

Science.gov (United States)

Mambrini, Yann; Toma, Takashi

We study the correlation between a monochromatic signal from annihilating dark matter and its self-interacting cross section. We apply our argument to a complex scalar dark sector, where the pseudo-scalar plays the role of a warm dark matter candidate while the scalar mediates its interaction with the Standard Model. We combine the recent observation of the cluster Abell 3827 for self-interacting dark matter and the constraints on the annihilation cross section for monochromatic X-ray lines. We also confront our model to a set of recent experimental analyses and find that such an extension can naturally produce a monochromatic keV signal corresponding to recent observations of Perseus or Andromeda, while in the meantime it predicts a self-interacting cross section of the order of [Formula: see text], as recently claimed in the observation of the cluster Abell 3827. We also propose a way to distinguish such models by future direct detection techniques.

Decaying dark matter from dark instantons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carone, Christopher D.; Erlich, Joshua; Primulando, Reinard

2010-01-01

We construct an explicit, TeV-scale model of decaying dark matter in which the approximate stability of the dark matter candidate is a consequence of a global symmetry that is broken only by instanton-induced operators generated by a non-Abelian dark gauge group. The dominant dark matter decay channels are to standard model leptons. Annihilation of the dark matter to standard model states occurs primarily through the Higgs portal. We show that the mass and lifetime of the dark matter candidate in this model can be chosen to be consistent with the values favored by fits to data from the PAMELA and Fermi-LAT experiments.

Intense gamma-ray lines from hidden vector dark matter decay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arina, Chiara; Hambye, Thomas

2009-12-01

Scenarios with hidden, spontaneously broken, non-abelian gauge groups contain a natural dark matter candidate, the hidden vector, whose longevity is due to an accidental custodial symmetry in the renormalizable Lagrangian. Nevertheless, non-renormalizable dimension six operators break the custodial symmetry and induce the decay of the dark matter particle at cosmological times. We discuss in this paper the cosmic ray signatures of this scenario and we show that the decay of hidden vector dark matter particles generically produce an intense gamma ray line which could be observed by the Fermi-LAT experiment, if the scale of custodial symmetry breaking is close to the Grand Unification scale. This gamma line proceeds directly from a tree level dark matter 2-body decay in association with a Higgs boson. Within this model we also perform a determination of the relic density constraints taking into account the dark matter annihilation processes with one dark matter particle in the final state. The corresponding direct detection rates can be easily of order the current experimental sensitivities. (orig.)

Intense gamma-ray lines from hidden vector dark matter decay

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arina, Chiara; Hambye, Thomas [Universite Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium). Service de Physique Theorique; Ibarra, Alejandro [Technische Univ. Muenchen, Garching (Germany). Physik-Department; Weniger, Christoph [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany)

2009-12-15

Scenarios with hidden, spontaneously broken, non-abelian gauge groups contain a natural dark matter candidate, the hidden vector, whose longevity is due to an accidental custodial symmetry in the renormalizable Lagrangian. Nevertheless, non-renormalizable dimension six operators break the custodial symmetry and induce the decay of the dark matter particle at cosmological times. We discuss in this paper the cosmic ray signatures of this scenario and we show that the decay of hidden vector dark matter particles generically produce an intense gamma ray line which could be observed by the Fermi-LAT experiment, if the scale of custodial symmetry breaking is close to the Grand Unification scale. This gamma line proceeds directly from a tree level dark matter 2-body decay in association with a Higgs boson. Within this model we also perform a determination of the relic density constraints taking into account the dark matter annihilation processes with one dark matter particle in the final state. The corresponding direct detection rates can be easily of order the current experimental sensitivities. (orig.)

Intense gamma-ray lines from hidden vector dark matter decay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arina, Chiara; Hambye, Thomas; Ibarra, Alejandro; Weniger, Christoph

2010-01-01

Scenarios with hidden, spontaneously broken, non-abelian gauge groups contain a natural dark matter candidate, the hidden vector, whose longevity is due to an accidental custodial symmetry in the renormalizable Lagrangian. Nevertheless, non-renormalizable dimension six operators break the custodial symmetry and induce the decay of the dark matter particle at cosmological times. We discuss in this paper the cosmic ray signatures of this scenario and we show that the decay of hidden vector dark matter particles generically produce an intense gamma ray line which could be observed by the Fermi-LAT experiment, if the scale of custodial symmetry breaking is close to the Grand Unification scale. This gamma line proceeds directly from a tree level dark matter 2-body decay in association with a Higgs boson. Within this model we also perform a determination of the relic density constraints taking into account the dark matter annihilation processes with one dark matter particle in the final state. The corresponding direct detection rates can be easily of order the current experimental sensitivities

Kinetics of fragmentation-annihilation processes

OpenAIRE

Filipe, JAN; Rodgers, GJ

1996-01-01

We investigate the kinetics of systems in which particles of one species undergo binary fragmentation and pair annihilation. In the latter, nonlinear process, fragments react at collision to produce an inert species, causing loss of mass. We analyze these systems in the reaction-limited regime by solving a continuous model within the mean-field approximation. The rate of fragmentation for a particle of mass x to break into fragments of masses y and x-y has the form x(lambda-1) (lambda > 0), a...

Magnetic monopoles and strange matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanudo, J.; Segui, A.

1985-07-01

We show that, if the density of grand unified monopoles at T approx. = 200 MeV is of the order of or greater than 4.4 * 10 21 cm -3 , they annihilate all of the strange matter produced in the quagmahadron phase transition which the Universe undergoes at this temperature. We also study gravitational capture of monopoles by lumps of strange matter. This yields upper limits on the density of monopoles for different sizes of strange ball. (author)

Mechanism for thermal relic dark matter of strongly interacting massive particles.

Science.gov (United States)

Hochberg, Yonit; Kuflik, Eric; Volansky, Tomer; Wacker, Jay G

2014-10-24

We present a new paradigm for achieving thermal relic dark matter. The mechanism arises when a nearly secluded dark sector is thermalized with the standard model after reheating. The freeze-out process is a number-changing 3→2 annihilation of strongly interacting massive particles (SIMPs) in the dark sector, and points to sub-GeV dark matter. The couplings to the visible sector, necessary for maintaining thermal equilibrium with the standard model, imply measurable signals that will allow coverage of a significant part of the parameter space with future indirect- and direct-detection experiments and via direct production of dark matter at colliders. Moreover, 3→2 annihilations typically predict sizable 2→2 self-interactions which naturally address the "core versus cusp" and "too-big-to-fail" small-scale structure formation problems.

Solvable single-species aggregation-annihilation model for chain-shaped cluster growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ke Jianhong; Lin Zhenquan; Zheng Yizhuang; Chen Xiaoshuang; Lu Wei

2007-01-01

We propose a single-species aggregation-annihilation model, in which an aggregation reaction between two clusters produces an active cluster and an annihilation reaction produces an inert one. By means of the mean-field rate equation, we respectively investigate the kinetic scaling behaviours of three distinct systems. The results exhibit that: (i) for the general aggregation-annihilation system, the size distribution of active clusters consistently approaches the conventional scaling form; (ii) for the system with the self-degeneration of the cluster's activities, it takes the modified scaling form; and (iii) for the system with the self-closing of active clusters, it does not scale. Moreover, the size distribution of inert clusters with small size takes a power-law form, while that of large inert clusters obeys the scaling law. The results also show that all active clusters will eventually transform into inert ones and the inert clusters of any size can be produced by such an aggregation-annihilation process. This model can be used to mimic the chain-shaped cluster growth and can provide some useful predictions for the kinetic behaviour of the system

Dark matter signals from Draco and Willman 1: prospects for MAGIC II and CTA

Science.gov (United States)

Bringmann, Torsten; Doro, Michele; Fornasa, Mattia

2009-01-01

The next generation of ground-based Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescopes will play an important role in indirect dark matter searches. In this article, we consider two particularly promising candidate sources for dark matter annihilation signals, the nearby dwarf galaxies Draco and Willman 1, and study the prospects of detecting such a signal for the soon-operating MAGIC II telescope system as well as for the planned installation of CTA, taking special care of describing the experimental features that affect the detectional prospects. For the first time in such studies, we fully take into account the effect of internal bremsstrahlung, which has recently been shown to considerably enhance, in some cases, the gamma-ray flux in the high energies domain where Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes operate, thus leading to significantly harder annihilation spectra than traditionally considered. While the detection of the spectral features introduced by internal bremsstrahlung would constitute a smoking gun signature for dark matter annihilation, we find that for most models the overall flux still remains at a level that will be challenging to detect, unless one adopts somewhat favorable descriptions of the smooth dark matter distribution in the dwarfs.

Indirect search for neutralino dark matter with high energy neutrinos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barger, V.; Halzen, Francis; Hooper, Dan; Kao, Chung

2002-01-01

We investigate the prospects of indirect searches for supersymmetric neutralino dark matter. Relic neutralinos gravitationally accumulate in the Sun and their annihilations produce high energy neutrinos. Muon neutrinos of this origin can be seen in large detectors such as AMANDA, IceCube, and ANTARES. We evaluate the relic density and the detection rate in several models--the minimal supersymmetric model, minimal supergravity, and supergravity with nonuniversal Higgs boson masses at the grand unification scale. We make realistic estimates for the indirect detection rates including effects of the muon detection threshold, quark hadronization, and solar absorption. We find good prospects for detection of neutralinos with mass above 200 GeV

Long-range Self-interacting Dark Matter in the Sun

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Jing; Liang, Zheng-Liang; Wu, Yue-Liang; Zhou, Yu-Feng

2015-01-01

We investigate the implications of the long-rang self-interaction on both the self-capture and the annihilation of the self-interacting dark matter (SIDM) trapped in the Sun. Our discussion is based on a specific SIDM model in which DM particles self-interact via a light scalar mediator, or Yukawa potential, in the context of quantum mechanics. Within this framework, we calculate the self-capture rate across a broad region of parameter space. While the self-capture rate can be obtained separately in the Born regime with perturbative method, and in the classical limits with the Rutherford formula, our calculation covers the gap between in a non-perturbative fashion. Besides, the phenomenology of both the Sommerfeld-enhanced s- and p-wave annihilation of the solar SIDM is also involved in our discussion. Moreover, by combining the analysis of the Super-Kamiokande (SK) data and the observed DM relic density, we constrain the nuclear capture rate of the DM particles in the presence of the dark Yukawa potential. The consequence of the long-range dark force on probing the solar SIDM turns out to be significant if the force-carrier is much lighter than the DM particle, and a quantitative analysis is provided

Constraints on dark matter and the shape of the Milky Way dark halo from the 511 keV line

CERN Document Server

Ascasibar, Y; Knödlseder, J; Jean, P

2006-01-01

About one year ago, it was speculated that decaying or annihilating Light Dark Matter (LDM) particles could explain the flux and extension of the 511 keV line emission in the galactic centre. Here we present a thorough comparison between theoretical expectations of the galactic positron distribution within the LDM scenario and observational data from INTEGRAL/SPI. Unlike previous analyses, there is now enough statistical evidence to put tight constraints on the shape of the dark matter halo of our galaxy, if the galactic positrons originate from dark matter. For annihilating candidates, the best fit to the observed 511 keV emission is provided by a radial density profile with inner logarithmic slope gamma=1.03+-0.04. In contrast, decaying dark matter requires a much steeper density profile, gamma>1.5, rather disfavoured by both observations and numerical simulations. Within the annihilating LDM scenario, a velocity-independent cross-section would be consistent with the observational data while a cross-section...

