Cosmic-ray antiprotons are a powerful tool for astroparticle physics. While the bulk of measured antiprotons is consistent with a secondary origin, the precise data of the AMS-02 experiment provides us with encouraging prospects to search for a subdominant primary component, e.g. from dark matter. In this brief review, we discuss recent limits on heavy dark matter as well as a tentative signal from annihilation of dark matter with a mass $\lesssim 100$ GeV. We emphasize the special role of systematic errors that can affect the signal. In particular, we discuss recent progress in the modeling of secondary production cross sections and correlated errors in the AMS-02 data, the dominant ones originating from uncertainties in the cross sections for cosmic-ray absorption in the detector.
The AMS-02 collaboration has released preliminary data on the antiproton fraction in cosmic rays. The surprisingly hard antiproton spectrum at high rigidity has triggered speculations about a possible primary antiproton component originating from dark matter annihilations. In this note, we employ newly available AMS-02 boron to carbon data to update the secondary antiproton flux within the standard two-zone diffusion model. The new background permits a considerably better fit to the measured antiproton fraction compared to previous estimates. This is mainly a consequence of the smaller slope o…
The potential antiproton excess in the AMS-02 data is of much interest and can probably come from dark matter annihilations. Based on the effective field theory approach, in this work we investigate the compatibility of the DM interpretation of the AMS-02 antiproton excess and the null results from direct detection experiments, LUX, PandaX-II, and XENON1T. We focus on dimension-five and -six operators with fermion DM. Only one of dimension-five and one of dimension-six operators can successfully account for the antiproton excess, while the rest either are excluded by direct detection or requir…
We study the cosmic ray antiprotons with updated constraints on the propagation, proton injection, and solar modulation parameters based on the newest AMS-02 data near the Earth and Voyager data in the local interstellar space, and on the cross section of antiproton production due to proton-proton collisions based on new collider data. We use a Bayesian approach to properly consider the uncertainties of the model predictions of both the background and the dark matter (DM) annihilation components of antiprotons. We find that including an extra component of antiprotons from the annihilation of D…
Using the updated proton and helium fluxes just released by the AMS-02 experiment we reevaluate the secondary astrophysical antiproton to proton ratio and its uncertainties, and compare it with the ratio preliminarly reported by AMS-02. We find no unambiguous evidence for a significant excess with respect to expectations. Yet, some preference for a flatter energy dependence of the diffusion coefficient starts to emerge. Also, we provide a first assessment of the room left for exotic components such as Galactic Dark Matter annihilation or decay, deriving new stringent constraints.
Based on 4 yr AMS-02 antiproton data, we present bounds on the dark matter (DM) annihilation cross section vs. mass for some representative final state channels. We use recent cosmic-ray propagation models, a realistic treatment of experimental and theoretical errors, and an updated calculation of input antiproton spectra based on a recent release of the PYTHIA code. We find that reported hints of a DM signal are statistically insignificant; an adequate treatment of errors is crucial for credible conclusions. Antiproton bounds on DM annihilation are among the most stringent ones, probing therm…
Observations of cosmic rays are a sensitive probe of dark matter annihilation in our Galaxy. In this article we present an analysis of the AMS-02 antiproton data, reducing cosmic-ray propagation uncertainties by fitting at the same time dark matter and propagation parameters. The result exhibits a possible hint for dark matter pointing to an annihilation cross section close to the thermal value. We investigate the compatibility of this signal with a dark matter interpretation of the Galactic center excess seen in the Fermi-LAT gamma-ray data and discuss implications for dark matter models.
