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 with a single final state photon is typically enhanced relative to ordinary annihilation 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.
We investigate the relation between the annihilation of dark matter (DM) particles into lepton pairs and into 2-body final states including one or two photons. We parametrize the DM interactions with leptons in terms of contact interactions, and calculate the loop-level annihilation into monochromatic gamma rays, specifically computing the ratio of the DM annihilation cross sections into two gamma rays versus lepton pairs. While the loop-level processes are generically suppressed in comparison with the tree-level annihilation into leptons, we find that some choices for the mediator spin and co…
In this paper, we explore the possibility of a linearly polarized gamma-ray signal from dark matter annihilations in the Galactic center. Considering neutral weakly interacting massive particles, a polarized gamma-ray signal can be realized by a two-component dark matter model of Majorana fermions with an anapole moment. We discuss the spin alignment of such dark matter fermions in the Galactic center and then estimate the intensity and the polarizability of the final-state electromagnetic radiation in the dark matter annihilations. For low-mass dark matter, the photon flux at sub-GeV energies…
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 fa…
We present the Sommerfeld enhanced Dark Matter (DM) annihilation into gamma ray for a class of three-loop radiative neutrino mass models with large electroweak multiplets where the DM mass is in O(TeV) range. We show that in this model, the DM annihilation rate becomes more prominent for larger multiplets and it is already within the reach of currently operating Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs), High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.). Furthermore, Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), which will begin operating in 2030, will improve this sensitivity by a factor of $\mathcal{O}{(…
The lightest Kaluza-Klein particle (LKP), which appears in the theory of universal extra dimensions, is one of the good candidates for cold dark matter. The gamma-ray spectrum from annihilation of LKP dark matter shows a characteristic peak structure around the LKP mass. We investigate the detectability of this peak structure by considering energy resolution of near-future detectors, and calculate the expected count spectrum of the gamma-ray signal. In order to judge whether the count spectrum contains the LKP signal, the χ squared test is employed. If the signal is not detected, we set some c…
Many theories of dark matter (DM) predict that DM particles can be captured by stars via scattering on ordinary matter. They subsequently condense into a DM core close to the center of the star and eventually annihilate. In this work, we trace DM capture and annihilation rates throughout the life of a massive star and show that this evolution culminates in an intense annihilation burst coincident with the death of the star in a core collapse supernova. The reason is that, along with the stellar interior, also its DM core heats up and contracts, so that the DM density increases rapidly during t…
Evidence for an excess of gamma rays with O(GeV) energy coming from the center of our galaxy has been steadily accumulating over the past several years. Recent studies of the excess in data from the Fermi telescope have cast doubt on an explanation for the excess arising from unknown astrophysical sources. A potential source of the excess is the annihilation of dark matter into standard model final states, giving rise to gamma ray production. The spectrum of the excess is well fit by 30 GeV dark matter annihilating into a pair of b quarks with a cross section of the same order of magnitude as …
Many particle dark matter models predict that the dark matter undergoes cascade annihilations, i.e. the annihilation products are 4-body final states. In the context of model-independent cascade annihilation models, we study the compatibility of the dark matter interpretation of the Fermi- LAT Galactic center gamma-ray emission with null detections from dwarf spheroidal galaxies. For canonical values of the Milky Way density profile and the local dark matter density, we find that the dark matter interpretation to the Galactic center emission is strongly constrained. However, uncertainties in t…
The substructures of the Galactic dark matter halo such as dark matter subhalos and dwarf galaxies have very low velocity dispersions, which makes them useful in constraining the scenario of Sommerfeld-enhanced dark matter annihilation. We calculate the velocity distribution of dark matter particles in dark matter halo substructures using the Eddington's formula with NFW density profile. We parametrize the effect of Sommerfeld enhancement of s-wave dark matter annihilation on the gamma-ray flux as the Sommerfeld-enhanced J-factors, and explicitly calculate their values for 15 known dwarf spher…
The theory of universal extra dimensions involves Kaluza-Klein (KK) particles. The lightest KK particle (LKP) is one of the good candidates for cold dark matter. Annihilation of LKP dark matter in the Galactic halo produces high-energy gamma-rays. The gamma-ray spectrum shows a characteristic peak structure around the LKP mass. This paper investigates the observability of this peak structure by near-future detectors taking account of their energy resolution, and calculates the expected energy spectrum of the gamma-ray signal. Then, by using the HESS data, we set some constraints on the boost f…
