Gravitational probes of dark matter physics

Buckley, Matthew R.; Peter, Annika H. G.

doi:10.1016/j.physrep.2018.07.003

Cited by 150 publications

(117 citation statements)

References 698 publications

(1,118 reference statements)

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“…Numerous lines of evidence from gravitational signatures point to the existence of beyond the Standard Model matter-dark matter (DM)-that constitutes more than five times the cosmic energy density of baryons [1][2][3]. The identification of DM is an important task in modern science and could lead to the resolution of many outstanding problems in particle physics and cosmology.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New constraints on sterile neutrino dark matter from NuSTAR M31 observations

et al. 2019

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We use a combined 1.2 Ms of NuSTAR observations of M31 to search for X-ray lines from sterile neutrino dark matter decay. For the first time in a NuSTAR analysis, we consistently take into account the signal contribution from both the focused and unfocused fields of view. We also reduce the modeling systematic uncertainty by performing spectral fits to each observation individually and statistically combining the results, instead of stacking the spectra. We find no evidence of unknown lines, and thus derive limits on the sterile neutrino parameters. Our results place stringent constraints for dark matter masses 12 keV, which reduces the available parameter space for sterile neutrino dark matter produced via neutrino mixing (e.g., in the νMSM) by approximately one-third. Additional NuSTAR observations, together with improved low-energy background modeling, could probe the remaining parameter space in the future. Lastly, we also report model-independent limits on generic dark matter decay rates and annihilation cross sections. I.via a small mixing with active neutrinos [12], which may be enhanced by the presence of primordial lepton asymmetry [13]. As the mixing angle determines both the abundance and decay rate, there is a finite window in the mass-mixing angle parameter plane in which sterile neutrinos could constitute the full DM abundance, thus allowing this scenario to be fully testable. Closing this window would imply additional physics and production mechanisms are needed to make sterile neutrinos a viable DM candidate [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. The existence of sterile neutrino DM could provide strong clues for explaining neutrino mass and baryogenesis [22], such as the scenario advocated in the νMSM model [23][24][25][26].Due to several sensitive X-ray instruments, such as Chandra, Suzaku, XMM-Newton, and INTEGRAL, stringent constraints on X-ray line emission have been obtained using many different observations (e.g., Refs. [27][28][29][30][31][32][33]). Interest in these topics was heightened with the tentative detection of a 3.5-keV line from cluster observations [34], which was followed up by many observational studies . The nature of this line is still inconclusive. The line could be a signature of sterile neutrino DM [57] or other candidates [58][59][60][61][62]. However, as the line flux is weak, astrophysical modeling systematics [37,41] or new astrophysical processes [63,64] could also be the explanation. New detectors [44,56,65,66] or techniques, such as velocity spectroscopy [67,68], are likely required to fully determine its nature. (Recently, Ref. [69] claims that blank-sky observations with XMM-Newton disfavor the DM interpretation of the 3.5-keV line. On the other hand, Ref. [70] claims detection of the 3.5 keV line in the Milky Way halo up to 35 • with XMM-Newton, and arXiv:1901.01262v2 [astro-ph.HE]

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New constraints on sterile neutrino dark matter from NuSTAR M31 observations

et al. 2019

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“…In addition, gravitational lensing provides direct measurements of the mass distribution, hence becoming a powerful probe of DM, which is further developed into several techniques: the strong gravitational lensing by massive galaxy clusters [9], the weak gravitational lensing of galaxies by galaxies and large-scale structure [10][11][12][13][14][15][16], and CMB lensing [1,17,18]. Also see [19] for a recent review of gravitational probes of DM physics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revisiting constraints on asteroid-mass primordial black holes as dark matter candidates

Montero-Camacho

Fang

Vasquez

et al. 2019

J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys.

255

193

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As the only dark matter candidate that does not invoke a new particle that survives to the present day, primordial black holes (PBHs) have drawn increasing attention recently. Up to now, various observations have strongly constrained most of the mass range for PBHs, leaving only small windows where PBHs could make up a substantial fraction of the dark matter. Here we revisit the PBH constraints for the asteroid-mass window, i.e., the mass range 3.5 × 10 −17 M < m PBH < 4 × 10 −12 M . We revisit 3 categories of constraints.(1) For optical microlensing, we analyze the finite source size and diffractive effects and discuss the scaling relations between the event rate, m PBH and the event duration. We argue that it will be difficult to push the existing optical microlensing constraints to much lower m PBH . (2) For dynamical capture of PBHs in stars, we derive a general result on the capture rate based on phase space arguments. We argue that survival of stars does not constrain PBHs, but that disruption of stars by captured PBHs should occur and that the asteroidmass PBH hypothesis could be constrained if we can work out the observational signature of this process. (3) For destruction of white dwarfs by PBHs that pass through the white dwarf without getting gravitationally captured, but which produce a shock that ignites carbon fusion, we perform a 1+1D hydrodynamic simulation to explore the post-shock temperature and relevant timescales, and again we find this constraint to be ineffective. In summary, we find that the asteroid-mass window, which was previously constrained due to femtolensing, WD survival, optical microlensing, and neutron star capture is no longer constrained. Hence, the asteroid-mass window remains open for PBHs to account for all the dark matter.

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“…After almost one hundred years of intensive study and research the properties of dark matter remain elusive. The existence of dark matter is one of the fundamental assumptions of modern cosmology and astrophysics [1][2][3][4][5][6][7], and its nature is one of the most important open questions in physics. Presently, all available information on the dark sector is obtained from the study of its gravitational interactions with astrophysical systems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Jeans instability and turbulent gravitational collapse of Bose–Einstein condensate dark matter halos

Harkó

2019

Eur. Phys. J. C

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We consider the Jeans instability and the gravitational collapse of the rotating Bose-Einstein Condensate dark matter halos, described by the zero temperature non-relativistic Gross-Pitaevskii equation, with repulsive inter-particle interactions. In the Madelung representation of the wave function, the dynamical evolution of the galactic halos is described by the continuity and the hydrodynamic Euler equations, with the condensed dark matter satisfying a polytropic equation of state with index n = 1. By considering small perturbations of the quantum hydrodynamical equations we obtain the dispersion relation and the Jeans wave number, which includes the effects of the vortices (turbulence), of the quantum pressure and of the quantum potential, respectively. The critical scales above which condensate dark matter collapses (the Jeans radius and mass) are discussed in detail. We also investigate the collapse/expansion of rotating condensed dark matter halos, and we find a family of exact semi-analytical solutions of the hydrodynamic evolution equations, derived by using the method of separation of variables. An approximate first order solution of the fluid flow equations is also obtained. The radial coordinate dependent mass, density and velocity profiles of the collapsing/expanding condensate dark matter halos are obtained by using numerical methods.

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Gravitational probes of dark matter physics

Cited by 150 publications

References 698 publications

New constraints on sterile neutrino dark matter from NuSTAR M31 observations

New constraints on sterile neutrino dark matter from NuSTAR M31 observations

Revisiting constraints on asteroid-mass primordial black holes as dark matter candidates

Jeans instability and turbulent gravitational collapse of Bose–Einstein condensate dark matter halos

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