We derive limits on the dark matter annihilation cross section and lifetime using measurements of the AMS-02 antiproton ratio and positron fraction data. In deriving the limits, we consider the scenario of secondary particles accelerated in supernova remnants (SNRs) which has been argued to be able to reasonably account for the AMS-02 high energy positron/antiproton fraction data. We parameterize the contribution of secondary particles accelerated in SNRs and then fit the observational data within the conventional cosmic ray propagation model by adopting the GALPROP code. We use the likelihood…
Cosmic-ray antiprotons are a remarkable diagnostic tool for the study of astroparticle physics' processes in our Galaxy. While the bulk of measured antiprotons is consistent with a secondary origin, several studies have found evidence for a subdominant primary component in the AMS-02 data. In this proceedings article, we revisit the excess considering systematic errors that could affect the signal. Of particular importance are unknown correlations in the AMS-02 systematic errors, the dominant of which are associated with the cross sections for cosmic-ray absorption in the detector. We compute …
The AMS-02 experiment is measuring the cosmic ray antiproton flux with high precision. The interpretation of the upcoming data requires a thorough understanding of the secondary antiproton background. In this work, we employ newly available data of the NA49 experiment at CERN, in order to recalculate the antiproton source term arising from cosmic ray spallations on the interstellar matter. We systematically account for the production of antiprotons via hyperon decay and discuss the possible impact of isospin effects on antineutron production. A detailed comparison of our calculation with the e…
We consider dark matter annihilation into a general set of final states of Standard Model particles, including two-body and four-body final states that result from the decay of intermediate states. For dark matter masses ~10-10^5 GeV, we use updated data from Planck and from high gamma-ray experiments such as Fermi-LAT, MAGIC, and VERITAS to constrain the annihilation cross section for each final state. The Planck constraints are the most stringent over the entire mass range for annihilation into light leptons, and the Fermi-LAT constraints are the most stringent for four-body final states up …
The AMS-02 experiment has ushered cosmic-ray physics into precision era. In a companion paper, we designed an improved method to calibrate propagation models on B/C data. Here we provide a robust prediction of the $\bar{p}$ flux, accounting for several sources of uncertainties and their correlations. Combined with a correlation matrix for the $\bar{p}$ data, we show that the latter are consistent with a secondary origin. This paper presents key elements relevant to the dark matter search in this channel, notably by pointing out the inherent difficulties in achieving predictions at the percent-…
Cosmic rays are an important tool to study dark matter annihilation in our Galaxy. Recently, a possible hint for dark matter annihilation was found in the antiproton spectrum measured by AMS-02, even though the result might be affected by theoretical uncertainties. A complementary way to test its dark matter interpretation would be the observation of low-energy antinuclei in cosmic rays. We determine the chances to observe antideuterons with GAPS and AMS-02, and the implications for the ongoing AMS-02 antihelium searches. We find that the corresponding antideuteron signal is within the GAPS an…
We evaluate dark matter (DM) limits from cosmic-ray antiproton observations using the recent precise AMS-02 measurements. We properly take into account cosmic-ray propagation uncertainties fitting at the same time DM and propagation parameters, and marginalizing over the latter. We find a significant (~4.5 sigma) indication of a DM signal for DM masses near 80 GeV, with a hadronic annihilation cross-section close to the thermal value, sigma v ~3e-26 cm3s-1. Intriguingly, this signal is compatible with the DM interpretation of the Galactic center gamma-ray excess. Confirmation of the signal wil…
We explain the excess of the antiproton fraction recently reported by the AMS-02 experiment by considering collisions between cosmic-ray protons accelerated by a local supernova remnant (SNR) and the surrounding dense cloud. The same "$pp$-collisions" provide the right ratio of daughter particles to fit the observed positron excess simultaneously in the natural model parameters. The supernova happened in relatively lower metalicity than the major cosmic-ray sources. The cutoff energy of electrons marks the supernova age of $\sim 10^{5}$ years, while the antiproton excess may extend to higher e…
Using the latest AMS-02 cosmic ray antiproton flux data, we search for potential dark matter annihilation signal. The background parameters about the propagation, source injection, and solar modulation are not assumed {\it a priori}, but based on the results inferred from the recent B/C ratio and proton data measurements instead. The possible dark matter signal is incorporated into the model self-consistently under a Bayesian framework. Compared with the astrophysical background only hypothesis, we find that a dark matter signal is favored. The rest mass of the dark matter particles is $\sim 2…
