The dark matter interpretation of the 511 keV line

Bœhm, Céline

doi:10.1088/1367-2630/11/10/105009

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…Others employ exotic physics such as the de-excitation or annihilation of dark matter (e.g. Finkbeiner & Weiner 2007;Boehm 2009). The spectrum of the positron annihilation radiation observed by INTEGRAL implies that ∼ 100% of positrons annihilate via interactions with neutral hydrogen (charge exchange, see Guessoum et al 2005, for an overview).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Positron annihilation in the nuclear outflows of the Milky Way

Panther

Crocker

Birnboim

et al. 2017

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters

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Observations of soft gamma rays emanating from the Milky Way from SPI/INTEGRAL reveal the annihilation of ∼ 2 × 10 43 positrons every second in the Galactic bulge. The origin of these positrons, which annihilate to produce a prominent emission line centered at 511 keV, has remained mysterious since their discovery almost 50 years ago. A plausible origin for the positrons is in association with the intense star formation ongoing in the Galactic center. Moreover, there is strong evidence for a nuclear outflow in the Milky Way. We find that advective transport and subsequent annihilation of positrons in such an outflow cannot simultaneously replicate the observed morphology of positron annihilation in the Galactic bulge and satisfy the requirement that 90 per cent of positrons annihilate once the outflow has cooled to 10 4 K.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Positron annihilation in the nuclear outflows of the Milky Way

Panther

Crocker

Birnboim

et al. 2017

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters

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“…1), many studies have tried to establish whether annihilation or decay of dark matter (DM) particles can possibly contribute to the 511 keV line production (e.g. [10,29], see also [9]). Even though the central slope of the dark matter density profile of our galaxy is still not well known, the number density of annihilating positrons depends on the square of the DM number density, which necessarily peaks near the GC.…”

Section: The 511 Kev Line and The Quest For Dark Mattermentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the origin of the positron annihilation line and the physics of supernova explosions

et al. 2021

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Nuclear astrophysics, and particularly nuclear emission line diagnostics from a variety of cosmic sites, has remained one of the least developed fields in experimental astronomy, despite its central role in addressing a number of outstanding questions in modern astrophysics. Radioactive isotopes are co-produced with stable isotopes in the fusion reactions of nucleosynthesis in supernova explosions and other violent events, such as neutron star mergers. The origin of the 511 keV positron annihilation line observed in the direction of the Galactic Center is a 50-year-long mystery. In fact, we still do not understand whether its diffuse large-scale emission is entirely due to a population of discrete sources, which are unresolved with current poor angular resolution instruments at these energies, or whether dark matter annihilation could contribute to it. From the results obtained in the pioneering decades of this experimentally-challenging window, it has become clear that some of the most pressing issues in high-energy astrophysics and astro-particle physics would greatly benefit from significant progress in the observational capabilities in the keV-to-MeV energy band. Current instrumentation is in fact not sensitive enough to detect radioactive and annihilation lines from a wide variety of phenomena in our and nearby galaxies, let alone study the spatial distribution of their emission. In this White Paper (WP), we discuss how unprecedented studies in this field will become possible with a new low-energy gamma-ray space experiment, called ASTENA (Advanced Surveyor of Transient Events and Nuclear Astrophysics), which combines new imaging, spectroscopic and polarization capabilities. In a separate WP (Guidorzi et al. 39), we discuss how the same mission concept will enable new groundbreaking studies of the physics of Gamma–Ray Bursts and other high-energy transient phenomena over the next decades.

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Focus on Dark Matter and Particle Physics

Aprile

Profumo

2009

New J. Phys.

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Abstract. The quest for the nature of dark matter has reached a historical point in time, with several different and complementary experiments on the verge of conclusively exploring large portions of the parameter space of the most theoretically compelling particle dark matter models. This focus issue on dark matter and particle physics brings together a broad selection of invited articles from the leading experimental and theoretical groups in the field. The leitmotif of the collection is the need for a multi-faceted search strategy that includes complementary experimental and theoretical techniques with the common goal of a sound understanding of the fundamental particle physical nature of dark matter. These include theoretical modelling, high-energy colliders and direct and indirect searches. We are confident that the works collected here present the state of the art of this rapidly changing field and will be of interest to both experts in the topic of dark matter as well as to those new to this exciting field.

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The dark matter interpretation of the 511 keV line

Cited by 4 publications

References 65 publications

Positron annihilation in the nuclear outflows of the Milky Way

Positron annihilation in the nuclear outflows of the Milky Way

Understanding the origin of the positron annihilation line and the physics of supernova explosions

Focus on Dark Matter and Particle Physics

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