Determination of phase transitions in a lyotropic liquid crystal by Positron Annihilation technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castillo V, V.M.

1994-01-01

Positron annihilation technique was used to determine the phase transitions in a lyotropic liquid crystal, as a function of temperature. Seven different concentrations of the surfactant cetyldimethylethylammonium bromide, were studied. The liquid crystal studied consisted of a binary system, formed by the surfactant and water. Positron annihilation technique has a very high sensitivity toward changes in the microestructure, in condensed matter, this is useful in order to detect the temperatures at which phase transitions occur and the number of these, in a liquid crystalline system. Thus, phase transitions are related with changes occurred in the ortho-positronium parameters: lifetime (τ 3 ) and intensity of formation (I 3 ). Six different kinds of phases were detected in the system studied in a temperature range of 35 to 140 Centigrade degrees, those phases were: hexagonal, hexagonal-lamellae, lamellae, lamellae-cubic, nematic and anisotropic. Using optical microscopic the textures of these phases were assigned. (Author)

Describing Compton scattering and two-quanta positron annihilation based on Compton profiles: Two models suited for the Monte Carlo method

CERN Document Server

Bohlen, TT; Patera, V; Sala, P R

2012-01-01

An accurate description of the basic physics processes of Compton scattering and positron annihilation in matter requires the consideration of atomic shell structure effects and, in specific, the momentum distributions of the atomic electrons. Two algorithms which model Compton scattering and two-quanta positron annihilation at rest accounting for shell structure effects are proposed. Two-quanta positron annihilation is a physics process which is of particular importance for applications such as positron emission tomography (PET). Both models use a detailed description of the processes which incorporate consistently Doppler broadening and binding effects. This together with the relatively low level of complexity of the models makes them particularly suited to be employed by fast sampling methods for Monte Carlo particle transport. Momentum distributions of shell electrons are obtained from parametrized one-electron Compton profiles. For conduction electrons, momentum distributions are derived in the framework...

Electron-positron annihilation physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foster, B.

1990-01-01

Electron-Positron Annihilation Physics is a detailed introduction to the main topics in e + e - annihilation, with particular emphasis on experimental work. Four main areas are covered, each in great detail, beginning with the Standard Model and its application to the production of lepton, quark and boson pairs. Secondly, the general features of fragmentation and different fragmentation models are explained. Chapter 3 is devoted to heavy quark and lepton physics, to which e + e - experiments have made an immense contribution. The final chapter, 'Where do we go from here?', looks for new phenomena beyond the Standard Model. Predictions of theory are compared with experimental results, highlighting shortcomings of some current theories. Details of instrumentation are included whenever possible. This ensures that the book is of maximum practical use to research workers. A comprehensive introduction to the major topics in the field, Electron-Positron Annihilation Physics is aimed at both graduate students studying high-energy physics and mature research workers. (author)

Radiative bound-state-formation cross-sections for dark matter interacting via a Yukawa potential

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Petraki, Kalliopi [LPTHE, CNRS, UMR 7589,4 Place Jussieu, F-75252, Paris (France); Nikhef,Science Park 105, 1098 XG Amsterdam (Netherlands); Postma, Marieke; Vries, Jordy de [Nikhef,Science Park 105, 1098 XG Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2017-04-13

We calculate the cross-sections for the radiative formation of bound states by dark matter whose interactions are described in the non-relativistic regime by a Yukawa potential. These cross-sections are important for cosmological and phenomenological studies of dark matter with long-range interactions, residing in a hidden sector, as well as for TeV-scale WIMP dark matter. We provide the leading-order contributions to the cross-sections for the dominant capture processes occurring via emission of a vector or a scalar boson. We offer a detailed inspection of their features, including their velocity dependence within and outside the Coulomb regime, and their resonance structure. For pairs of annihilating particles, we compare bound-state formation with annihilation.

Phenomenology of left-right symmetric dark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia-Cely, Camilo; Heeck, Julian

2016-01-01

We present a detailed study of dark matter phenomenology in low-scale left-right symmetric models. Stability of new fermion or scalar multiplets is ensured by an accidental matter parity that survives the spontaneous symmetry breaking of the gauge group by scalar triplets. The relic abundance of these particles is set by gauge interactions and gives rise to dark matter candidates with masses above the electroweak scale. Dark matter annihilations are thus modified by the Sommerfeld effect, not only in the early Universe, but also today, for instance, in the Center of the Galaxy. Majorana candidates—triplet, quintuplet, bi-doublet, and bi-triplet—bring only one new parameter to the model, their mass, and are hence highly testable at colliders and through astrophysical observations. Scalar candidates—doublet and 7-plet, the latter being only stable at the renormalizable level—have additional scalar-scalar interactions that give rise to rich phenomenology. The particles under discussion share many features with the well-known candidates wino, Higgsino, inert doublet scalar, sneutrino, and Minimal Dark Matter. In particular, they all predict a large gamma-ray flux from dark matter annihilations, which can be searched for with Cherenkov telescopes. We furthermore discuss models with unequal left-right gauge couplings, g R  ≠ g L , taking the recent experimental hints for a charged gauge boson with 2 TeV mass as a benchmark point. In this case, the dark matter mass is determined by the observed relic density

On dark matter interactions with the Standard Model through an anomalous Z'

Science.gov (United States)

Ismail, Ahmed; Katz, Andrey; Racco, Davide

2017-10-01

We study electroweak scale Dark Matter (DM) whose interactions with baryonic matter are mediated by a heavy anomalous Z'. We emphasize that when the DM is a Majorana particle, its low-velocity annihilations are dominated by loop suppressed annihilations into the gauge bosons, rather than by p-wave or chirally suppressed annihilations into the SM fermions. Because the Z ' is anomalous, these kinds of DM models can be realized only as effective field theories (EFTs) with a well-defined cutoff, where heavy spectator fermions restore gauge invariance at high energies. We formulate these EFTs, estimate their cutoff and properly take into account the effect of the Chern-Simons terms one obtains after the spectator fermions are integrated out. We find that, while for light DM collider and direct detection experiments usually provide the strongest bounds, the bounds at higher masses are heavily dominated by indirect detection experiments, due to strong annihilation into W + W -, ZZ, Zγ and possibly into gg and γγ. We emphasize that these annihilation channels are generically significant because of the structure of the EFT, and therefore these models are prone to strong indirect detection constraints. Even though we focus on selected Z' models for illustrative purposes, our setup is completely generic and can be used for analyzing the predictions of any anomalous Z'-mediated DM model with arbitrary charges.

Supersymmetric QCD corrections and phenomenological studies in relation to coannihilation of dark matter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harz, Julia

2013-11-15

In this thesis, we assume a minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model (MSSM) with conserved R-parity such that the lightest neutralino is the cold dark matter candidate. A stringent constraint on the MSSM parameter space can be set by the comparison of the predicted neutralino relic density with the experimentally determined value. In order to match the high experimental precision, uncertainties within the theoretical calculation have to be reduced. One of the main uncertainties arises from the cross section of annihilation and coannihilation processes of the dark matter particle. In a phenomenological study we investigate the interplay of neutralino-neutralino annihilation, neutralino-stop coannihilation and stop-stop annihilation. We demonstrate that neutralino-stop coannihilation contributes significantly to the neutralino relic density and is furthermore very well motivated due to the recent discovery of a 125 GeV Higgs boson. Due to this ample motivation we have calculated the full O({alpha}{sub s}) supersymmetric QCD corrections to neutralino-squark coannihilation. We show in detail our DR/on-shell renormalization scheme for the treatment of ultraviolet divergences, and describe the phase space slicing method which is used to handle soft and collinear infrared divergences. Further, we comment on the treatment of occurring intermediate onshell states. The whole calculation is provided within the numerical tool DM rate at NLO that serves as an extension to existing relic density calculators, which consider only an effective tree-level calculation. Based on three example scenarios we study the impact of the NLO corrections on the total (co)annihilation cross section, and observe corrections of up to 30 %. This leads to a correction of 5 - 9 % on the relic density, which is larger than the current experimental uncertainty and is, thus, important to be taken into account.

Zero-range effective field theory for resonant wino dark matter. Part III. Annihilation effects

OpenAIRE

Braaten, Eric; Johnson, Evan; Zhang, Hong

2018-01-01

Near a critical value of the wino mass where there is a zero-energy S-wave resonance at the neutral-wino-pair threshold, low-energy winos can be described by a zero-range effective field theory (ZREFT) in which the winos interact nonperturbatively through a contact interaction and through Coulomb interactions. The effects of wino-pair annihilation into electroweak gauge bosons are taken into account through the analytic continuation of the real parameters for the contact interaction to comple...

Non-thermal production of minimal dark matter via right-handed neutrino decay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aoki, Mayumi; Toma, Takashi; Vicente, Avelino

2015-01-01

Minimal Dark Matter (MDM) stands as one of the simplest dark matter scenarios. In MDM models, annihilation and co-annihilation processes among the members of the MDM multiplet are usually very efficient, pushing the dark matter mass above O(10) TeV in order to reproduce the observed dark matter relic density. Motivated by this little drawback, in this paper we consider an extension of the MDM scenario by three right-handed neutrinos. Two specific choices for the MDM multiplet are studied: a fermionic SU(2) L quintuplet and a scalar SU(2) L septuplet. The lightest right-handed neutrino, with tiny Yukawa couplings, never reaches thermal equilibrium in the early universe and is produced by freeze-in. This creates a link between dark matter and neutrino physics: dark matter can be non-thermally produced by the decay of the lightest right-handed neutrino after freeze-out, allowing to lower significantly the dark matter mass. We discuss the phenomenology of the non-thermally produced MDM and, taking into account significant Sommerfeld corrections, we find that the dark matter mass must have some specific values in order not to be in conflict with the current bounds from gamma-ray observations

Constraining dark matter annihilation with the isotropic γ-ray background: Updated limits and future potential

Science.gov (United States)

Bringmann, Torsten; Calore, Francesca; Di Mauro, Mattia; Donato, Fiorenza

2014-01-01

The nature of the isotropic γ-ray background (IGRB) measured by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on the Fermi γ-ray space telescope (Fermi) remains partially unexplained. Non-negligible contributions may originate from extragalactic populations of unresolved sources such as blazars, star-forming galaxies or galactic millisecond pulsars. A recent prediction of the diffuse γ-ray emission from active galactic nuclei (AGN) with a large viewing angle with respect to the line of sight has demonstrated that this faint but numerous population is also expected to contribute significantly to the total IGRB intensity. A more exotic contribution to the IGRB invokes the pair annihilation of dark matter (DM) weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) into γ rays. In this work, we evaluate the room left for galactic DM at high latitudes (>10∘) by including photons from both prompt emission and inverse Compton scattering, emphasizing the impact of the newly discovered contribution from misaligned AGN (MAGN) for such an analysis. Summing up all significant galactic and extragalactic components of the IGRB, we find that an improved understanding of the associated astrophysical uncertainties is still mandatory to put stringent bounds on thermally produced DM. On the other hand, we also demonstrate that the IGRB has the potential to be one of the most competitive future ways to test the DM WIMP hypothesis, once the present uncertainties are even slightly reduced. In fact, if MAGN contribute even at 90% of the maximal level consistent with our current understanding, thermally produced WIMPs would be severely constrained as DM candidates for masses up to several TeV.