We present novel constraints on cosmic-ray propagation in the Galaxy using the recent precise measurements of proton and helium spectra from AMS-02, together with preliminary AMS-02 data on the antiproton over proton ratio. To explore efficiently the large (up to eleven-dimensional) parameter space we employ the nested-sampling algorithm as implemented in the \textsc{MultiNest} package, interfaced with the \textsc{Galprop} code to compute the model-predicted spectra. We use VOYAGER proton and helium data, sampling the local inter-stellar spectra, to constrain the solar modulation potential. We…
Several studies have pointed out an excess in the AMS-02 antiproton spectrum at rigidities of 10-20 GV. Its spectral properties were found to be consistent with a dark-matter particle of mass 50-100 GeV which annihilates hadronically at roughly the thermal rate. In this work, we reinvestigate the antiproton excess including all relevant sources of systematic errors. Most importantly, we perform a realistic estimate of the correlations in the AMS-02 systematic error which could potentially "fake" a dark-matter signal. The dominant systematics in the relevant rigidity range originate from uncert…
The first measurement on the antiproton to proton ratio made by the AMS-02 collaboration agrees with the expection from conventional cosmic-ray secondaries in the kinetic energy range $\sim 10-100$ GeV, which can be turned into stringent upper limits on the dark matter (DM) annihilation cross sections above $\sim 300$ GeV. Using the GALPROP code, we derive the upper limits in various propagation models and DM profiles. We show that in the "conventional" propagation model, for the $q\bar q$, $b\bar b$, and $WW$ final states, the constraints can be more stringent than that derived from the recen…
The antiproton flux measurements from AMS-02 offer valuable information about the nature of dark matter, but their interpretation is complicated by large uncertainties in the modeling of cosmic ray propagation. In this work we present a novel framework to efficiently marginalise over propagation uncertainties in order to obtain robust AMS-02 likelihoods for arbitrary dark matter models. The three central ingredients of this framework are: the neural emulator DarkRayNet, which provides highly flexible predictions of the antiproton flux; the likelihood calculator pbarlike, which performs the mar…
We propose a dark matter explanation to simultaneously account for the excess of antiproton-to-proton and positron power spectra observed in the AMS-02 experiment while having the right dark matter relic abundance and satisfying the current direct search bounds. We extend the Higgs triplet model with a hidden gauge symmetry of $SU(2)_X$ that is broken to $Z_3$ by a quadruplet scalar field, rendering the associated gauge bosons stable weakly-interacting massive particle dark matter candidates. By coupling the complex Higgs triplet and the $SU(2)_X$ quadruplet, the dark matter candidates can ann…
Recently the AMS-02 collaboration has published the measurement of the cosmic antiproton to proton ratio $\bar{p}/p$ and the $\bar{p}$ flux with a high precision up to $\sim 450\,\mathrm{GeV}$. In this work, we perform a systematic analysis of the secondary antiproton flux generated by the cosmic ray interaction with the interstellar gas. The uncertainty of the prediction originates from the cosmic ray propagation process and the hadronic interaction models. Although the cosmic ray propagation parameters have been well controlled by the AMS-02 $B/C$ ratio data for a specified model, different …
Cosmic ray signals from dipole-interacting dark matter annihilation are considered in the positron, antiproton and photon channels. The predicted signals in the positron channel could nicely account for the excess of positron fraction from Fermi LAT, PAMELA, HEAT and AMS-01 experiments for the dark matter mass larger than 100 GeV with a boost (enhancement) factor of 30-80. No excess of antiproton over proton ratio at the experiments also gives a severe restriction for this scenario. With the boost factors, the predicted signals from Galactic halo and signals as mono-energetic gamma-ray lines (…
The AMS-02 collaboration has just released the cosmic antiproton to proton ratio $\bar{p}/p$ with a high precision up to $\sim 450$ GeV. In this work, we calculate the secondary antiprotons generated by cosmic ray interactions with the interstellar medium taking into account the uncertainties from the cosmic ray propagation. The $\bar{p}/p$ ratio predicted by these processes shows some tension with the AMS-02 data in some regions of propagation parameters, but the excess is not significant. We then try to derive upper bounds on the dark matter annihilation cross section from the $\bar{p}/p$ da…
Indirect searches can be used to test dark matter models against expected signals in various channels, in particular antiprotons. With antiproton data available soon at higher and higher energies, it is important to test the dark matter hypothesis against alternative astrophysical sources, e.g. secondaries accelerated in supernova remnants. We investigate the two signals from different dark models and different supernova remnant parameters, as forecasted for the AMS-02, and show that they present a significant degeneracy.
