We investigate the effects of weakly-interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter annihilation on the formation of Population III.1 stars, which are theorized to form from the collapse of gas cores at the centers of dark matter minihalos. We consider the relative importance of cooling due to baryonic radiative processes and heating due to WIMP annihilation. We analyze the dark matter and gas profiles of several halos formed in cosmological-scale numerical simulations. The heating rate depends sensitively on the dark matter density profile, which we approximate with a power law rho_chi ~ r^{-alpha_chi}, in the numerically unresolved inner regions of the halo. If we assume a self-similar structure so that alpha_chi ~= 1.5 as measured on the resolved scales ~1pc, then for a fiducial WIMP mass of 100GeV, the heating rate is typically much smaller (<10^{-3}) than the cooling rate for densities up to n_H=10^{17}cm^{-3}. In one case, where alpha_chi=1.65, the heating rate becomes similar to the cooling rate by a density of n_H=10^{15}cm^{-3}. The dark matter density profile is expected to steepen in the central baryon-dominated region <~1pc due to adiabatic contraction, and we observe this effect (though with relatively low resolution) in our numerical models. From these we estimate alpha_chi~=2.0. The heating now dominates cooling above n_H~=10^{14}cm^{-3}, in agreement with the previous study of Spolyar, Freese & Gondolo. We expect this leads to the formation of an equilibrium structure with a baryonic and dark matter density distribution exhibiting a flattened central core. Examining such equilibria, we find total luminosities due to WIMP annihilation are relatively constant and ~10^3 L_sun, set by the radiative luminosity of the baryonic core. We discuss the implications for Pop III.1 star formation... (abridged)
We compute the pair annihilation cross section of light (spin-0) dark matter particles into two photons and discuss the detectability of the monochromatic line associated with these annihilations.
We calculate the flux of high energy gamma-rays from annihilation of neutralino dark matter in the centre of the Milky Way and the three nearest dwarf spheroidals (Sagittarius, Draco and Canis Major), using realistic models of the dark matter distribution.
Annihilation of clumped superheavy dark matter provides an interesting explanation for the origin of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays. The predicted anisotropy signal provides a unique signature for this scenario.
In this paper we consider dark matter particle annihilation in the gravitational field of black holes. We obtain exact distribution function of the infalling dark matter particles, and compute the resulting flux and spectra of gamma rays coming from the objects. It is shown that the dark matter density significantly increases near a black hole. Particle collision energy becomes very high affecting relative cross-sections of various annihilation channels. We also discuss possible experimental consequences of these effects.
We discuss the possibility to observe the products of dark matter annihilation that was going on in the early Universe. Of all the particles that could be generated by this process we consider only photons, as they are both uncharged and easily detectable. The earlier the Universe was, the higher the dark matter concentration $n$ and the annihilation rate (proportional to $n^2$) were. However, the emission from the very early Universe cannot reach us because of the opacity. The main part of the signal was generated at the moment the Universe had just become transparent for the photons produced…
The flat rotation curve obtained for the outer star clusters of the Large Magellanic Cloud is suggestive of an LMC dark matter halo. From the composite HI and star cluster rotation curve, I estimate the parameters of an isothermal dark matter halo added to a `maximum disk.' I then examine the possibility of detecting high energy gamma-rays from non-baryonic dark matter annihilations in the central region of the Large Magellanic Cloud.
Dark matter annihilation in so-called ``spikes'' near black holes is believed to be an important method of indirect dark matter detection. In the case of circular particle orbits, the density profile of dark matter has a plateau at small radii, the maximal density being limited by the annihilation cross-section. However, in the general case of arbitrary velocity anisotropy the situation is different. Particulary, for isotropic velocity distribution the density profile cannot be shallower than r^{-1/2} in the very centre. Indeed, a detailed study reveals that in many cases the term ``annihilati…
We review the consequences of the growth and evolution of Black Holes on the distribution of stars and Dark Matter (DM) around them. We focus in particular on Supermassive and Intermediate Mass Black Holes, and discuss under what circumstances they can lead to significant overdensities in the surrounding distribution of DM, thus effectively acting as DM annihilation boosters.
We discuss the hypothesis that the cosmological baryon asymmetry and entropy were produced in the early Universe by the primordial black hole (PBHs) evaporation.
