A deep survey of the Large Magellanic Cloud at ∼ 0.1−100 TeV photon energies with the Cherenkov Telescope Array is planned. We assess the detection prospects based on a model for the emission of the galaxy, comprising the four known TeV emitters, mock populations of sources, and interstellar emission on galactic scales. We also assess the detectability of 30 Doradus and SN 1987A, and the constraints that can be derived on the nature of dark matter. The survey will allow for fine spectral studies of N 157B, N 132D, LMC P3, and 30 Doradus C, and half a dozen other sources should be revealed, mainly pulsar-powered objects. The remnant from SN 1987A could be detected if it produces cosmic-ray nuclei with a flat power-law spectrum at high energies, or with a steeper index 2.3 − 2.4 pending a flux increase by a factor > 3 − 4 over ∼ 2015 − 2035. Large-scale interstellar emission remains mostly out of reach of the survey if its > 10 GeV spectrum has a soft photon index ∼ 2.7, but degree-scale 0.1 − 10 TeV pion-decay emission could be detected if the cosmic-ray spectrum hardens above >100 GeV. The 30 Doradus star-forming region is detectable if acceleration efficiency is on the order of 1 − 10% of the mechanical luminosity and diffusion is suppressed by two orders of magnitude within < 100 pc. Finally, the survey could probe the canonical velocity-averaged cross section for self-annihilation of weakly interacting massive particles for cuspy Navarro-Frenk-White profiles.
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 the greatest sensitivity to dark matter models, we demonstrate that ASTRO-H is well positioned to probe the inverse-Compton scattering emissions from neutralino annihilation and identify characteristics of the spectra which contain information about the neutralino mass and annihilation channel. This means that, given environments with favourable X-ray backgrounds, multi-frequency observation with the next generation of experiments will allow for unprecedented sensitivity to the neutralino parameter space as well as offsetting the individual weaknesses of each observation mode. Finally we show that all of the studied models can be better tested with the SKA phase 1.
Radio synchrotron emission is expected as a natural by-product of the self-annihilation of super-symmetric dark matter particles. In this work we discuss the general properties of the radio emission expected in a wide range of dark matter halos, from local dwarf spheroidal galaxies to large and distant galaxy clusters with the aim to determine the neutralino dark matter detection prospects of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). The analysis of the SKA detection of dark matter(DM)-induced radio emission is presented for structures spanning a wide range of masses and redshifts, and we also analyze the limits that the SKA can set on the thermally averaged neutralino annihilation crosssection in the event of non-detection. To this aim, we construct a model of the redshift evolution of the radio emissions of dark matter halos and apply it to generate predicted fluxes from a range of neutralino masses and annihilation channels for the dark matter halos surrounding dwarf galaxies, galaxies and galaxy clusters. Using the available SKA performance predictions and its ability to determine an independent measure of the magnetic field in cosmic structures, we explore both the detailed detection prospects and the upper-bounds that might be placed on the neutralino annihilation cross-section in the event of non-detection. We find that the SKA can access a neutralino parameter space far larger than that of any preceding indirect-detection experiment, also improving on the realistic CTA detection prospects, with the possibility of setting cross-section upper-bounds up to four orders of magnitude below the thermal relic density bound. Additionally, we find that neutralino radio emissions carry redshift-independent signatures of the dominant annihilation channel and of neutralino mass, offering therefore a means to identify such non-thermal emissions within the observing frequency range of the SKA.
Dark Matter (DM) is a fundamental ingredient of our Universe and of structure formation, and yet its nature is elusive to astrophysical probes. Information on the nature and physical properties of the WIMP (neutralino) DM (the leading candidate for a cosmologically relevant DM) can be obtained by studying the astrophysical signals of their annihilation/decay. Among the various e.m. signals, secondary electrons produced by neutralino annihilation generate synchrotron emission in the magnetized atmosphere of galaxy clusters and galaxies which could be observed as a diffuse radio emission (halo or haze) centered on the DM halo. A deep search for DM radio emission with SKA in local dwarf galaxies, galaxy regions with low star formation and galaxy clusters (with offset DM-baryonic distribution, like e.g. the Bullet cluster) can be very effective in constraining the neutralino mass, composition and annihilation cross-section. For the case of a dwarf galaxy, like e.g. Draco, the constraints on the DM annihilation cross-section obtainable with SKA1-MID will be at least a factor ∼ 10 3 more stringent than the limits obtained by Fermi-LAT in the γrays. These limits scale with the value of the B field, and the SKA will have the capability to determine simultaneously both the magnetic field in the DM-dominated structures and the DM particle properties. The optimal frequency band for detecting the DM-induced radio emission is around ∼ 1 GHz, with the SKA1-MID Band 1 and 4 important to probe the synchrotron spectral curvature at low-ν (sensitive to DM composition) and at high-ν (sensitive to DM mass).
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