The AMS-02 experiment is measuring the high energy charged cosmic rays with unprecedented accuracy. We explore the possibility of determining the cosmic-ray propagation models using the AMS-02 data $alone$. A global Bayesian analysis of the constraints on the cosmic-ray propagation models from the latest AMS-02 data on the Boron to Carbon nuclei flux ratio and proton flux is performed, with the assumption that the primary nucleon source is a broken power law in rigidity. The ratio of the diffusion coefficient $D_{0}$ to the diffusive halo height $Z_{h}$ is found to be determined with high accu…
In this work we use the newly reported Boron-to-Carbon ratio (B/C) from AMS-02 and the time-dependent proton fluxes from PAMELA and AMS-02 to constrain the source and propagation parameters of cosmic rays in the Milky Way. A linear correlation of the solar modulation parameter with solar activities is assumed to account for the time-varying cosmic ray fluxes. A comprehensive set of propagation models, with/without reacceleration or convection, have been discussed and compared. We find that only the models with reacceleration can self-consistently fit both the proton and B/C data. The rigidity …
The two messenger results of the GeV gamma-ray excess at the Galactic center and a probable antiproton excess in the recent AMS-02 observation suggest that these two anomalies may be owing to the same origin --- the dark matter (DM) annihilation into $b \bar b$, while these results seem in tension with the dwarf spheroidal galaxy observations. To give a compatible explanation about it, we consider the pseudoscalar DM particles $S_d^+ S_d^-$ annihilating via $S_d^+ S_d^- \rightarrow S_d^0 S_d^0$, with the process mediated by a new scalar $ϕ$ and $S_d^0$ quickly decaying into $b \bar{b}$. For th…
Measurements of cosmic-ray (CR) positron fraction by PAMELA and other experiments have found an excess above 10 GeV relative to the standard predictions for secondary production in the interstellar medium (ISM). Although the excess has been mostly suggested to arise from some primary sources of positrons (such as pulsars and or annihilating dark matter particles), the almost constant flux ratio of $e^{+}/ \bar{p}$ argues for an alternative possibility that the excess positrons and antiprotons up to the highest energies are secondary products generated in hadronic interactions. Recently, Yang \…
Cosmic ray antiprotons provide a powerful tool to probe dark matter annihilations in our galaxy. The sensitivity of this important channel is, however, diluted by sizable uncertainties in the secondary antiproton background. In this work, we improve the calculation of secondary antiproton production with a particular focus on the high energy regime. We employ the most recent collider data and identify a substantial increase of antiproton cross sections with energy. This increase is driven by the violation of Feynman scaling as well as by an enhanced strange hyperon production. The updated anti…
Global fits of primary and secondary cosmic-ray (CR) fluxes measured by AMS-02 have great potential to study CR propagation models and search for exotic sources of antimatter such as annihilating dark matter (DM). Previous studies of AMS-02 antiprotons revealed a possible hint for a DM signal which, however, could be affected by systematic uncertainties. To test the robustness of such a DM signal, in this work we systematically study two important sources of uncertainties: the antiproton production cross sections needed to calculate the source spectra of secondary antiprotons and the potential…
Revisiting predictions for cosmic-ray antinucleon fluxes from Galactic Dark Matter
Università di Torino（都灵大学）；Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Torino（意大利国家核物理研究所都灵分部）；CERN（欧洲核子研究中心）；Université Grenoble-Alpes（格勒诺布尔阿尔卑斯大学）；LPSC（格勒诺布尔粒子物理实验室）
The AMS-02 experiment has reported a new measurement of the antiproton/proton ratio in Galactic cosmic rays (CRs). In the energy range $E\sim\,$60-450 GeV, this ratio is found to be remarkably constant. Using recent data on CR proton, helium, and carbon fluxes, 10Be/9Be and B/C ratios, we have performed a global Bayesian analysis based on a Markov-Chain Monte-Carlo sampling algorithm under a "two halo model" of CR propagation. In this model, CRs are allowed to experience a different type of diffusion when they propagate in the region close of the Galactic disk. We found that the vertical exten…
