Solar corona heating by axion quark nugget dark matter

Abstract

In this work we advocate for the idea that two seemingly unrelated 80-year-old mysteries -the nature of dark matter and the high temperature of the million degree solar corona -may have resolutions that lie within the same physical framework. The current paradigm is that the corona is heated by nanoflares, which were originally proposed as miniature versions of the observed solar flares. It was recently suggested that the nanoflares could be identified as annihilation events of the nuggets from the Axion Quark Nugget (AQN) dark matter model. This model was invented as an explanation of the observed ratio Ω dark ∼ Ω visible , based only on cosmological and particle physics considerations. In this new paradigm, the AQN particles moving through the coronal plasma and annihilating with normal matter can lead to the drastic change of temperatures seen in the Sun's Transition Region (TR), and significantly contribute to the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) excess of 10 27 erg s −1 . To test this proposal, we perform numerical simulations with a realistically modeled AQN particle distribution and explore how the nuggets interact with the coronal plasma. Remarkably, our simulations predict the correct energy budget for the solar corona, and show that the energy injection mostly occurs at an altitude of around 2000 km, which is where the TR lies. Therefore, we propose that these long unresolved mysteries could be two sides of the same coin. We make several predictions based on this proposal, some of which could be tested by the recently launched NASA mission, the Parker Solar Probe.

DAMA/LIBRA annual modulation and axion quark nugget dark matter model

“…It could be the same order of magnitude as used in [2,10] if κ ν 10, see estimate (A3) in Appendix A. We return to significance of the estimate (13) later in the text. The only comment we would like to make here is that the typical kinetic energy of the neutrons liberated by this mechanism will be in the 10 2 keV range, see estimate (14) below.…”

“…The 4-th element of proposal (1) represents the most controversial portion of our analysis. We shall try to argue that neutrons characterized by the flux (13) and energy (14) may serve as the source of the observed DL annual modulation. The corresponding computations are very hard to carry out as they are inevitably based on nuclear physics of large number of very complicated systems.…”

“…We already mentioned in previous subsection V B few possible tests which can support or rule out the proposal (1) with existing or planning experiments: COSINE-100 [15], ANAIS-112 [17], CYGNO [18]. In this subsection we want to mention a specific for the AQN framework phenomenon when the intensity of the AQN-induced neutrinos may be amplified by very large factor (up to 10 4 ) which greatly increases the chance for discovery such AQN-induced neutrons which always accompany the neutrinos according to section III C. Therefore, this neutrino amplification factor will be obviously accompanied by the corresponding amplification of the neutrino-induced neutron flux (12) and (13).…”

“…The AQN model may also resolve other, naively unrelated astrophysical mysteries. It includes, but not limited: the so-called "Primordial Lithium Puzzle" [11], the so-called "The Solar Corona Mystery" [12,13], the recent EDGES observations [14] among many others. These cosmological puzzles could be resolved within AQN framework with the same set of physical parameters to be used in the present work to explain the annual modulation observed by DL, without fitting or modifications of any of them.…”

“…One should emphasize that the size distribution is not a new element here but was adopted from solar physics papers devoted to fitting the solar corona observations in terms of the so-called nanoflares. It was advocated in[12,13] that the nanoflares postulated long ago by Parker can be identified with the AQN annihilation events in corona, such that the AQN size distribution and the nanoflare energy distribution represents one and the same distribution. The computation of the average baryon charge B is based on this identification.…”