We describe the anisotropy of dark matter clump distribution caused by tidal destruction of clumps in the Galactic disk. A tidal destruction of clumps with orbit planes near the disk plane occurs more efficiently as compared with destruction of clumps at near-polar orbits. A corresponding annihilation of dark matter particles in small-scale clumps produces the anisotropic gamma-ray signal with respect to the Galactic disk. This anisotropy is rather small, 9%, and superimposed on that due to off-centering position of the Sun in the Galaxy. The anisotropy of annihilation signal with respect to t…
We reexamine the impact of dark matter (DM) annihilation on the intergalactic medium, taking into account the clumping of DM particles. We find that energy injection from the annihilation of the thermal relic DM particles may significantly raise the gas temperature at high redshifts and leave a strong imprint on the cosmological 21-cm signal, provided the particle mass is below ~1 TeV. Further, we find that while the energy injection from DM annihilation could not alone complete the reionization of the Universe, it could make a significant contribution to the electron optical depth.
The majority of mass in the universe has not been observed optically and is termed dark matter. The supersymmetric neutralino provides an interesting dark matter candidate, which may self-annihilate in our galaxy, producing particles visible in the cosmic ray spectrum. During a ten day space shuttle flight, the AMS-01 detector recorded over 100 million cosmic ray events. This analysis searches for the products of neutralino annihilation in the AMS-01 Z=-1 spectrum, and uses the results to place limits on which supersymmetric and dark matter halo distribution models are compatible.
During the 2002-2003 observing season the Whipple 10m imaging atmospheric Cerenkov telescope was used to search for dark matter annihilation radiation in four nearby galaxies: M32, M33, Draco, and Ursa Minor. Scientific motivations for this choice of targets are discussed as well as accumulated exposure. The analysis results are to be reported in the conference presentation.
Dark matter (DM) decays and annihilations might heat and partially reionize the Universe at high redshift. Although this effect is not important for the cosmic reionization, the gas heating due to DM particles might affect the structure formation. In particular, the critical halo mass for collapse is increased up to a factor of ~2. Also the fraction of gas which collapses inside the smallest halos is substantially reduced with respect to the cosmological value. These effects imply that DM decays and annihilations might delay the formation of the first structures and reduce the total star mass …
Dark matter caustics are small scale, high density structures believed to exist in galaxies like ours. If the dark matter consists of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles, these caustics may be detected by means of the gamma rays produced by dark matter particle annihilation. We discuss particle annihilation in outer and inner caustics and provide sky maps of the expected gamma ray distribution.
We investigate a scenario where the recently discovered non-thermal hard X-ray emission from the Ophiuchus cluster originates from inverse Compton scattering of energetic electrons and positrons produced in weakly interacting dark matter pair annihilations. We show that this scenario can account for both the X-ray and the radio emission, provided the average magnetic field is of the order of 0.1 microGauss. We demonstrate that GLAST will conclusively test the dark matter annihilation hypothesis. Depending on the particle dark matter model, GLAST might even detect the monochromatic line produce…
Recent studies have suggested the possibility that the lightest supersymmetric particle is a suitable dark matter candidate. In this theoretical framework, annihilations in high density environments like the center of dark matter haloes may produce an intense flux of gamma-rays. In this paper we discuss the possibility of detecting the signatures of neutralino annihilation in nearby galaxies with next generation ground-based detectors.
High-energy photons from dark matter annihilation contribute to the cosmic gamma-ray background (CGB). Since dark matter particles are weakly interacting, annihilation can happen only in high density regions such as dark matter halos. The precise shape of the energy spectrum of CGB depends on the nature of dark matter particles, as well as the cosmological evolution of dark matter halos. In order to discriminate between the signals from dark matter annihilation and other astrophysical sources, however, the information from the energy spectrum may not be sufficient. We show that dark matter ann…
A conservative upper bound on the total dark matter (DM) annihilation rate can be obtained by constraining the appearance rate of the annihilation products which are hardest to detect. The production of neutrinos, via the process $χχ\to \barνν$, has thus been used to set a strong general bound on the dark matter annihilation rate. However, Standard Model radiative corrections to this process will inevitably produce photons which may be easier to detect. We present an explicit calculation of the branching ratios for the electroweak bremsstrahlung processes $χχ\to \barννZ$ and $χχ\to \barνe W$. …
Light dark matter annihilating into electron-positron pairs emits a significant amount of internal bremsstrahlung that may contribute to the cosmic gamma-ray background. The amount of emitted gamma-rays depends on the dark matter clumping factor. Recent calculations indicate that this value should be of order $10^6-10^7$. That allows us to calculate the expected gamma-ray background contribution from dark matter annihilation. We find that the light dark matter model can be ruled out if a constant thermally-averaged cross section is assumed (s-wave annihilation). For more massive dark matter ca…
Dark matter annihilations in the Sun to neutrino-antineutrino pairs have striking signatures in neutrino detectors such as IceCube and KM3. We make a model independent study of the signals after propagation of the neutrinos from the center of the Sun to the Earth. A large spin-dependent DM capture cross section in the Sun make the discovery prospects robust.
