Indirect search for dark matter: Prospects for GLAST

Peirani, Sébastien; Mohayaee, Roya; Pacheco, J. A. de Freitas

doi:10.1103/physrevd.70.043503

Cited by 32 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 72 publications

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“…where σv is the velocity-averaged cross section and N γ is the yield, called Q γ in Peirani et al (2004) and FPS. We have moved the constant factor 1/4π to be part of Φ cosmo because it is most easily understood as part of the attenuation of the gamma-ray flux over distance.…”

Section: Gamma-ray Fluxmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seen and Unseen Tidal Caustics in the Andromeda Galaxy

Sanderson

Bertschinger

2010

ApJ

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Indirect detection of high-energy particles from dark matter interactions is a promising avenue for learning more about dark matter, but is hampered by the frequent coincidence of high-energy astrophysical sources of such particles with putative high-density regions of dark matter. We calculate the boost factor and gamma-ray flux from dark matter associated with two shell-like caustics of luminous tidal debris recently discovered around the Andromeda galaxy, under the assumption that dark matter is its own supersymmetric antiparticle. These shell features could be a good candidate for indirect detection of dark matter via gamma rays because they are located far from the primary confusion sources at the galaxy's center, and because the shapes of the shells indicate that most of the mass has piled up near apocenter. Using a numerical estimator specifically calibrated to estimate densities in N-body representations with sharp features and a previously determined N-body model of the shells, we find that the largest boost factors do occur in the shells but are only a few percent. We also find that the gamma-ray flux is an order of magnitude too low to be detected with Fermi for likely dark matter parameters, and about 2 orders of magnitude less than the signal that would have come from the dwarf galaxy that produces the shells in the N-body model. We further show that the radial density profiles and relative radial spacing of the shells, in either dark or luminous matter, is relatively insensitive to the details of the potential of the host galaxy but depends in a predictable way on the velocity dispersion of the progenitor galaxy.

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Section: Gamma-ray Fluxmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seen and Unseen Tidal Caustics in the Andromeda Galaxy

Sanderson

Bertschinger

2010

ApJ

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“…Many authors have studied the feasibility of such a detection, using a large variety of cuspy and cored universal density profiles, reflecting the theoretical as well as the experimental uncertainties. Different works (Baltz et al 2000;Tyler 2002;Peirani et al 2004;Pieri & Branchini 2004;Bergström et al 2006) found that only the presence of a spike and/or an enhancement due to clumpiness and/or a more favourable combination of the unknown particle physics parameters could make the Draco dwarf galaxy observable with the Fermi-LAT. Strigari et al (2007) are optimistic about the detection of Draco with the Fermi-LAT in 5 years.…”

Section: Article Published By Edp Sciencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Could the Fermi Large Area Telescope detect γ-rays from dark matter annihilation in the dwarf galaxies of the Local Group?

Pieri

Pizzella

Corsini

et al. 2009

A&A

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Context. The detection of γ-rays from dark matter (DM) annihilation is among the scientific goals of the Fermi Large Area Telescope (formerly known as GLAST) and Cherenkov telescopes. Aims. In this paper we investigate the chances of such a discovery, selecting some nearby dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSph) as a target, and adopting the DM density profiles derived from both astronomical observations and N-body simulations. We also make use of recent studies about the presence of black holes and of a population of sub-subhalos inside the Local Group (LG) dwarfs to carry out boost factor studies. Methods. We study the detectability with the Fermi-LAT of the γ-ray flux from DM annihilation in four of the nearest and highly DM-dominated dSph galaxies of the LG, namely Draco, Ursa Minor, Carina, and Sextans, for which state-of-art DM density profiles were available. We assume the DM is made of weakly interacting massive particles such as the lightest supersymmetric particle and compute the expected γ-ray flux for estimations of the unknown underlying particle physics parameters. We then compute the boost factors due to the presence of DM clumps and of a central supermassive black hole. Finally, we compare our predictions with the Fermi-LAT sensitivity maps. Results. We find that the dSph galaxies shine above the Galactic smooth halo: e.g., the Galactic halo is brighter than the Draco dSph only for angles smaller than 2.3 degrees above the Galactic Center. We also find that the presence of a cusp or a constant density core in the DM mass density profile does not produce any relevant effects in the γ-ray flux due to the fortunate combination of the geometrical acceptance of the Fermi-LAT detector and the distance of the galaxies. Moreover, no significant enhancement is given by the presence of a central black hole or a population of sub-subhalos. Conclusions. We conclude that, even for the most optimistic scenario of particle physics, the γ-ray flux from DM annihilation in the dSph galaxies of the LG would be too low to be detected with the Fermi-LAT.

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“…That dSphs make good candidates for DM annihilation detection has been much discussed before, especially for the "classical", or pre-SDSS, dSphs [62,110,142,143,144,145]. The annihilation signal coming from Draco has been the subject of much research in recent years because of its relative proximity to the Earth [65,110,144,146,147,148,149,150].…”

Section: Predicted Annihilation Signals For Dwarf Spheroidalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Substructure boosts to dark matter annihilation from Sommerfeld enhancement

Bovy

2009

Phys. Rev. D

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The recently introduced Sommerfeld enhancement of the dark matter annihilation cross section has important implications for the detection of dark matter annihilation in subhalos in the Galactic halo. In addition to the boost to the dark matter annihilation cross section from the high densities of these subhalos with respect to the main halo, an additional boost caused by the Sommerfeld enhancement results from the fact that they are kinematically colder than the Galactic halo. If we further believe the generic prediction of CDM that in each subhalo there is an abundance of substructure which is approximately self-similar to that of the Galactic halo, then I show that additional boosts coming from the density enhancements of these small substructures and their small velocity dispersions enhance the dark matter annihilation cross section even further. I find that very large boost factors (10 5 to 10 9 ) are obtained in a large class of models. The implications of these boost factors for the detection of dark matter annihilation from dwarf Spheroidal galaxies in the Galactic halo are such that, generically, they outshine the background gamma-ray flux and are detectable by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope.

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Indirect search for dark matter: Prospects for GLAST

Cited by 32 publications

References 72 publications

Seen and Unseen Tidal Caustics in the Andromeda Galaxy

Seen and Unseen Tidal Caustics in the Andromeda Galaxy

Could the Fermi Large Area Telescope detect γ-rays from dark matter annihilation in the dwarf galaxies of the Local Group?

Substructure boosts to dark matter annihilation from Sommerfeld enhancement

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