Theory, phenomenology, and prospects for detection of supersymmetric dark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diehl, E.; Kane, G.L.; Kolda, C.; Wells, J.D.

1995-01-01

One of the great attractions of minimal superunified supersymmetric models is the prediction of a massive, stable, weakly interacting particle [the lightest supersymmetric partner (LSP)] which can have the right relic abundance to be a cold dark matter candidate. In this paper we investigate the identity, mass, and properties of the LSP after requiring gauge coupling unification, proper electroweak symmetry breaking, and numerous phenomenological constraints. We then discuss the prospects for detecting the LSP. The experiments which we investigate are (1) space annihilations into positrons, antiprotons, and γ rays, (2) large underground arrays to detect upward-going muons arising from LSP capture and annihilation in the sun and earth, (3) elastic collisions on matter in a table top apparatus, and (4) production of LSP's or decays into LSP's at high energy colliders. Our conclusions are that space annihilation experiments and large underground detectors are of limited help in initially detecting the LSP although perhaps they could provide confirmation of a signal seen in other experiments, while table top detectors have considerable discovery potential. Colliders such as the CERN LEP II, an upgraded Fermilab, and the CERN LHC might be the best dark matter detectors of all. This paper improves on most previous analyses in the literature by (a) only considering parameters not already excluded by several physics constraints listed above, (b) presenting results that are independent of (usually untenable) parameter choices, (c) comparing opportunities to study the same cold dark matter, and (d) including minor technical improvements

Scalar dark matter in the B−L model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodejohann, Werner; Yaguna, Carlos E.

2015-01-01

The U(1) B−L extension of the Standard Model requires the existence of right-handed neutrinos and naturally realizes the seesaw mechanism of neutrino mass generation. We study the possibility of explaining the dark matter in this model with an additional scalar field, ϕ DM , that is a singlet of the Standard Model but charged under U(1) B−L . An advantage of this scenario is that the stability of ϕ DM can be guaranteed by appropriately choosing its B−L charge, without the need of an extra ad hoc discrete symmetry. We investigate in detail the dark matter phenomenology of this model. We show that the observed dark matter density can be obtained via gauge or scalar interactions, and that semi-annihilations could play an important role in the latter case. The regions consistent with the dark matter density are determined in each instance and the prospects for detection in future experiments are analyzed. If dark matter annihilations are controlled by the B−L gauge interaction, the mass of the dark matter particle should lie below 5 TeV and its direct detection cross section can be easily probed by XENON1T; if instead they are controlled by scalar interactions, the dark matter mass can be much larger and the detection prospects are less certain. Finally, we show that this scenario can be readily extended to accommodate multiple dark matter particles

Positron Transport and Annihilation in the Galactic Bulge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fiona Helen Panther

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The annihilation of positrons in the Milky Way Galaxy has been observed for ∼50 years; however, the production sites of these positrons remains hard to identify. The observed morphology of positron annihilation gamma-rays provides information on the annihilation sites of these Galactic positrons. It is understood that the positrons responsible for the annihilation signal originate at MeV energies. The majority of sources of MeV positrons occupy the star-forming thin disk of the Milky Way. If positrons propagate far from their sources, we must develop accurate models of positron propagation through all interstellar medium (ISM phases in order to reveal the currently uncertain origin of these Galactic positrons. On the other hand, if positrons annihilate close to their sources, an alternative source of MeV positrons with a distribution that matches the annihilation morphology must be identified. In this work, I discuss the various models that have been developed to understand the origin of the 511 keV line from the direction of the Galactic bulge, and the propagation of positrons in the ISM.

Positrons annihilation and the Galactic center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wallyn, Pierre

1992-01-01

The Galactic center has been observed in gamma rays, many times since more than two decades and we do not still have a full comprehensive picture of this region. It is fairly well established that the 511 keV annihilation line has two origins: a steady diffuse emission, which follows more or less the type I supernovae distribution along the Galactic plane and a variable emission coming from the positrons emitted by (at least) one compact object and annihilating in a nearby cold molecular cloud. We present here an analysis of the profiles and intensifies of the 511 keV annihilation line observed in the direction of the Galactic center. We find that a warm medium (temperature of 8000 K) can describe the annihilation of positrons from the diffuse component of the line. The high state observations of the 511 keV line can be explained if the time-variable component is coming from the annihilation of the positrons in a cold medium (temperature around 80 K). This constraint on the annihilation medium temperature supports the association with the molecular cloud G-0.86-0.08 in the direction of 1E1740.7-2942. On may 22, 1989, HEXAGONE detected a narrow 511 keV line and also a broad emission around 170 keV in the direction of the Galactic center. Two weeks before, EXITE observed in the same direction a new transient source EXS 1737.9-2952 which showed a bump around 102 keV. We propose a simple semi-quantitative model which can mimic the bumps as well as its time variations and emphasize the strong similarities between EXS1737.9-2952 and Nova Muscae. We study the behaviour of positron annihilation by charge exchange in the cold phase of the interstellar medium. We calculate formula for the slowing-down time before thermalization of positrons of a given initial energy, for different medium densities. Our scenario explains the lack of detection of the recombination lines from positronium and gives new constraints on their possible observation. (author) [fr

Positron Annihilation in Insulating Materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asoka-Kumar, P; Sterne, PA

2002-01-01

We describe positron results from a wide range of insulating materials. We have completed positron experiments on a range of zeolite-y samples, KDP crystals, alkali halides and laser damaged SiO 2 . Present theoretical understanding of positron behavior in insulators is incomplete and our combined theoretical and experimental approach is aimed at developing a predictive understanding of positrons and positronium annihilation characteristics in insulators. Results from alkali halides and alkaline-earth halides show that positrons annihilate with only the halide ions, with no apparent contribution from the alkali or alkaline-earth cations. This contradicts the results of our existing theory for metals, which predicts roughly equal annihilation contributions from cation and anion. We also present result obtained using Munich positron microprobe on laser damaged SiO 2 samples

Boosted dark matter signals uplifted with self-interaction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kong, Kyoungchul, E-mail: kckong@ku.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045 (United States); Mohlabeng, Gopolang, E-mail: mohlabeng319@gmail.com [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045 (United States); Park, Jong-Chul, E-mail: log1079@gmail.com [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045 (United States); Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746 (Korea, Republic of)

2015-04-09

We explore detection prospects of a non-standard dark sector in the context of boosted dark matter. We focus on a scenario with two dark matter particles of a large mass difference, where the heavier candidate is secluded and interacts with the standard model particles only at loops, escaping existing direct and indirect detection bounds. Yet its pair annihilation in the galactic center or in the Sun may produce boosted stable particles, which could be detected as visible Cherenkov light in large volume neutrino detectors. In such models with multiple candidates, self-interaction of dark matter particles is naturally utilized in the assisted freeze-out mechanism and is corroborated by various cosmological studies such as N-body simulations of structure formation, observations of dwarf galaxies, and the small scale problem. We show that self-interaction of the secluded (heavier) dark matter greatly enhances the capture rate in the Sun and results in promising signals at current and future experiments. We perform a detailed analysis of the boosted dark matter events for Super-Kamiokande, Hyper-Kamiokande and PINGU, including notable effects such as evaporation due to self-interaction and energy loss in the Sun.

Positron annihilation in metallic glasses - a general survey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brauer, G.; Kajcsos, Zs.; Kemeny, T.

1981-08-01

This report presents a review of the literature on positron annihilation studies concerning metallic glasses. After some general information and overview on structural models of metallic glasses as well as a short description of the positron annihilation method itself are added. Conclusions regarding information on the structure of metallic glasses obtainable by positron annihilation are also given. (author)

Asymmetric Dark Matter and Dark Radiation

CERN Document Server

Blennow, Mattias; Mena, Olga; Redondo, Javier; Serra, Paolo

2012-01-01

Asymmetric Dark Matter (ADM) models invoke a particle-antiparticle asymmetry, similar to the one observed in the Baryon sector, to account for the Dark Matter (DM) abundance. Both asymmetries are usually generated by the same mechanism and generally related, thus predicting DM masses around 5 GeV in order to obtain the correct density. The main challenge for successful models is to ensure efficient annihilation of the thermally produced symmetric component of such a light DM candidate without violating constraints from collider or direct searches. A common way to overcome this involves a light mediator, into which DM can efficiently annihilate and which subsequently decays into Standard Model particles. Here we explore the scenario where the light mediator decays instead into lighter degrees of freedom in the dark sector that act as radiation in the early Universe. While this assumption makes indirect DM searches challenging, it leads to signals of extra radiation at BBN and CMB. Under certain conditions, pre...

Initial angular momentum state in pp annihilation at rest

CERN Document Server

Bizzarri, R

1972-01-01

The author shows that no quantitative statement on the relative importance of initial P-states in pp annihilation can be made. Annihilations in flight indicate that P-wave annihilation into K/sub 1 //sup 0/K/sub 1//sup 0/ is inhibited while annihilation into pi pi is enhanced and might suggest a P-wave contamination approximately 10%. The observatory of the final state K/sub 1//sup 0/K/sub 1//sup 0/n from annihilations at rest indicates that the depression of the K/sub 1//sup 0/K/sub 1//sup 0/ final state is not so important and suggests a P-wave contamination smaller than 4%. Furthermore the successes obtained in the analysis of various final states on the assumption of S-wave annihilation are hard to reconcile with a P-wave contribution bigger than approximately 5%. (20 refs).

Astrophysical search strategies for accelerator blind dark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wells, J.D.

1998-04-01

A weakly interacting dark matter particle may be very difficult to discover at an accelerator because it either (1) is too heavy, (2) has no standard model gauge interactions, or (3) is almost degenerate with other states. In each of these cases, searches for annihilation products in the galactic halo are useful probes of dark matter properties. Using the example of supersymmetric dark matter, the author demonstrates how astrophysical searches for dark matter may provide discovery and mass information inaccessible to collider physics programs such as the Tevatron and LHC

Neutrino signals from dark matter decay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Covi, Laura; Grefe, Michael; Ibarra, Alejandro; Tran, David

2009-12-01

We investigate different neutrino signals from the decay of dark matter particles to determine the prospects for their detection, and more specifically if any spectral signature can be disentangled from the background in present and future neutrino observatories. If detected, such a signal could bring an independent confirmation of the dark matter interpretation of the dramatic rise in the positron fraction above 10 GeV recently observed by the PAMELA satellite experiment and offer the possibility of distinguishing between astrophysical sources and dark matter decay or annihilation. In combination with other signals, it may also be possible to distinguish among different dark matter decay channels. (orig.)