We systematically analyze the impact of current and foreseen cosmic ray antiproton measurements on the properties of Dark Matter (DM). We find that: 1) The current data from PAMELA impose constraints on annihilating and decaying DM which are similar to (or even slightly stronger than) the most stringent bounds coming from Fermi gamma rays, for hadronic channels and with fiducial choices for the astrophysical parameters. 2) The upcoming data from AMS-02 have the power to improve these constraints by slightly less than one order of magnitude and even to probe the thermal relic DM in the range 30…
We demonstrate that the tentative detection of a few antihelium events with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) on board the International Space Station can, in principle, be ascribed to the annihilation or decay of Galactic dark matter, when accounting for uncertainties in the coalescence process leading to the formation of antinuclei. We show that the predicted antiproton rate, assuming the antihelium events came from dark matter, is marginally consistent with AMS data, as is the antideuteron rate with current available constraints. We argue that a dark matter origin can be tested with bet…
The anomaly detected by AMS-02 and PAMELA in the cosmic-ray positron flux when interpreted as arising from dark matter annihilation suggests that dark matter may interact differently with hadrons and leptons so as to remain compatible with cosmic-ray antiproton data. Such a scenario is readily accommodated in models with extra spatial dimensions. We study indirect detection of Kaluza-Klein (KK) dark matter in Universal Extra Dimensions with brane-localized terms and fermion bulk masses: Next-to-Minimal Universal Extra Dimensions. So that an excess of antiprotons is not produced in explaining t…
We revisit the model proposed earlier to account for the observed increase in the positron fraction in cosmic rays with increasing energy, in the light of new data from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) experiment. The model accounts for the production and acceleration of secondary electrons and positrons in nearby supernova remnants which results in an additional, harder component that becomes dominant at high energies. By fitting this to AMS-02 data we can calculate the expected concomitant rise of the boron-to-carbon ratio, as well as of the fraction of antiprotons. If these predicti…
AMS-02 on the International Space Station has been releasing data of unprecedented accuracy. This poses new challenges for their interpretation. We refine the methodology to get a statistically sound determination of the cosmic-ray propagation parameters. We inspect the numerical precision of the model calculation, nuclear cross-section uncertainties, and energy correlations in data systematic errors. We used the 1D diffusion model in USINE. Our $χ^2$ analysis includes a covariance matrix of errors for AMS-02 systematics and nuisance parameters to account for cross-section uncertainties. Mock …
Cosmic ray (CR) physics has entered a precision-driven era. With the latest AMS-02 nuclei data (boron-to-carbon ratio, proton flux, helium flux and antiproton-to-proton ratio), we perform a global fitting and constrain the primary source and propagation parameters of cosmic rays in the Milky Way by considering 3 schemes with different data sets (with and without $\bar{\mathrm{p}}/\mathrm{p}$ data) and different propagation models (diffusion-reacceleration and diffusion-reacceleration-convection models). We find that the data set with $\bar{\mathrm{p}}/\mathrm{p}$ data can remove the degeneracy…
The scalar Higgs portal is a compelling model of dark matter (DM) in which a renormalizable coupling with the Higgs boson provides the connection between the visible world and the dark sector. In this paper we investigate the constraint placed on the parameter space of this model by the antiproton data. Due to the fact that the antiproton-to-proton ratio has relative less systematic uncertainties than the antiproton absolute flux, we propose and explore the possibility to combine all the available $\bar{p}/p$ data. Following this approach, we are able to obtain stronger limits if compared with…
It is shown that the antiproton spectrum reported by the AMS02 collaboration can be accounted for by dark matter (DM) decay if the residence time in the Galactic halo is of order 90 Myr. The DM lifetime assumed, $ 5 \cdot 10^{27}$ s for DM particle mass of 3 TeV, is shown to be consistent with the constraints of diffuse gamma ray background. Alternative sources of antiprotons, such as those from compact objects, are shown to be strongly constrained by neutrino astronomy and therefore unlikely candidates.
