Solar gamma rays powered by secluded dark matter

Brian Batell, Maxim Pospelov, Adam Ritz, Yanwen Shang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

72 Scopus citations

Abstract

Secluded dark matter models, in which weakly interacting massive particles annihilate first into metastable mediators, can present novel indirect detection signatures in the form of gamma rays and fluxes of charged particles arriving from directions correlated with the centers of large astrophysical bodies within the Solar System, such as the Sun and larger planets. This naturally occurs if the mean free path of the mediator is in excess of the solar (or planetary) radius. We show that existing constraints from water Cerenkov detectors already provide a novel probe of the parameter space of these models, complementary to other sources, with significant scope for future improvement from high angular resolution gamma-ray telescopes such as Fermi-LAT. Fluxes of charged particles produced in mediator decays are also capable of contributing a significant solar system component to the spectrum of energetic electrons and positrons, a possibility which can be tested with the directional and timing information of PAMELA and Fermi.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number075004
JournalPhysical Review D - Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology
Volume81
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 8 2010
Externally publishedYes

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