Neutrino signals from dark matter decay

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Covi, Laura; Grefe, Michael [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany); Ibarra, Alejandro; Tran, David [Technische Univ. Muenchen, Garching (Germany). Physik-Department T30d

2009-12-15

We investigate different neutrino signals from the decay of dark matter particles to determine the prospects for their detection, and more specifically if any spectral signature can be disentangled from the background in present and future neutrino observatories. If detected, such a signal could bring an independent confirmation of the dark matter interpretation of the dramatic rise in the positron fraction above 10 GeV recently observed by the PAMELA satellite experiment and offer the possibility of distinguishing between astrophysical sources and dark matter decay or annihilation. In combination with other signals, it may also be possible to distinguish among different dark matter decay channels. (orig.)

Status of the scalar singlet dark matter model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Athron, Peter; Balazs, Csaba [Monash University, School of Physics and Astronomy, Melbourne, VIC (Australia); Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Particle Physics at the Tera-scale (Australia); Bringmann, Torsten; Dal, Lars A.; Krislock, Abram; Raklev, Are [University of Oslo, Department of Physics, Oslo (Norway); Buckley, Andy [University of Glasgow, SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, Glasgow (United Kingdom); Chrzaszcz, Marcin [Universitaet Zuerich, Physik-Institut, Zurich (Switzerland); Polish Academy of Sciences, H. Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics, Krakow (Poland); Conrad, Jan; Edsjoe, Joakim; Farmer, Ben [AlbaNova University Centre, Oskar Klein Centre for Cosmoparticle Physics, Stockholm (Sweden); Stockholm University, Department of Physics, Stockholm (Sweden); Cornell, Jonathan M. [McGill University, Department of Physics, Montreal, QC (Canada); Jackson, Paul; White, Martin [Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Particle Physics at the Tera-scale (Australia); University of Adelaide, Department of Physics, Adelaide, SA (Australia); Kahlhoefer, Felix [DESY, Hamburg (Germany); Kvellestad, Anders; Savage, Christopher [NORDITA, Stockholm (Sweden); McKay, James; Scott, Pat [Imperial College London, Department of Physics, Blackett Laboratory, London (United Kingdom); Mahmoudi, Farvah [Univ. Lyon, Univ. Lyon 1, ENS de Lyon, CNRS, Centre de Recherche Astrophysique de Lyon UMR5574, Saint-Genis-Laval (France); CERN, Theoretical Physics Department, Geneva (Switzerland); Martinez, Gregory D. [University of California, Physics and Astronomy Department, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Putze, Antje [LAPTh, Universite de Savoie, CNRS, Annecy-le-Vieux (France); Rogan, Christopher [Harvard University, Department of Physics, Cambridge, MA (United States); Saavedra, Aldo [Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Particle Physics at the Tera-scale (Australia); The University of Sydney, Centre for Translational Data Science, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies, School of Physics, Sydney, NSW (Australia); Serra, Nicola [Universitaet Zuerich, Physik-Institut, Zurich (Switzerland); Weniger, Christoph [University of Amsterdam, GRAPPA, Institute of Physics, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Collaboration: The GAMBIT Collaboration

2017-08-15

One of the simplest viable models for dark matter is an additional neutral scalar, stabilised by a Z{sub 2} symmetry. Using the GAMBIT package and combining results from four independent samplers, we present Bayesian and frequentist global fits of this model. We vary the singlet mass and coupling along with 13 nuisance parameters, including nuclear uncertainties relevant for direct detection, the local dark matter density, and selected quark masses and couplings. We include the dark matter relic density measured by Planck, direct searches with LUX, PandaX, SuperCDMS and XENON100, limits on invisible Higgs decays from the Large Hadron Collider, searches for high-energy neutrinos from dark matter annihilation in the Sun with IceCube, and searches for gamma rays from annihilation in dwarf galaxies with the Fermi-LAT. Viable solutions remain at couplings of order unity, for singlet masses between the Higgs mass and about 300 GeV, and at masses above ∝ 1 TeV. Only in the latter case can the scalar singlet constitute all of dark matter. Frequentist analysis shows that the low-mass resonance region, where the singlet is about half the mass of the Higgs, can also account for all of dark matter, and remains viable. However, Bayesian considerations show this region to be rather fine-tuned. (orig.)

Role of electroweak radiation in predictions for dark matter indirect detection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ali Cavasonza, Leila; Pellen, Mathieu; Kraemer, Michael [RWTH Aachen, Aachen (Germany)

2015-07-01

A very exciting challenge in particle and astroparticle physics is the exploration of the nature of dark matter. The evidences of the existence of dark matter are also the strongest phenomenological indications for physics beyond the Standard Model. A huge experimental effort is currently made at colliders and via astrophysical experiments to shed light on the nature of dark matter: dark matter may be produced at colliders or detected through direct and indirect detection experiments. The interplay and complementarity between these different approaches offers extraordinary opportunities to improve our understanding of the nature of dark matter or to set constraints on dark matter models. In indirect detection one searches for dark matter annihilation products, that produce secondary antimatter particles like positrons and antiprotons. Such antimatter particles propagate through the Galaxy and can be detected at Earth by astrophysical experiments. Particularly interesting is the importance of electroweak corrections to the predictions for the expected fluxes at Earth. The inclusion of EW radiation from the primary dark matter annihilation products can significantly affect the spectra of the secondary SM particles. The EW radiation can be described using fragmentation functions, as done for instance in QCD. We study the quality of this approximation in a simplified SUSY model and in a UED model.

Positron annihilation in sodium and copper β-vanadium oxide bronzes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dryzek, J.; Rogowska, E.

1990-01-01

Studies of copper and sodium β-vanadium oxide bronzes are performed using positron annihilation measured with a long slit angular correlation apparatus. The dependences of peak coincidence rate on temperature (40 to 310deg C) are obtained for different concentrations of donor atoms in the case of copper vanadium oxide bronzes. A three-states model corresponding to the annihilation of positrons in donor atom sublattice is applied for the description of the experimental data. The creation enthalpy of vacancies for that sublattice is equal to (0.60 ± 0.01) eV for Na 0.33 V 2 O 5 and equal to (0.64 ± 0.01) eV for Cu x V 2 O 5 . (author)

Quantum efficiency harmonic analysis of exciton annihilation in organic light emitting diodes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Price, J. S.; Giebink, N. C., E-mail: ncg2@psu.edu [Department of Electrical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802 (United States)

2015-06-29

Various exciton annihilation processes are known to impact the efficiency roll-off of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs); however, isolating and quantifying their contribution in the presence of other factors such as changing charge balance continue to be a challenge for routine device characterization. Here, we analyze OLED electroluminescence resulting from a sinusoidal dither superimposed on the device bias and show that nonlinearity between recombination current and light output arising from annihilation mixes the quantum efficiency measured at different dither harmonics in a manner that depends uniquely on the type and magnitude of the annihilation process. We derive a series of analytical relations involving the DC and first harmonic external quantum efficiency that enable annihilation rates to be quantified through linear regression independent of changing charge balance and evaluate them for prototypical fluorescent and phosphorescent OLEDs based on the emitters 4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-methyl-6-(4-dimethylaminostyryl)-4H-pyran and platinum octaethylporphyrin, respectively. We go on to show that, in most cases, it is sufficient to calculate the needed quantum efficiency harmonics directly from derivatives of the DC light versus current curve, thus enabling this analysis to be conducted solely from standard light-current-voltage measurement data.

Matter-antimeter annihilation and the cosmic gamma-ray bursts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vincent, J.R.

1976-12-01

A review of the argument for matter-antimatter symmetry in the universe is given. It is found that based on known physical laws and processes the universe should be symmetric. In particular there in no known process to create the major elementary particles that does not involve the creation of an equal number of antiparticles. The cosmology of such a universe is discussed without reference to assumed initial conditions of the postulation of new physical laws. In a review of arguments against the existence of large quantities of antimatter it is shown that there is no observational evidence that preclude matters symmetrry, in fact we are unable to say whether or not the nearest star is matter or antimatter. The second section deals with the observation of cosmic gamma-ray bursts, and provides a brief history, implications on the nature of these events, and a summary of some of the proposed theories. Finally, it is suggested that these events are the result of matter-antimatter collisions and the case of an anticomment falling in to a Koinostar is discussed. It is shown that the mass/energy, collisional frequency and spatial distribution is in agreement with current observational data. Further calculations are in progress in which it is felt that the time scale and spectrum of such a collision may also fit the observations.(author)

The annihilation spectrum of relatiVistic electron-positron plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aragonyan, F.A.; Atoyan, A.M.; Syunyaev, R.A.

1980-01-01

The annihilation spectrum of isotropically distributed monoenergetic electrons and positrons is obtained. The spectrum of the (e + e - ) plasma is analyzed in a large range of plasma temperatures. The comparison of transitions peratures. The comparison of transitions intensities of annihilation radiation and bremsstrahlung shows that for temperatures kT 2 (e + e - ) plasma is cooled mainly due to annihilation. The case of the fast positron annihilation on the rest electrons also considered. The possible astrophysical applications are discussed [ru

Angular correlation in positron annihilation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arponen, J.; Pajanne, E.

1978-01-01

The angular correlation of the two gamma quanta emitted when a thermalized positron annihilates with metallic conduction electrons is investigated by applying the newly developed theory of electron gas as a system of interacting collective excitations. The method leads in a natural way to the appearance of high-momentum components (i.e. pair momentum p>psub(F) in the annihilation radiation already in the case of annihilation with conduction electrons only. The amount of these components is significant approximately (10 %) in a dilute electron gas (like alkali metals), but fairly irrelevant for higher densities. The momentum-dependence of the enhancement factor for a dense system (with rsub(s) approximately equal to 2) agrees well both with the earlier theories due to Kahana and others, and also with recent accurate experimental observations. As rsub(s) increases into the alkali-metal region, the enhancement factor for p< psub(F) becomes relatively more and more constant, in contrast with the trend in the Kahana theory. In this density regime the experimental results seem to vary widely, although most of them desagree with the present prediction. We discuss the possible discrepancy and try to account for the effects of the core annihilation by a simple model. (author)

Indirect dark matter searches: current status and perspectives

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2016-01-01

Many theoretical ideas for the particle nature of dark matter exist. The  most popular models often predict that dark matter particles self-annihilate or decay, giving rise to potentially detectable signatures in astronomical observations.  I will summarize the current status of searches for such signatures and critically reassess recent claims for dark matter signals.  I will further provide an outlook on anticipated developments in the next 10 years, and discuss new methods to facilitate strategy development.

Simple picture of the annihilation process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gotsman, E.; Nussinov, S.

1980-01-01

We propose a simple geometrical picture for B-barB annihilations, which is motivated by the electric-flux-tube model and is consistent with the quark-rearrangement model, as well as the nonplanar multiperipheral quark-exchange model. Within its framework we are able to explain all the salient features of the experimental annihilation data

Hadron production in e+e- annihilation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lueth, V.

1977-01-01

The lectures cover recent results on hadron production by e + e - annihilation. Included are total hadronic cross section and scale invariance as applied to e + e - annihilation, the present status of the psi spectroscopy by study of the decay modes of the narrow psi resonances, and the recent discovery of charmed mesons. 93 references

Measurement of positron range in matter in strong magnetic fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hammer, B.E.; Christensen, N.L.