Cosmic-ray observations provide a powerful probe of dark matter annihilation in the Galaxy. In this paper we derive constraints on heavy dark matter from the recent precise AMS-02 antiproton data. We consider all possible annihilation channels into pairs of standard model particles. Furthermore, we interpret our results in the context of minimal dark matter, including higgsino, wino and quintuplet dark matter. We compare the cosmic-ray antiproton limits to limits from $γ$-ray observations of dwarf spheroidal galaxies and to limits from $γ$-ray and $γ$-line observations towards the Galactic cen…
Antiprotons are regarded as a powerful probe for Dark Matter (DM) indirect detection and indeed current data from \PAMELA\ have been shown to lead to stringent constraints. However, in order to exploit their constraining/discovery power properly, great attention must be put into effects (linked to their propagation in the Galaxy) which may be perceived as subleading but actually prove to be quite relevant. We revisit the computation of the astrophysical background and of the DM antiproton fluxes fully including the effects of: diffusive reacceleration, energy losses including tertiary componen…
We present a novel determination of the astrophysical uncertainties associated to the secondary antiproton flux originating from cosmic-ray spallation on the interstellar gas. We select a set of propagation models compatible with the recent B/C data from PAMELA, and find those providing minimal and maximal antiproton fluxes in different energy ranges. We use this result to determine the most conservative bounds on relevant Dark Matter (DM) annihilation channels: We find that the recent claim of a DM interpretation of a gamma-ray excess in the Galactic Center region cannot be ruled out by curre…
Antiprotons are regarded as a powerful probe for Dark Matter (DM) indirect detection and indeed current data from PAMELA have been shown to lead to stringent constraints. However, in order to exploit their constraining/discovery power properly and especially in anticipation of the exquisite accuracy of upcoming data from AMS, great attention must be put into effects (linked to their propagation in the Galaxy) which may be perceived as subleasing but actually prove to be quite relevant. We revisit the computation of the astrophysical background and of the DM antiproton fluxes fully including th…
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…
Recent studies of the cosmic-ray antiproton-to-proton ratio have identified an excess of $\sim$10-20 GeV antiprotons relative to the predictions of standard astrophysical models. Intriguingly, the properties of this excess are consistent with the same range of dark matter models that can account for the long-standing excess of $γ$-rays observed from the Galactic Center. Such dark matter candidates can also produce significant fluxes of anti-deuterium and anti-helium nuclei. Here we study the production and transport of such particles, both from astrophysical processes as well as from dark matt…
If the astronomical dark matter is made of weakly interacting, massive and stable species, it should annihilate on itself into particles. This process should produce rare antimatter cosmic rays and lead to distortions in their energy distributions. The AMS-02 spectrometer has been measuring them with unprecedented accuracy. It is timely to investigate if anomalies have been found in the positron and antiproton spectra and if so, if they indirectly point toward the presence of DM particles annihilating inside the Milky Way.
In view of the fact that the AMS-02 instrument has recently been used to make preliminary observations of the ratio of the antiprotons (\-{P}) to protons (P) in the primary cosmic radiation we have returned to our idea of signatures of a local recent supernova. We find that at the present level of accuracy there is no inconsistency between our predictions for the \-{P}/P ratio to some hundreds of GeV using the preliminary observations.
The study of antiproton yield in $p$-$p$ and $p$-$d$ collisions is important for the astrophysical search for dark matter consisting of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles. Refinement of the production cross section, angular and momentum spectra of produced antiprotons in a wide energy range could help to treat the results obtained by the AMS-02 and PAMELA orbit spectrometers. In this paper we present a detailed Monte Carlo study of possible measurements at the planned SPD experiment at the NICA collider that is under construction at JINR (Dubna).