In this work we study the constraints on dark matter (DM) annihilation/decay from the Fermi-LAT Isotropic Gamma-Ray Background (IGRB) observation. We consider the contributions from both extragalactic and galactic DM components. For DM annihilation, the evolutions of extragalactic DM halos are taken into account. We find that the IGRB constraints under some DM subhalo models can be comparable to those derived from the observations of dwarf spheroidal galaxies. We also use the IGRB results to constrain the parameter regions accounting for the latest AMS-02 electron-positron anomaly. We find tha…
We incorporate Milky Way dark matter halo profile uncertainties, as well as an accounting of diffuse gamma-ray emission uncertainties in dark matter annihilation models for the Galactic Center Extended gamma-ray excess (GCE) detected by the Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope. The range of particle annihilation rate and masses expand when including these unknowns. However, two of the most precise empirical determinations of the Milky Way halo's local density and density profile leave the signal region to be in considerable tension with dark matter annihilation searches from combined dwarf galaxy a…
Several extensions of the Standard Model contain right-handed (sterile) neutrinos in the GeV-TeV mass range. Due to their mixing with the active neutrinos, they may give rise to novel effects in cosmology, neutrino physics, and collider searches. In addition, right-handed neutrinos can also appear as final states from dark matter annihilations, with important implications for dark matter indirect detection searches. In this paper, we use current data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope (6-year observation of dwarf spheroidal galaxies) and H.E.S.S. (10-year observation of the Galactic center) t…
We explore two possible scenarios to explain the observed gamma-ray emission associated with the atypical globular cluster Omega-Centauri: emission from millisecond pulsars (MSP) and dark matter (DM) annihilation. In the first case the total number of MSPs needed to produce the gamma-ray flux is compatible with the known (but not confirmed) MSP candidates observed in X-rays. A DM interpretation is motivated by the possibility of Omega-Centauri being the remnant core of an ancient dwarf galaxy hosting a surviving DM component. At least two annihilation channels, light quarks and muons, can plau…
The cosmic-ray (CR) $e^\pm$ excess observed by AMS-02 can be explained by dark matter (DM) annihilation. However, the DM explanation requires a large annihilation cross section which is strongly disfavored by other observations, such as the Fermi-LAT gamma-ray observation of dwarf galaxies and the Planck observation of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). Moreover, the DM annihilation cross section required by the CR $e^\pm$ excess is also too large to generate the correct DM relic density with thermal production. In this work we use the Breit-Wigner mechanism with a velocity dependent DM an…
The presence of an excess gamma-ray signal toward the Galactic center (GC) has now been well established, and is known as the GC excess. Leading explanations for the signal include mis-modeling of the Galactic diffuse emission along the line of sight, an unresolved population of millisecond pulsars, and/or the annihilation of dark matter (DM). Recently, evidence for another excess gamma-ray signal has been reported toward the outer halo of M31. In this work we interpret the excess signals from both the GC and outer halo of M31 in the framework of DM annihilation, and show that the two spectra …
The apparent excess of gamma rays in an extended region in the direction of the galactic center has a spatial distribution and amplitude that are suggestive of dark matter annihilations. If this excess is indeed due to dark matter annihilations, it would indicate the presence of both dark matter and an additional particle beyond the Standard Model that mediates the interactions between the dark matter and Standard Model states. We introduce reference models describing dark matter annihilation to pairs of these new mediators, which decouples the SM-mediator coupling from the thermal annihilatio…
This article is an exploration of gamma ray signals of annihilating Higgs-portal singlet scalar and vector dark matter. Gamma ray signals are considered in the context of contributions from annihilations of singlets in the galactic halo to the Isotropic Gamma Ray Background (IGRB), in the context of the Galactic center excess, and in the context of observations of dwarf spheroidal galaxies. We find that Higgs-portal singlets of both species with a mass of $~$65 GeV can explain the Galactic center excess with reasonable accuracy, but that this mass range is in tension with current direct detect…
MMonochromatic neutrinos from dark matter annihilations ($χχ\to ν\barν$) are always produced in association with a gamma-ray spectrum generated by electroweak bremsstrahlung. Consequently, these neutrino lines can be searched for not only with neutrino detectors but also indirectly with gamma-ray telescopes. Here, we derive limits on the dark matter annihilation cross section into neutrinos based on recent Fermi-LAT and HESS data. We find that, for dark matter masses above 200 GeV, gamma-ray data actually set the most stringent constraints on neutrino lines from dark matter annihilation and, t…
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 $\langle σv \rangle$ falls within the range $0.5$-$4 \times 10^{-26} \text{ cm}^3/\text{s}$, which is roughly compatible with the WIMP annihilation cross section.