1995-01-01

Positron range is one factor that places a limitation on Positron Emission Tomography (PET) resolution. The distance a positron travels through matter before it annihilates with an electron is a function of its initial energy and the electron density of the medium. A strong magnetic field limits positron range when momentum components are transverse to the field. Measurement of positron range was determined by deconvolving the effects of detector response and radioactive distribution from the measured annihilation spread function. The annihilation spread function for a 0.5 mm bead of 68 Ga was measured with 0.2 and 1.0 mm wide slit collimators. Based on the annihilation spread function FWHM (Full Width at Half Maximum) for a 1.0 mm wide slit the median positron range in tissue equivalent material is 0.87, 0.50, 0.22 mm at 0, 5.0 and 9.4 T, respectively

Explaining DAMPE results by dark matter with hierarchical lepton-specific Yukawa interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Guoli; Wang, Fei; Wang, Wenyu; Yang, Jin-Min

2018-02-01

We propose to interpret the DAMPE electron excess at 1.5 TeV through scalar or Dirac fermion dark matter (DM) annihilation with doubly charged scalar mediators that have lepton-specific Yukawa couplings. The hierarchy of such lepton-specific Yukawa couplings is generated through the Froggatt-Nielsen mechanism, so that the dark matter annihilation products can be dominantly electrons. Stringent constraints from LEP2 on intermediate vector boson production can be evaded in our scenarios. In the case of scalar DM, we discuss one scenario with DM annihilating directly to leptons and another scenario with DM annihilating to scalar mediators followed by their decays. We also discuss the Breit-Wigner resonant enhancement and the Sommerfeld enhancement in the case where the s-wave annihilation process is small or helicity-suppressed. With both types of enhancement, constraints on the parameters can be relaxed and new ways for model building can be opened in explaining the DAMPE results. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (11105124, 11105125, 11375001, 11675147, 11675242), the Open Project Program of State Key Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, Institute of Theoretical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Y5KF121CJ1), the Innovation Talent project of Henan Province (15HASTIT017), the Young-Talent Foundation of Zhengzhou University, the CAS Center for Excellence in Particle Physics (CCEPP), the CAS Key Research Program of Frontier Sciences and a Key R&D Program of Ministry of Science and Technology of China (2017YFA0402200-04)

Thermal equilibrium defects in anthracene probed by positron annihilation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uedono, Akira; Tanigawa, Shoichiro; Tachibana, Masaru; Shimizu, Mikio; Satoh, Masaaki; Kojima, Kenichi; Ishibashi, Shoji; Kawano, Takao.

1996-01-01

Defects in anthracene were investigated by the positron annihilation technique. Doppler broadening profiles of the annihilation radiation and lifetime spectra of positrons were measured in the temperature range between 305 K and 516 K. The lifetime of positrons annihilated from the delocalized state was determined to be 0.306 ns around room temperature. Below the melting point, the observed temperature dependence of the line shape parameter S was explained assuming the formation energy of thermal equilibrium defects was 1 eV. Above the melting point, the pick-off annihilation of ortho-positronium in open spaces was observed, where the size of these spaces was estimated to be 0.2 nm 3 . The annihilation of positrons from the self-trapped state was also discussed. (author)

Thermal equilibrium defects in anthracene probed by positron annihilation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Uedono, Akira; Tanigawa, Shoichiro [Tsukuba Univ., Ibaraki (Japan). Inst. of Materials Science; Tachibana, Masaru; Shimizu, Mikio; Satoh, Masaaki; Kojima, Kenichi; Ishibashi, Shoji; Kawano, Takao

1996-06-01

Defects in anthracene were investigated by the positron annihilation technique. Doppler broadening profiles of the annihilation radiation and lifetime spectra of positrons were measured in the temperature range between 305 K and 516 K. The lifetime of positrons annihilated from the delocalized state was determined to be 0.306 ns around room temperature. Below the melting point, the observed temperature dependence of the line shape parameter S was explained assuming the formation energy of thermal equilibrium defects was 1 eV. Above the melting point, the pick-off annihilation of ortho-positronium in open spaces was observed, where the size of these spaces was estimated to be 0.2 nm{sup 3}. The annihilation of positrons from the self-trapped state was also discussed. (author)

Consequences of DM/antiDM Oscillations for Asymmetric WIMP Dark Matter

CERN Document Server

Cirelli, Marco; Servant, Geraldine; Zaharijas, Gabrijela

2012-01-01

Assuming the existence of a primordial asymmetry in the dark sector, a scenario usually dubbed Asymmetric Dark Matter (aDM), we study the effect of oscillations between dark matter and its antiparticle on the re-equilibration of the initial asymmetry before freeze-out, which enable efficient annihilations to recouple. We calculate the evolution of the DM relic abundance and show how oscillations re-open the parameter space of aDM models, in particular in the direction of allowing large (WIMP-scale) DM masses. A typical wimp with a mass at the EW scale (\\sim 100 GeV - 1 TeV) presenting a primordial asymmetry of the same order as the baryon asymmetry naturally gets the correct relic abundance if the DM-number-violating Delta(DM) = 2 mass term is in the \\sim meV range. The re-establishment of annihilations implies that constraints from the accumulation of aDM in astrophysical bodies are evaded. On the other hand, the ordinary bounds from BBN, CMB and indirect detection signals on annihilating DM have to be consi...

Antiproton-helium annihilation around 45 MeV/c

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balestra, F.; Bassolasco, S.; Bussa, M.P.; Busso, L.; Ferrero, L.; Panzieri, D.; Piragino, G.; Tosello, F.; Barbieri, R.; Bendiscioli, G.; Filippini, V.; Rotondi, A.; Salvini, P.; Zenoni, A.; Batusov, Yu.A.; Falomkin, I.V.; Pontecorvo, G.B.; Rozhdestvensky, A.M.; Sapozhnikov, M.G.; Tretyak, V.I.; Breivik, F.O.; Jacobsen, T.; Soerensen, S.O.

1989-01-01

The anti p 4 He annihilation cross section averaged over the interval 40-50 MeV/c has been measured using a streamer chamber in a magnetic field. The measured value is 1342±250 mb. It agrees with a behaviour like 1/p of the annihilation cross section. Our result has been obtained at the lowest momentum achieved till now in measurements of antiproton annihilation in flight. (orig.)

Antiproton-helium annihilation around 45 MeV/c

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Balestra, F.; Bassolasco, S.; Bussa, M.P.; Busso, L.; Ferrero, L.; Panzieri, D.; Piragino, G.; Tosello, F. (Turin Univ. (Italy). Ist. di Fisica Generale; Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Turin (Italy)); Barbieri, R.; Bendiscioli, G.; Filippini, V.; Rotondi, A.; Salvini, P.; Zenoni, A. (Pavia Univ. (Italy). Dipt. di Fisica Nucleare e Teorica; Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Pavia (Italy)); Batusov, Yu.A.; Falomkin, I.V.; Pontecorvo, G.B.; Rozhdestvensky, A.M.; Sapozhnikov, M.G.; Tretyak, V.I. (Joint Inst. for Nuclear Research, Dubna (USSR)); Breivik, F.O.; Jacobsen, T.; Soerensen, S.O. (Oslo Univ. (Norway). Fysisk Inst.); Guaraldo, C.; Maggiora, A. (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Frascati (Italy). Lab. Nazionale di Frascati); Haatuft, A.; Halsteinslid, A.; Myklebost, K.; Olsen, J.M. (Bergen Univ. (Norway). Dept. of Physics); Lodi Rizzini, E. (Brescia Univ. (Italy). Dipt. di Automazione Industriale); Masala, M. (Brescia Univ. (Italy). Dipt. di Automazione Ind

1989-10-26

The anti p{sup 4}He annihilation cross section averaged over the interval 40-50 MeV/c has been measured using a streamer chamber in a magnetic field. The measured value is 1342+-250 mb. It agrees with a behaviour like 1/p of the annihilation cross section. Our result has been obtained at the lowest momentum achieved till now in measurements of antiproton annihilation in flight. (orig.).

Non-thermal production of minimal dark matter via right-handed neutrino decay

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aoki, Mayumi [Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kanazawa University,Kanazawa 920-1192 (Japan); Toma, Takashi [Laboratoire de Physique Théorique, CNRS - UMR 8627, Université de Paris-Sud 11,F-91405 Orsay Cedex (France); Vicente, Avelino [IFPA, Dep. AGO, Université de Liège,Bat B5, Sart-Tilman B-4000 Liège 1 (Belgium); Instituto de Física Corpuscular, CSIC-Universitat de València,Apdo. 22085, E-46071 Valencia (Spain)

2015-09-29

Minimal Dark Matter (MDM) stands as one of the simplest dark matter scenarios. In MDM models, annihilation and co-annihilation processes among the members of the MDM multiplet are usually very efficient, pushing the dark matter mass above O(10) TeV in order to reproduce the observed dark matter relic density. Motivated by this little drawback, in this paper we consider an extension of the MDM scenario by three right-handed neutrinos. Two specific choices for the MDM multiplet are studied: a fermionic SU(2){sub L} quintuplet and a scalar SU(2){sub L} septuplet. The lightest right-handed neutrino, with tiny Yukawa couplings, never reaches thermal equilibrium in the early universe and is produced by freeze-in. This creates a link between dark matter and neutrino physics: dark matter can be non-thermally produced by the decay of the lightest right-handed neutrino after freeze-out, allowing to lower significantly the dark matter mass. We discuss the phenomenology of the non-thermally produced MDM and, taking into account significant Sommerfeld corrections, we find that the dark matter mass must have some specific values in order not to be in conflict with the current bounds from gamma-ray observations.

Non-thermal production of minimal dark matter via right-handed neutrino decay

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aoki, Mayumi [Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192 (Japan); Toma, Takashi [Laboratoire de Physique Théorique, CNRS - UMR 8627, Université de Paris-Sud 11, F-91405 Orsay Cedex (France); Vicente, Avelino, E-mail: mayumi@hep.s.kanazawa-u.ac.jp, E-mail: takashi.toma@th.u-psud.fr, E-mail: Avelino.Vicente@ulg.ac.be [IFPA, Dep. AGO, Université de Liège, Bat B5, Sart-Tilman B-4000 Liège 1 (Belgium)

2015-09-01

Minimal Dark Matter (MDM) stands as one of the simplest dark matter scenarios. In MDM models, annihilation and co-annihilation processes among the members of the MDM multiplet are usually very efficient, pushing the dark matter mass above O(10) TeV in order to reproduce the observed dark matter relic density. Motivated by this little drawback, in this paper we consider an extension of the MDM scenario by three right-handed neutrinos. Two specific choices for the MDM multiplet are studied: a fermionic SU(2){sub L} quintuplet and a scalar SU(2){sub L} septuplet. The lightest right-handed neutrino, with tiny Yukawa couplings, never reaches thermal equilibrium in the early universe and is produced by freeze-in. This creates a link between dark matter and neutrino physics: dark matter can be non-thermally produced by the decay of the lightest right-handed neutrino after freeze-out, allowing to lower significantly the dark matter mass. We discuss the phenomenology of the non-thermally produced MDM and, taking into account significant Sommerfeld corrections, we find that the dark matter mass must have some specific values in order not to be in conflict with the current bounds from gamma-ray observations.

