An important open question today is the understanding of the relevance that dark matter (DM) halo substructure may have for DM searches. In the standard cosmological framework, subhalos are predicted to be largely abundant inside larger halos, i.e., galaxies like ours, and are thought to form first and later merge to form larger structures. Dwarf satellite galaxies -- the most massive exponents of halo substructure in our own galaxy -- are already known to be excellent targets and, indeed, they are constantly scrutinized by current gamma-ray experiments in their search for DM annihilation signals. Lighter subhalos not massive enough to have a visible baryonic counterpart may be good targets as well given their typical number densities and distances. In addition, the clumpy distribution of subhalos residing in larger halos may boost the DM signals considerably. In an era in which gamma-ray experiments possess, for the first time, the exciting potential of reaching the most relevant regions of the DM parameter space, a profound knowledge of the DM targets and scenarios being tested at present is mandatory if we aim for accurate predictions of DM-induced fluxes, for investing significant telescope observing time to selected targets, and for deriving robust conclusions from our DM search efforts. In this regard, a precise characterization of the statistical and structural properties of subhalos becomes critical. With the Special Issue "The Role of Halo Substructure in Gamma-Ray Dark Matter Searches" [https://www.mdpi.com/journal/galaxies/special_issues/Gamma-RayDMS], we aimed to summarize where we stand today on our knowledge of the different aspects of the DM halo substructure; to identify what are the remaining big questions, how we could address these and, by doing so, to find new avenues for research.
Searches for dark matter subhaloes with wide-field Cherenkov telescope surveys
在暗物质晕中存在子结构是冷暗物质范例的不可避免的结果。这些天体的间接信号已经用宇宙射线和伽马射线进行了广泛的研究。乍看起来，切伦科夫望远镜似乎不太适合这样的搜索，因为它们的视场很小，天空中可能的暗物质子结构位置也很随机。然而，只要有足够长的曝光时间和足够的观测策略，这种实验技术非常好的灵敏度使我们能够约束粒子暗物质模型。我们在这里面对HESS实验的灵敏度图，该实验是从他们的银河扫描调查到最先进的宇宙学N体模拟Via Lactea II建立的。我们在10^-24 - 10 ^-23 cm ^3 s ^-1水平上得到了湮灭截面的竞争约束。结果外推到未来的切伦科夫望远镜阵列，在银河平面调查和更广泛的河外调查的情况下。在后一种情况下，它表明，切伦科夫望远镜阵列的灵敏度将足以达到最自然的粒子暗物质模型。
Discovery prospects of dwarf spheroidal galaxies for indirect dark matter searches
我们研究了大型巡天望远镜（LSST）在银河系中发现新矮球状星系的前景。采用Milky-Way晕子结构模型和连接暗晕和卫星星系的唯象公式，我们得到了$V$波段的表面亮度分布，预测LSST将发现几十到几百个高于其灵敏度的矮球状星系。即将被发现的矮星将是间接寻找暗物质湮灭产率的有趣目标。我们预测了这些天体中暗物质湮灭产生的γ射线辐射的分布函数，并讨论了这些信号在费米大天区望远镜（LAT）和切伦科夫望远镜阵列（CTA）上的可探测性。通过结合预测的矮星系的信息，我们得到了预期的灵敏度$10^{-26}$ cm $^3$ s $^{-1}$（对于质量为10 GeV的暗物质粒子与费米LAT）和$5\times 10^{-24}$ cm $^3$ s $^{-1}$（对于质量为500 GeV的暗物质粒子与CTA）的湮灭截面$\langle σv \rangle$。我们发现，目前的不确定性的银河晕的质量测量是相对较小的泊松误差相比，绘制最有前途的矮星从底层的通量分布。
Impact of baryons on the population of Galactic subhalos and implications for dark matter searches
University of Hamburg（汉堡大学）；Instituto de Física Teórica UAM-CSIC, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid（马德里自治大学-西班牙国家研究委员会理论物理研究所）；Universidad Autónoma de Madrid（马德里自治大学）；Universidad de Valencia（瓦伦西亚大学）；Durham University（杜伦大学）