The positron excess observed by the PAMELA experiment may come from dark matter annihilation, if the annihilation cross section is large enough. We show that the dark matter annihilation scenarios to explain the positron excess may also be compatible with the discrepancy of the cosmic lithium abundances between theory and observations. The wino-like neutralino in the supersymmetric standard model is a good example for it. This scenario may be confirmed by Fermi satellite experiment.
The origin of the cosmic gamma-ray background (CGB) is a longstanding mystery in high-energy astrophysics. Possible candidates include ordinary astrophysical objects such as unresolved blazars, as well as more exotic processes such as dark matter annihilation. While it would be difficult to distinguish them from the mean intensity data alone, one can use anisotropy data instead. We investigate the CGB anisotropy both from unresolved blazars and dark matter annihilation (including contributions from dark matter substructures), and find that the angular power spectra from these sources are very …
We compute the full O(alpha_s) SUSY-QCD corrections to dark matter annihilation in the Higgs-funnel, resumming potentially large mu tan beta and A_b contributions and keeping all finite O(m_b,s,1/tan^2 beta) terms. We demonstrate numerically that these corrections strongly influence the extraction of SUSY mass parameters from cosmological data and must therefore be included in common analysis tools such as DarkSUSY or micrOMEGAs.
We discuss the prospects for detection of high energy neutrinos from dark matter annihilation at the Galactic centre. Despite the large uncertainties associated with our poor knowledge of the distribution of dark matter in the innermost regions of the Galaxy, we determine an upper limit on the neutrino flux by requiring that the associated gamma-ray emission does not exceed the observed flux. We conclude that if dark matter is made of neutralinos, a neutrino flux from dark matter annihilations at the GC will not be observable by Antares. Conversely, the positive detection of such a flux would …
The WMAP experiment has revealed an excess of microwave emission from the region around the center of our Galaxy. It has been suggested that this signal, known as the ``WMAP Haze'', could be synchrotron emission from relativistic electrons and positrons generated in dark matter annihilations. In this letter, we revisit this possibility. We find that the angular distribution of the WMAP Haze matches the prediction for dark matter annihilations with a cusped density profile, $ρ(r) \propto r^{-1.2}$ in the inner kiloparsecs. Comparing the intensity in different WMAP frequency bands, we find that …
Dark matter (DM) annihilation could in principle contribute to the diffuse cosmic gamma-ray back- ground (CGB). While with standard assumptions for cosmological and particle physics parameters this contribution is expected to be rather small, a number of processes could boost it, including a larger-than-expected DM annihilation cross-section, or the occurance of DM substructures such as DM mini-spikes around intermediate-mass black holes. We show that angular correlations of the CGB provide a tool to disentangle the signal induced by DM annihilation in mini-spikes from a conventional astrophys…
Dark matter annihilation into charged particles is necessarily accompanied by gamma rays, produced via radiative corrections. Internal bremsstrahlung from the final state particles can produce hard gamma rays up to the dark matter mass, with an approximately model-independent spectrum. Focusing on annihilation into electrons, we compute robust upper bounds on the dark matter self annihilation cross section $<σ_A v >_{e^+e^-}$ using gamma ray data from the Milky Way spanning a wide range of energies, $\sim10^{-3} - 10^4$ GeV. We also compute corresponding bounds for the other charged leptons. W…
How large can the dark matter self-annihilation rate in the late universe be? This rate depends on (rho_DM/m_chi)^2 <sigma_A v>, where rho_DM/m_chi is the number density of dark matter, and the annihilation cross section is averaged over the velocity distribution. Since the clustering of dark matter is known, this amounts to asking how large the annihilation cross section can be. Kaplinghat, Knox, and Turner proposed that a very large annihilation cross section could turn a halo cusp into a core, improving agreement between simulations and observations; Hui showed that unitarity prohibits this…
We consider dark matter annihilation into Standard Model particles and show that the least detectable final states, namely neutrinos, define an upper bound on the total cross section. Calculating the cosmic diffuse neutrino signal, and comparing it to the measured terrestrial atmospheric neutrino background, we derive a strong and general bound. This can be evaded if the annihilation products are dominantly new and truly invisible particles. Our bound is much stronger than the unitarity bound at the most interesting masses, shows that dark matter halos cannot be significantly modified by annih…
We consider the possibility that ultra-high energy cosmic rays originate from the annihilation of relic superheavy dark-matter particles. We find that a cross section of <sigma_A v> ~ 10^{-26}cm^2 (M_X/10^{12}GeV)^{3/2} is required to account for the observed rate of super-GZK events if the superheavy dark matter follows a Navarro-Frenk-White density profile. This would require extremely large-l contributions to the annihilation cross section. We also calculate the possible signature from annihilation in sub-galactic clumps of dark matter and find that the signal from sub-clumps dominates and …