A holistic view of unstable dark matter. Spectral and anisotropy signatures in astrophysical backgrounds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Le

2010-11-15

The nature of dark matter is one of the key outstanding problems in both particle and astrophysics. If dark matter decays or annihilates into electrons and positrons, it can affect diffuse radiation backgrounds observed in astrophysics. In this thesis, we propose a new, more general analysis of constraints on dark matter models. For any decaying dark matter model, constraints on mass and lifetime can be obtained by folding the specific dark matter decay spectrum with a response function. We derive these response functions from full-sky radio surveys and Fermi-LAT gamma-ray observations as well as from the local positron fluxes measured by the PAMELA satellite experiment and apply them to place constraints on some specific dark matter decay models. We also discuss the influence of astrophysical uncertainties on the response function, such as the uncertainties from propagation models and from the spatial distribution of the dark matter. Moreover, an anisotropy analysis of full-sky emission gamma-ray and radio maps is performed to identify possible signatures of annihilating dark matter. We calculate angular power spectra of the cosmological background of synchrotron emission from dark matter annihilations into electron positron pairs. We compare the power spectra with the anisotropy of astrophysical and cosmological radio backgrounds, from normal galaxies, radio-galaxies, galaxy cluster accretion shocks, the cosmic microwave background and Galactic foregrounds. In addition, we develop a numerical tool to compute gamma-ray emission from such electrons and positrons diffusing in the smooth host halo and in substructure halos with masses down to 10{sup -6}M{sub s}un. We show that, unlike the total gamma-ray angular power spectrum observed by Fermi-LAT, the angular power spectrum from the inverse Compton scattering is exponentially suppressed below an angular scale determined by the diffusion length of electrons and positrons. (orig.)

A holistic view of unstable dark matter. Spectral and anisotropy signatures in astrophysical backgrounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Le

2010-11-01

The nature of dark matter is one of the key outstanding problems in both particle and astrophysics. If dark matter decays or annihilates into electrons and positrons, it can affect diffuse radiation backgrounds observed in astrophysics. In this thesis, we propose a new, more general analysis of constraints on dark matter models. For any decaying dark matter model, constraints on mass and lifetime can be obtained by folding the specific dark matter decay spectrum with a response function. We derive these response functions from full-sky radio surveys and Fermi-LAT gamma-ray observations as well as from the local positron fluxes measured by the PAMELA satellite experiment and apply them to place constraints on some specific dark matter decay models. We also discuss the influence of astrophysical uncertainties on the response function, such as the uncertainties from propagation models and from the spatial distribution of the dark matter. Moreover, an anisotropy analysis of full-sky emission gamma-ray and radio maps is performed to identify possible signatures of annihilating dark matter. We calculate angular power spectra of the cosmological background of synchrotron emission from dark matter annihilations into electron positron pairs. We compare the power spectra with the anisotropy of astrophysical and cosmological radio backgrounds, from normal galaxies, radio-galaxies, galaxy cluster accretion shocks, the cosmic microwave background and Galactic foregrounds. In addition, we develop a numerical tool to compute gamma-ray emission from such electrons and positrons diffusing in the smooth host halo and in substructure halos with masses down to 10 -6 M s un. We show that, unlike the total gamma-ray angular power spectrum observed by Fermi-LAT, the angular power spectrum from the inverse Compton scattering is exponentially suppressed below an angular scale determined by the diffusion length of electrons and positrons. (orig.)

SUSY dark matter: Beyond the standard paradigm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sandick, Pearl

2016-01-01

Within the framework of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), we explore a decoupling of the parameters into separate sectors that determine consistency with collider data, the abundance of dark matter, and potential signatures at direct dark matter searches. We consider weak-scale bino-like neutralino dark matter, and find that annihilations via light slepton exchange present a viable mechanism for obtaining the appropriate dark matter abundance assuming a thermal history. Constraints and prospects for discovery of these models are discussed, including the possibility that direct dark matter searches may be sensitive to these models if light squarks exhibit left-right mixing. Differences between the scenarios presented here and the typical expectations for the MSSM are discussed.

Dislocation dipole annihilation in diamond and silicon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rabier, J; Pizzagalli, L, E-mail: jacques.rabier@univ-poitiers.fr [Institut PPRIMME, Departement de Physique et Mecanique des Materiaux - UPR 3346 CNRS, Universite de Poitiers, ENSMA - SP2MI, BP 30179, F-86962 Chasseneuil Futuroscope Cedex (France)

2011-02-01

The mechanism of dislocation dipole annihilation has been investigated in C and Si using atomistic calculations with the aim of studying their annihilation by-products. It is shown, in C as well as in Si, that dipole annihilation yields debris that can be depicted as a cluster of vacancies, or alternately by two internal free surfaces. These defects have no strain field and can hardly be seen using usual TEM techniques. This suggests that the brown colouration of diamond could be due to microstructures resulting from deformation mechanisms associated with dipole formation and their annihilation rather than to a climb mechanism and vacancy aggregation. In silicon where a number of dipoles have been evidenced by TEM when dislocation trails are found, such debris could be the missing link responsible for the observation of strong chemical reactivity and electrical activity in the wake of moving dislocations.

Constraining Non-thermal and Thermal properties of Dark Matter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bhupal eDev

2014-05-01

Full Text Available We describe the evolution of Dark Matter (DM abundance from the very onset of its creation from inflaton decay under the assumption of an instantaneous reheating. Based on the initial conditions such as the inflaton mass and its decay branching ratio to the DM species, the reheating temperature, and the mass and interaction rate of the DM with the thermal bath, the DM particles can either thermalize (fully/partially with the primordial bath or remain non-thermal throughout their evolution history. In the thermal case, the final abundance is set by the standard freeze-out mechanism for large annihilation rates, irrespective of the initial conditions. For smaller annihilation rates, it can be set by the freeze-in mechanism which also does not depend on the initial abundance, provided it is small to begin with. For even smaller interaction rates, the DM decouples while being non-thermal, and the relic abundance will be essentially set by the initial conditions. We put model-independent constraints on the DM mass and annihilation rate from over-abundance by exactly solving the relevant Boltzmann equations, and identify the thermal freeze-out, freeze-in and non-thermal regions of the allowed parameter space. We highlight a generic fact that inflaton decay to DM inevitably leads to an overclosure of the Universe for a large range of DM parameter space, and thus poses a stringent constraint that must be taken into account while constructing models of DM. For the thermal DM region, we also show the complementary constraints from indirect DM search experiments, Big Bang Nucleosynthesis, Cosmic Microwave Background, Planck measurements, and theoretical limits due to the unitarity of S-matrix. For the non-thermal DM scenario, we show the allowed parameter space in terms of the inflaton and DM masses for a given reheating temperature, and compute the comoving free-streaming length to identify the hot, warm and cold DM regimes.

Detecting Boosted Dark Matter from the Sun with Large Volume Neutrino Detectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berger, Joshua; /SLAC; Cui, Yanou; /Perimeter Inst. Theor. Phys.; Zhao, Yue; /Stanford U., ITP /Stanford U., Phys. Dept.

2015-04-02

We study novel scenarios where thermal dark matter (DM) can be efficiently captured in the Sun and annihilate into boosted dark matter. In models with semi-annihilating DM, where DM has a non-minimal stabilization symmetry, or in models with a multi-component DM sector, annihilations of DM can give rise to stable dark sector particles with moderate Lorentz boosts. We investigate both of these possibilities, presenting concrete models as proofs of concept. Both scenarios can yield viable thermal relic DM with masses O(1)-O(100) GeV. Taking advantage of the energetic proton recoils that arise when the boosted DM scatters off matter, we propose a detection strategy which uses large volume terrestrial detectors, such as those designed to detect neutrinos or proton decays. In particular, we propose a search for proton tracks pointing towards the Sun. We focus on signals at Cherenkov-radiation-based detectors such as Super-Kamiokande (SK) and its upgrade Hyper-Kamiokande (HK). We find that with spin-dependent scattering as the dominant DM-nucleus interaction at low energies, boosted DM can leave detectable signals at SK or HK, with sensitivity comparable to DM direct detection experiments while being consistent with current constraints. Our study provides a new search path for DM sectors with non-minimal structure.

Evidence of isospin effects in antiproton-nucleus annihilation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balestra, F.; Bossolasco, S.; Bussa, M.P.; Busso, L.; Ferrero, L.; Panzieri, D.; Piragino, G.; Tosello, F.; Barbieri, R.; Bendiscioli, G.; Rotondi, A.; Salvini, P.; Venaglioni, A.; Zenoni, A.; Batusov, Yu.A.; Falomkin, I.V.; Pontecorvo, G.B.; Rozhdestvensky, A.M.; Sapozhnikov, M.G.; Tretyak, V.I.; Guaraldo, C.; Maggiora, A.; Haatuft, A.; Halsteinslid, A.; Myklebost, K.; Olsen, J.M.; Breivik, F.O.; Jacobsen, T.; Soerensen, S.O.

1989-01-01

Antiproton- 3 He annihilation events at rest have been detected using a self-shunted streamer chamber. The ratio of the cross section for annihilation on neutrons and on protons has been measured (0.467±0.035). It is compared with other results from annihilation on free nucleons, deuterium, 3 He and 4 He. The low value of the ratio seems to indicate a strong isospin dependence of the antinucleon-nucleon P-wave amplitude. (orig.)

Asymmetric dark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaplan, David E.; Luty, Markus A.; Zurek, Kathryn M.

2009-01-01

We consider a simple class of models in which the relic density of dark matter is determined by the baryon asymmetry of the Universe. In these models a B-L asymmetry generated at high temperatures is transferred to the dark matter, which is charged under B-L. The interactions that transfer the asymmetry decouple at temperatures above the dark matter mass, freezing in a dark matter asymmetry of order the baryon asymmetry. This explains the observed relation between the baryon and dark matter densities for the dark matter mass in the range 5-15 GeV. The symmetric component of the dark matter can annihilate efficiently to light pseudoscalar Higgs particles a or via t-channel exchange of new scalar doublets. The first possibility allows for h 0 →aa decays, while the second predicts a light charged Higgs-like scalar decaying to τν. Direct detection can arise from Higgs exchange in the first model or a nonzero magnetic moment in the second. In supersymmetric models, the would-be lightest supersymmetric partner can decay into pairs of dark matter particles plus standard model particles, possibly with displaced vertices.

Dark Matter Searches with the Fermi-LAT in the Direction of Dwarf Spheroidals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wood, Matthew; Anderson, Brandon; Drlica-Wagner, Alex; Cohen-Tanugi, Johann; Conrad, Jan

2015-07-13

The dwarf spheroidal satellite galaxies of the Milky Way are some of the most dark-matter-dominated objects known. Due to their proximity, high dark matter content, and lack of astrophysical backgrounds, dwarf spheroidal galaxies are widely considered to be among the most promising targets for the indirect detection of dark matter via gamma rays. Here we report on gamma-ray observations of Milky Way dwarf spheroidal satellite galaxies based on 6 years of Fermi Large Area Telescope data processed with the new Pass 8 reconstruction and event-level analysis. None of the dwarf galaxies are significantly detected in gamma rays, and we present upper limits on the dark matter annihilation cross section from a combined analysis of the 15 most promising dwarf galaxies. The constraints derived are among the strongest to date using gamma rays, and lie below the canonical thermal relic cross section for WIMPs of mass ≲ 100GeV annihilating via the bb-bar and τ⁺τ⁻ channels.

