Constraints on enhanced dark matter annihilation from IceCube results
Abstract
Excesses on positron and electron fluxes—measured by ATIC and the PAMELA and Fermi-LAT telescopes—can be explained by dark matter annihilation in the Galaxy, however, it requires large boosts on the dark matter annihilation rate. There are many possible enhancement mechanisms such as the Sommerfeld effect or the existence of dark matter clumps in our halo. If enhancements on the dark matter annihilation cross section are taking place, the dark matter annihilation in the core of the Earth will be enhanced. Here we use recent results from the IceCube 40-string configuration to probe generic enhancement scenarios. We present results as a function of the dark matter-proton interaction cross section, σχp weighted by the branching fraction into neutrinos fνν¯ as a function of a generic boost factor BF, which parametrizes the expected enhancement of the annihilation rate. We find that dark matter models that require annihilation enhancements of O(100) or more and that annihilate significantly into neutrinos are excluded as an explanation for these excesses. We also determine the boost range that can be probed by the full IceCube telescope.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review D
- Pub Date:
- June 2012
- DOI:
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1107.2408
- Bibcode:
- 2012PhRvD..85l3539A
- Keywords:
-
- 95.35.+d;
- 95.85.Ry;
- Dark matter;
- Neutrino muon pion and other elementary particles;
- cosmic rays;
- High Energy Physics - Phenomenology;
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena;
- High Energy Physics - Experiment
- E-Print:
- 6 pages, 3 figures