Multi-messenger constraints on the annihilating dark matter interpretation of the positron excess

Abstract

The rise in the energy spectrum of the positron ratio, observed by the PAMELA satellite above 10 GeV, and other cosmic ray measurements, have been interpreted as a possible signature of Dark Matter annihilation in the Galaxy. However, the large number of free parameters, and the large astrophysical uncertainties, make it difficult to do conclusive statements about the viability of this scenario. Here, we perform a multi-wavelength, multi-messenger analysis, that combines in a consistent way the constraints arising from different astrophysical observations. We show that if standard assumptions are made for the distribution of Dark Matter (we build models on the recent Via Lactea II and Aquarius simulations) and the propagation of cosmic rays, current DM models cannot explain the observed positron flux without exceeding the observed fluxes of antiprotons or gamma-ray and radio photons. To visualize the multi-messenger constraints, we introduce "star plots", a graphical method that allows to show in the same plot theoretical predictions and observational constraints for different messengers and wavelengths.

15 pages, 8 figures, matches published version

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Cited by in corpus (22)

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• Implications of High-Resolution Simulations on Indirect Dark Matter Searches
• Astrophysical models for the origin of the positron "excess"
• Consistent Scenarios for Cosmic-Ray Excesses from Sommerfeld-Enhanced Dark Matter Annihilation
• Can we discover dual-component thermal WIMP dark matter?
• Dark Matter CMB Constraints and Likelihoods for Poor Particle Physicists
• Thermal Relics in Modified Cosmologies: Bounds on Evolution Histories of the Early Universe and Cosmological Boosts for PAMELA
• Radio and gamma-ray constraints on dark matter annihilation in the Galactic center
• A cross-correlation study of the Fermi-LAT $\gamma$-ray diffuse extragalactic signal
• Discriminating the source of high-energy positrons with AMS-02
• Dark matter detection in the BMSSM
• Gamma-ray signatures of annihilation to charged leptons in dark matter substructure
• Sommerfeld-Enhanced Annihilation in Dark Matter Substructure: Consequences for Constraints on Cosmic-Ray Excesses
• Multi-messenger constraints on dark matter annihilation into electron-positron pairs
• Pressure from dark matter annihilation and the rotation curve of spiral galaxies
• Disentangling cosmic-ray and dark-matter induced gamma-rays in galaxy clusters?
• On the DM interpretation of the origin of non-thermal phenomena in galaxy clusters
• Can substructure in the Galactic Halo explain the ATIC and PAMELA results?
• Self-annihilating dark matter and the CMB: reionizing the Universe and constraining cross sections
• Implications of an astrophysical interpretation of PAMELA and Fermi-LAT data for future searches of a positron signal from dark matter annihilations