Possibility of testing the light dark matter hypothesis with the alpha magnetic spectrometer.

Science.gov (United States)

Hooper, Dan; Xue, Wei

2013-01-25

The spectrum and morphology of gamma rays from the Galactic center and the spectrum of synchrotron emission observed from the Milky Way's radio filaments have each been interpreted as possible signals of ∼ 7-10 GeV dark matter particles annihilating in the inner Galaxy. In dark matter models capable of producing these signals, the annihilations should also generate significant fluxes of ∼ 7-10 GeV positrons which can lead to a distinctive bumplike feature in a local cosmic ray positron spectrum. In this Letter, we show that while such a feature would be difficult to detect with PAMELA, it would likely be identifiable by the currently operating Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer experiment. As no known astrophysical (i.e., nondark matter) sources or mechanisms are likely to produce such a sharp feature, the observation of a positron bump at around 7-10 GeV would significantly strengthen the case for a dark matter interpretation of the reported gamma-ray and radio anomalies.

Resonant SIMP dark matter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Soo-Min Choi

2016-07-01

Full Text Available We consider a resonant SIMP dark matter in models with two singlet complex scalar fields charged under a local dark U(1D. After the U(1D is broken down to a Z5 discrete subgroup, the lighter scalar field becomes a SIMP dark matter which has the enhanced 3→2 annihilation cross section near the resonance of the heavier scalar field. Bounds on the SIMP self-scattering cross section and the relic density can be fulfilled at the same time for perturbative couplings of SIMP. A small gauge kinetic mixing between the SM hypercharge and dark gauge bosons can be used to make SIMP dark matter in kinetic equilibrium with the SM during freeze-out.

Multipole analysis of IceCube data to search for dark matter accumulated in the Galactic halo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aartsen, M.G.; Hill, G.C.; Robertson, S.; Whelan, B.J. [University of Adelaide, School of Chemistry and Physics, Adelaide, SA (Australia); Ackermann, M.; Berghaus, P.; Bernardini, E.; Bretz, H.P.; Cruz Silva, A.H.; Gluesenkamp, T.; Gora, D.; Jacobi, E.; Kaminsky, B.; Karg, T.; Middell, E.; Mohrmann, L.; Nahnhauer, R.; Schoenwald, A.; Shanidze, R.; Spiering, C.; Stoessl, A.; Terliuk, A.; Yanez, J.P. [DESY, Zeuthen (Germany); Adams, J.; Brown, A.M.; Hickford, S.; Macias, O. [University of Canterbury, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Christchurch (New Zealand); Aguilar, J.A.; Altmann, D.; Christov, A.; Montaruli, T.; Rameez, M.; Vallecorsa, S. [Universite de Geneve, Departement de physique nucleaire et corpusculaire, Geneva (Switzerland); Ahlers, M.; Arguelles, C.; BenZvi, S.; Chirkin, D.; Day, M.; Desiati, P.; Diaz-Velez, J.C.; Eisch, J.; Fadiran, O.; Feintzeig, J.; Gladstone, L.; Halzen, F.; Hoshina, K.; Jacobsen, J.; Jero, K.; Karle, A.; Kauer, M.; Kelley, J.L.; Kheirandish, A.; Kopper, C.; Kurahashi, N.; Larsen, D.T.; Maruyama, R.; McNally, F.; Middlemas, E.; Morse, R.; Rees, I.; Riedel, B.; Rodrigues, J.P.; Santander, M.; Tobin, M.N.; Tosi, D.; Vandenbroucke, J.; Van Santen, J.; Weaver, C.; Wellons, M.; Wendt, C.; Westerhoff, S.; Whitehorn, N. [University of Wisconsin, Department of Physics, Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, Madison, WI (United States); Ahrens, M.; Bohm, C.; Danninger, M.; Finley, C.; Flis, S.; Hulth, P.O.; Hultqvist, K.; Walck, C.; Wolf, M.; Zoll, M. [Stockholm University, Department of Physics, Oskar Klein Centre, Stockholm (Sweden); Anderson, T.; Arlen, T.C.; De Andre, J.P.A.M.; DeYoung, T.; Dunkman, M.; Eagan, R.; Groh, J.C.; Huang, F.; Quinnan, M.; Smith, M.W.E.; Stanisha, N.A.; Tesic, G. [Pennsylvania State University, Department of Physics, University Park, PA (United States); Auffenberg, J.; Bissok, M.; Blumenthal, J.; Gier, D.; Gretskov, P.; Haack, C.; Hallen, P.; Heinen, D.; Hellwig, D.; Jagielski, K.; Koob, A.; Kriesten, A.; Krings, K.; Leuermann, M.; Paul, L.; Penek, Oe.; Puetz, J.; Raedel, L.; Reimann, R.; Rongen, M.; Schoenen, S.; Schukraft, A.; Vehring, M.; Wallraff, M.; Wichary, C.; Wiebusch, C.H.; Zierke, S. [RWTH Aachen University, III. Physikalisches Institut, Aachen (Germany); Bai, X. [South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Physics Department, Rapid City, SD (United States); Barwick, S.W.; Yodh, G. [University of California, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Irvine, CA (United States); Baum, V.; Eberhardt, B.; Koepke, L.; Kroll, G.; Luenemann, J.; Sander, H.G.; Schatto, K.; Wiebe, K. [University of Mainz, Institute of Physics, Mainz (Germany); Beatty, J.J. [Ohio State University, Department of Physics, Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics, Columbus, OH (United States); Ohio State University, Department of Astronomy, Columbus, OH (United States); Becker Tjus, J.; Bos, F.; Eichmann, B.; Fedynitch, A.; Kroll, M.; Saba, S.M.; Schoeneberg, S.; Unger, E. [Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum, Fakultaet fuer Physik und Astronomie, Bochum (Germany); Becker, K.H.; Bindig, D.; Fischer-Wasels, T.; Helbing, K.; Hoffmann, R.; Klaes, J.; Kopper, S.; Naumann, U.; Obertacke, A.; Omairat, A.; Posselt, J.; Soldin, D.; Tepe, A. [University of Wuppertal, Department of Physics, Wuppertal (Germany); Berley, D.; Blaufuss, E.; Christy, B.; Felde, J.; Goodman, J.A.; Hellauer, R.; Hoffman, K.D.; Huelsnitz, W.; Meagher, K.; Olivas, A.; Redl, P.; Richman, M.; Schmidt, T.; Sullivan, G.W.; Wissing, H. [University of Maryland, Department of Physics, College Park, MD (United States); Bernhard, A.; Coenders, S.; Gross, A.; Jurkovic, M.; Leute, J.; Resconi, E.; Schulz, O.; Sestayo, Y. [Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Garching (Germany); Besson, D.Z. [University of Kansas, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Lawrence, KS (United States); Binder, G.; Gerhardt, L.; Ha, C.; Klein, S.R.; Miarecki, S. [University of California, Department of Physics, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (United States); Boersma, D.J.; Botner, O.; Euler, S.; Hallgren, A.; Perez de los Heros, C.; Stroem, R.; Taavola, H. [Uppsala University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala (Sweden); Bose, D.; Rott, C. [Sungkyunkwan University, Department of Physics, Suwon (Korea, Republic of); Collaboration: IceCube Collaboration; and others

2015-01-01

Dark matter which is bound in the Galactic halo might self-annihilate and produce a flux of stable final state particles, e.g. high energy neutrinos. These neutrinos can be detected with IceCube, a cubic-kilometer sized Cherenkov detector. Given IceCube's large field of view, a characteristic anisotropy of the additional neutrino flux is expected. In this paper we describe a multipole method to search for such a large-scale anisotropy in IceCube data. This method uses the expansion coefficients of a multipole expansion of neutrino arrival directions and incorporates signal-specific weights for each expansion coefficient. We apply the technique to a high-purity muon neutrino sample from the Northern Hemisphere. The final result is compatible with the nullhypothesis. As no signal was observed, we present limits on the self-annihilation cross-section averaged over the relative velocity distribution left angle σ{sub A}υ right angle down to 1.9 x 10{sup -23} cm{sup 3} s{sup -1} for a dark matter particle mass of 700-1,000 GeV and direct annihilation into ν anti ν. The resulting exclusion limits come close to exclusion limits from γ-ray experiments, that focus on the outer Galactic halo, for high dark matter masses of a few TeV and hard annihilation channels. (orig.)

Gamma-ray boxes from axion-mediated dark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ibarra, Alejandro; Gehler, Sergio López; Pato, Miguel; Lee, Hyun Min; Park, Wan-Il

2013-01-01

We compute the gamma-ray output of axion-mediated dark matter and derive the corresponding constraints set by recent data. In such scenarios the dark matter candidate is a Dirac fermion that pair-annihilates into axions and/or scalars. Provided that the axion decays (at least partly) into photons, these models naturally give rise to a box-shaped gamma-ray spectrum that may present two distinct phenomenological behaviours: a narrow box, resembling a line at half the dark matter mass, or a wide box, spanning an extensive energy range up to the dark matter mass. Remarkably, we find that in both cases a sizable gamma-ray flux is predicted for a thermal relic without fine-tuning the model parameters nor invoking boost factors. This large output is in line with recent Fermi-LAT observations towards the galactic centre region and is on the verge of being excluded. We then make use of the Fermi-LAT and H.E.S.S. data to derive robust, model-independent upper limits on the dark matter annihilation cross section for the narrow and wide box scenarios. H.E.S.S. constraints, in particular, turn out to match the ones from Fermi-LAT at hundreds of GeV and extend to multi-TeV masses. Future Čerenkov telescopes will likely probe gamma-ray boxes from thermal dark matter relics in the whole multi-TeV range, a region hardly accessible to direct detection, collider searches and other indirect detection strategies

Asymmetric Dark Matter and Dark Radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blennow, Mattias; Martinez, Enrique Fernandez; Mena, Olga; Redondo, Javier; Serra, Paolo

2012-01-01

Asymmetric Dark Matter (ADM) models invoke a particle-antiparticle asymmetry, similar to the one observed in the Baryon sector, to account for the Dark Matter (DM) abundance. Both asymmetries are usually generated by the same mechanism and generally related, thus predicting DM masses around 5 GeV in order to obtain the correct density. The main challenge for successful models is to ensure efficient annihilation of the thermally produced symmetric component of such a light DM candidate without violating constraints from collider or direct searches. A common way to overcome this involves a light mediator, into which DM can efficiently annihilate and which subsequently decays into Standard Model particles. Here we explore the scenario where the light mediator decays instead into lighter degrees of freedom in the dark sector that act as radiation in the early Universe. While this assumption makes indirect DM searches challenging, it leads to signals of extra radiation at BBN and CMB. Under certain conditions, precise measurements of the number of relativistic species, such as those expected from the Planck satellite, can provide information on the structure of the dark sector. We also discuss the constraints of the interactions between DM and Dark Radiation from their imprint in the matter power spectrum