We consider the effect of velocity-dependent dark matter annihilation on the angular distribution of gamma rays produced in dark matter subhalos. We assume that the dark matter potential is spherically symmetric, characterized by a scale radius and scale density, and the velocity distribution is isotropic. We find that the effect of velocity-dependent dark matter annihilation is largely determined by dimensional analysis; the angular size of gamma-ray emission from an individual subhalo is rescaled by a factor which depends on the form of the dark matter distribution, but not on the halo param…
A new estimation of the isotropic diffuse gamma-ray background (IGRB) observed by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (Fermi) has been presented for 50 months of data, in the energy range 100 MeV-820 GeV and for different modelings of the Galactic foreground. We attempt here the interpretation of the Fermi-LAT IGRB data in terms of the gamma-ray unresolved emission from different extragalactic populations. We find very good fits to the experimental IGRB, obtained with theoretical predictions for the emission from active galactic nuclei and star-forming g…
Gamma-ray Constraints on Dark Matter Annihilation into Charged Particles
暗物质湮灭成为带电粒子必然伴随着伽马射线，通过辐射校正产生。来自末态粒子的内部韧致辐射可以产生硬伽马射线，直到暗物质质量，具有近似与模型无关的光谱。专注于湮灭成电子，我们计算强大的上限上的暗物质自湮灭截面$<σ_A v >_{e^+e^-}$使用伽马射线数据从银河系跨越广泛的能量，$\sim10^{-3} - 10^4$ GeV。我们还计算了其他带电轻子相应的边界。我们保守的假设，天体物理的输入，并证明我们的推导出的界限将得到加强，如果更强的假设，这些输入。在与$e^+e^-$湮灭相伴的终点附近，硬伽马射线的比例仅比直接湮灭为单能伽马射线的情况低$\alt 10^2$的一个因子。因此，$<σ_A v >_{e^+e^-}$上的结合比$<σ_A v >_{γγ}$上的结合弱相同的因子。带电轻子湮灭截面的上限与中微子定义的{ \it总}湮灭截面的上限进行了比较。
Diffuse Gamma Rays from WIMP Decay and Annihilation
我讨论了弱相互作用大质量粒子（WIMPs）的衰变和湮灭对漫射伽马射线背景的贡献。首先回顾了WIMP的宇宙学丰度的计算，并指出它与WIMP湮灭成较轻粒子的截面简单相关。讨论了WIMP衰变产生的河外背景辐射。我展示了如何观测上限的DEBRA可以用来约束衰减到光子的WIMP的属性，我提出了额外的新的约束，湮灭截面的酉性强加在这样的粒子。然后，我讨论伽马射线湮灭的弱相互作用粒子在晕，球状体，和磁盘的我们的星系，以及那些从弱相互作用粒子湮灭在大麦云云。(To出现在The Gamma Ray Sky with Compton GRO and SIGMA，Proceedings of the School，Les Houches，France，January 25-February 4，1994中。
The installation of forward detectors in CMS and ATLAS turn the LHC to an effective photon-photon collider. The elastic scattering of the beam-protons via the emission of photons, which can be identified by tagging the intact protons in the forward detectors, provides a powerful diagnostic of the central production of new particles through photon-photon annihilation. In this letter we study the central production of dark matter particles and the potential of LHC to constrain the cross section of this process. By virtue of the crossing symmetry, this limit can immediately be used to constrain t…
At a distance of 50 kpc and with a dark matter mass of $\sim10^{10}$ M$_{\odot}$, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is a natural target for indirect dark matter searches. We use five years of data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) and updated models of the gamma-ray emission from standard astrophysical components to search for a dark matter annihilation signal from the LMC. We perform a rotation curve analysis to determine the dark matter distribution, setting a robust minimum on the amount of dark matter in the LMC, which we use to set conservative bounds on the annihilation cross sect…
Gamma-ray lines from dark matter annihilation ($χχ\to γX$, where $X=γ,h,Z$) are always accompanied, at lower energies, by a continuum gamma-ray spectrum stemming both from radiative corrections ($X=γ$) and from the decay debris of the second particle possibly present in the final state ($X=h,Z$). This model-independent gamma-ray emission can be exploited to derive novel limits on gamma-ray lines that do not rely on the line-feature. Although such limits are not expected to be as stringent, they can be used to probe the existence of $γ$-ray lines for dark matter masses beyond the largest energi…
The very large (100-1000) mass-to-light ratio applicable to the ultra-faint dwarf galaxies (UFDs) implies a high concentration of dark matter, thus rendering them ideal theatres for indirect signatures of dark matter. In this paper, we consider 14 recently discovered UFDs and study the electromagnetic radiation emanating from them over a wide range, from gamma ray down to radio frequencies. We analyze the Fermi-LAT data on high energy gamma rays and radio fluxes at the GMRT and VLA to obtain upper limits on annihilation cross section $\langleσv\rangle$ in a model independent way. We further di…