Observing Higgs boson production through its decay into γ-rays: A messenger for dark matter candidates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bernal, Nicolás, E-mail: nicolas@th.physik.uni-bonn.de [Bethe Center for Theoretical Physics and Physikalisches Institut, Universität Bonn, Nußallee 12, D-53115 Bonn (Germany); Boehm, Céline [Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology, University of Durham, Durham, DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); LAPTH, U. de Savoie, CNRS, BP 110, 74941 Annecy-Le-Vieux (France); Palomares-Ruiz, Sergio [Centro de Física Teórica de Partículas (CFTP), Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal); Instituto de Física Corpuscular (IFIC), CSIC-Universitat de València, Apartado de Correos 22085, E-46071 Valencia (Spain); Silk, Joseph [UMR7095, Institut d' Astrophysique de Paris, 98 bis boulevard Arago, 75014 Paris (France); Toma, Takashi [Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology, University of Durham, Durham, DH1 3LE (United Kingdom)

2013-06-10

In this Letter, we study the γ-ray signatures subsequent to the production of a Higgs boson in space by dark matter annihilations. We investigate the cases where the Higgs boson is produced at rest or slightly boosted and show that such configurations can produce characteristic bumps in the γ-ray data. These results are relevant in the case of the Standard Model-like Higgs boson provided that the dark matter mass is about 63 GeV, 109 GeV or 126 GeV, but can be generalized to any other Higgs boson masses. Here, we point out that it may be worth looking for a 63 GeV line since it could be the signature of the decay of a Standard Model-like Higgs boson produced in space, as in the case of a di-Higgs final state if m{sub χ}≃126 GeV. We show that one can set generic constraints on the Higgs boson production rates using its decay properties. In particular, using the Fermi-LAT data from the galactic center, we find that the dark matter annihilation cross section into γ+ a Standard Model-like Higgs boson produced at rest or near rest cannot exceed 〈σv〉∼a few 10{sup −25} cm{sup 3}/s or 〈σv〉∼a few 10{sup −27} cm{sup 3}/s respectively, providing us with information on the Higgs coupling to the dark matter particle. We conclude that Higgs bosons can indeed be used as messengers to explore the dark matter mass range.

Dark matter and dark radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ackerman, Lotty; Buckley, Matthew R.; Carroll, Sean M.; Kamionkowski, Marc

2009-01-01

We explore the feasibility and astrophysical consequences of a new long-range U(1) gauge field ('dark electromagnetism') that couples only to dark matter, not to the standard model. The dark matter consists of an equal number of positive and negative charges under the new force, but annihilations are suppressed if the dark-matter mass is sufficiently high and the dark fine-structure constant α-circumflex is sufficiently small. The correct relic abundance can be obtained if the dark matter also couples to the conventional weak interactions, and we verify that this is consistent with particle-physics constraints. The primary limit on α-circumflex comes from the demand that the dark matter be effectively collisionless in galactic dynamics, which implies α-circumflex -3 for TeV-scale dark matter. These values are easily compatible with constraints from structure formation and primordial nucleosynthesis. We raise the prospect of interesting new plasma effects in dark-matter dynamics, which remain to be explored.

FIRST STUDY OF DARK MATTER PROPERTIES WITH DETECTED SOLAR GRAVITY MODES AND NEUTRINOS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Turck-Chieze, S.; Garcia, R. A. [CEA/DSM/IRFU/SAp-AIM, CE Saclay, Orme des Merisiers, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Lopes, I. [Centro Multidisciplinar de Astrofisica, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal); Ballot, J. [Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planetologie, CNRS, 14 avenue Edouard Belin and Universite de Toulouse, UPS-OMP, IRAP, 31400 Toulouse (France); Couvidat, S. [W.W. Hansen. E. P. L., Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 (United States); Mathur, S. [High Altitude Observatory, NCAR, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307 (United States); Salabert, D. [CNRS, Observatoire de la Cote d' Azur, Universite de Nice Sophia-Antipolis, BP 4229, 06304 Nice Cedex 4 (France); Silk, J., E-mail: Sylvaine.Turck-Chieze@cea.fr [UPMC-CNRS, UMR7095, Institut d' Astrophysique de Paris, F-75014 Paris (France)

2012-02-10

We derive new limits on the cold dark matter properties for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), potentially trapped in the solar core by using for the first time the central temperature constrained by boron neutrinos and the central density constrained by the dipolar gravity modes detected with the Global Oscillations at Low Frequency/Solar Helioseismic Observatory instrument. These detections disfavor the presence of non-annihilating WIMPs for masses {<=}10 GeV and spin dependent cross-sections >5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -36} cm{sup 2} in the solar core but cannot constrain WIMP annihilation models. We suggest that in the coming years helio- and asteroseismology will provide complementary probes of dark matter.

QCD analysis of jets in e/sup +/e/sup -/ annihilation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ali, A

1980-10-01

Jets in e/sup +/e/sup -/ annihilation are discussed in the context of perturbative Quantum Chromodynamics. Topics discussed include higher twist contribution, effects of quark masses and fragmentation on the 3 and 4 jet rates and some distributions bearing on the experimental verification of 4 jet events at the PETRA/PEP energies.

High-temperature equilibrium study of the oxygen-site occupancy in YBa2Cu3O7-δ by positron annihilation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hermes, H.; Forster, M.; Schaefer, H.

1991-01-01

Measurements of the positron lifetime and the Doppler broadening of the annihilation γ line were performed on sintered YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ specimens between ambient temperature and 1140 K at oxygen partial pressures, p O2 , between 10 2 and 10 5 Pa in order to study the atomic processes of changes of the oxygen content in thermal equilibrium. Above 680 K the positron lifetime increases with increasing temperature and decreasing oxygen partial pressure. It is found that the normalized positron annihilation rate λ 1 * depends exclusively on the oxygen deficiency δ and decreases linearly with increasing δ. Our results demonstrate that the positrons are annihilated predominantly on the sites of the Cu(1)-O(1) chains where the oxygen atoms are removed (oxygen-deficient sites), as suggested by theoretical studies. A simple atomistic model of oxygen exchange is confirmed by the experimentally observed variation of the positron annihilation rate with (p O2 ) -0.27

Contribution from S and P waves in pp annihilation at rest

CERN Document Server

Bendiscioli, G; Fontana, A; Montagna, P; Rotondi, A; Salvini, P; Bertin, A; Bruschi, M; Capponi, M; De Castro, S; Donà, R; Galli, D; Giacobbe, B; Marconi, U; Massa, I; Piccinini, M; Cesari, N S; Spighi, R; Vecchi, S; Vagnoni, V M; Villa, M; Vitale, A; Zoccoli, A; Bianconi, A; Bonomi, G; Lodi-Rizzini, E; Venturelli, L; Zenoni, A; Cicalò, C; De Falco, A; Masoni, A; Puddu, G; Serci, S; Usai, G L; Gorchakov, O E; Prakhov, S N; Rozhdestvensky, A M; Tretyak, V I; Poli, M; Gianotti, P; Guaraldo, C; Lanaro, A; Lucherini, V; Petrascu, C; Kudryavtsev, A E; Balestra, F; Bussa, M P; Busso, L; Cerello, P G; Denisov, O Yu; Ferrero, L; Grasso, A; Maggiora, A; Panzarasa, A; Panzieri, D; Tosello, F; Botta, E; Bressani, Tullio; Calvo, D; Costa, S; D'Isep, D; Feliciello, A; Filippi, A; Marcello, S; Mirfakhraee, N; Agnello, M; Iazzi, F; Minetti, B; Tessaro, S

2001-01-01

The annihilation frequencies of 19 pp annihilation reactions at rest obtained in different target densities are analysed in order to determine the values of the P-wave annihilation percentage at each target density and the average hadronic branching ratios from P- and S-states. Both the assumptions of linear dependence of the annihilation frequencies on the P-wave annihilation percentage of the protonium state and the approach with the enhancement factors of Batty (1989) are considered. Furthermore the cases of incompatible measurements are discussed. (55 refs).

Positron Annihilation Characteristics in Polymer Composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashry, A.; Hemdan, M.; Ismail, A.; Ismail, H.; Osman, H.

2000-01-01

The effect of incorporation of GPF-carbon black on the free volume properties as well as the Doppler broadening parameters has been investigated for Natural rubber/Styrene Butadiene rubber (NR/SBR) blends. It is seen that, the free volume decreases with increasing of the GPF-black. Besides, as the size of the free volume decreases, the W-parameter, which corresponds to high momentum region, decreases and the S-parameter, which corresponds to low momentum one, shows an opposite behaviour. Furthermore, the d.c.electrical conductivity, mechanical and swelling behavior have been also investigated. Positron Annihilation Lifetime (PAL) and Doppler Broadening of the Annihilation Radiation (DBAR) results are compared with the other physical parameters measured. The analysis of positron annihilation parameters introduces a trusted support for the interpretations of the other macroscopic physical properties

Calculation of positron annihilation in high Tc copper oxides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barbiellini, B.; Jarlborg, T.; Gauthier, M.; Shukla, A.

1992-01-01

LMTO calculations have been done in order to obtain electronic and positronic states in YBaCuO compounds. The annihilation rates have been calculated including the enhancement effects. Folded momentum density spectra are calculated and used for prediction of Fermi surface signals. The influence of lattice defects on the spectra is studied by the comparison between experimental and calculated positron lifetimes. (orig.)

Revealing dark matter substructure with anisotropies in the diffuse gamma-ray background

OpenAIRE

Siegal-Gaskins, Jennifer M.

2008-01-01

The majority of gamma-ray emission from Galactic dark matter annihilation is likely to be detected as a contribution to the diffuse gamma-ray background. I show that dark matter substructure in the halo of the Galaxy induces characteristic anisotropies in the diffuse background that could be used to determine the small-scale dark matter distribution. I calculate the angular power spectrum of the emission from dark matter substructure for several models of the subhalo population, and show that...

Baryonic pinching of galactic dark matter halos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gustafsson, Michael; Fairbairn, Malcolm; Sommer-Larsen, Jesper

2006-01-01

High resolution cosmological N-body simulations of four galaxy-scale dark matter halos are compared to corresponding N-body/hydrodynamical simulations containing dark matter, stars and gas. The simulations without baryons share features with others described in the literature in that the dark matter density slope continuously decreases towards the center, with a density ρ DM ∝r -1.3±0.2 , at about 1% of the virial radius for our Milky Way sized galaxies. The central cusps in the simulations which also contain baryons steepen significantly, to ρ DM ∝r -1.9±0.2 , with an indication of the inner logarithmic slope converging. Models of adiabatic contraction of dark matter halos due to the central buildup of stellar/gaseous galaxies are examined. The simplest and most commonly used model, by Blumenthal et al., is shown to overestimate the central dark matter density considerably. A modified model proposed by Gnedin et al. is tested and it is shown that, while it is a considerable improvement, it is not perfect. Moreover, it is found that the contraction parameters in their model not only depend on the orbital structure of the dark-matter-only halos but also on the stellar feedback prescription which is most relevant for the baryonic distribution. Implications for dark matter annihilation at the galactic center are discussed and it is found that, although our simulations show a considerable reduced dark matter halo contraction as compared to the Blumenthal et al. model, the fluxes from dark matter annihilation are still expected to be enhanced by at least a factor of a hundred, as compared to dark-matter-only halos. Finally, it is shown that, while dark-matter-only halos are typically prolate, the dark matter halos containing baryons are mildly oblate with minor-to-major axis ratios of c/a=0.73±0.11, with their flattening aligned with the central baryonic disks