How to calculate dark matter direct detection exclusion limits that are consistent with gamma rays from annihilation in the Milky Way halo

Abstract

When comparing constraints on the Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) properties from direct and indirect detection experiments it is crucial that the assumptions made about the dark matter (DM) distribution are realistic and consistent. For instance, if the Fermi-LAT Galactic centre GeV gamma-ray excess was due to WIMP annihilation, its morphology would be incompatible with the Standard Halo Model that is usually used to interpret data from direct detection experiments. In this article, we calculate exclusion limits from direct detection experiments using self-consistent velocity distributions, derived from mass models of the Milky Way where the DM halo has a generalized NFW profile. We use two different methods to make the mass model compatible with a DM interpretation of the Galactic centre gamma-ray excess. Firstly, we fix the inner slope of the DM density profile to the value that best fits the morphology of the excess. Secondly, we allow the inner slope to vary and include the morphology of the excess in the data sets used to constrain the gravitational potential of the Milky Way. The resulting direct detection limits differ significantly from those derived using the Standard Halo Model, in particular for light WIMPs, due to the differences in both the local DM density and velocity distribution.

arXiv comment11 pages, 5 figures

References in corpus (66)

• A Universal Density Profile from Hierarchical Clustering
• The Structure of Cold Dark Matter Halos
• Particle Dark Matter: Evidence, Candidates and Constraints
• Supersymmetric Dark Matter
• The Aquarius Project: the subhalos of galactic halos
• First results from the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Research Facility
• The Diversity and Similarity of Simulated Cold Dark Matter Halos
• Dark Matter Annihilation in The Galactic Center As Seen by the Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope
• How supernova feedback turns dark matter cusps into cores
• The Proper Motion of Sgr A*: II. The Mass of Sgr A*
• Mass models of the Milky Way
• The Milky Way's Circular Velocity Curve to 60 kpc and an Estimate of the Dark Matter Halo Mass from Kinematics of ~2400 SDSS Blue Horizontal Branch Stars
• LCDM-based models for the Milky Way and M31 I: Dynamical Models
• Empirical models for Dark Matter Halos. I. Nonparametric Construction of Density Profiles and Comparison with Parametric Models
• On The Origin Of The Gamma Rays From The Galactic Center
• The Characterization of the Gamma-Ray Signal from the Central Milky Way: A Compelling Case for Annihilating Dark Matter
• Detection of a Gamma-Ray Source in the Galactic Center Consistent with Extended Emission from Dark Matter Annihilation and Concentrated Astrophysical Emission
• A novel determination of the local dark matter density
• Background model systematics for the Fermi GeV excess
• The Local Dark Matter Density
• Secondary antiprotons and propagation of cosmic rays in the Galaxy and heliosphere
• Dark Matter and Pulsar Model Constraints from Galactic Center Fermi-LAT Gamma Ray Observations
• The Milky Way's circular velocity curve between 4 and 14 kpc from APOGEE data
• Astrophysical and Dark Matter Interpretations of Extended Gamma-Ray Emission from the Galactic Center
• Mass models of the Milky Way
• The Dark Matter Halo of the Milky Way, AD 2013
• Strong support for the millisecond pulsar origin of the Galactic center GeV excess
• The Large Underground Xenon (LUX) Experiment
• Galactic Kinematics of Cepheids from Hipparcos Proper Motions
• A Tale of Tails: Dark Matter Interpretations of the Fermi GeV Excess in Light of Background Model Systematics
• Finding an Upper Limit in the Presence of Unknown Background
• Evidence for Unresolved Gamma-Ray Point Sources in the Inner Galaxy
• Dark Matter Direct Detection with Non-Maxwellian Velocity Structure
• Phase-space structure in the local dark matter distribution and its signature in direct detection experiments
• The Consistency of Fermi-LAT Observations of the Galactic Center with a Millisecond Pulsar Population in the Central Stellar Cluster
• Dynamical Blueprints for Galaxies
• Halo expansion in cosmological hydro simulations: towards a baryonic solution of the cusp/core problem in massive spirals
• Dark Matter distribution in the Milky Way: microlensing and dynamical constraints
• Baryonic Pinching of Galactic Dark Matter Halos
• Two measures of the shape of the Milky Way's dark halo
• Cosmic Ray Protons in the Inner Galaxy and the Galactic Center Gamma-Ray Excess
• Dark matter response to galaxy formation
• Galactic Center gamma-ray "excess" from an active past of the Galactic Centre?
• Likelihood Approach to the First Dark Matter Results from XENON100
• The Vertical Distribution and Kinematics of HI and Mass Models of the Galactic Disk
• The Contribution of Cosmic Rays Interacting With Molecular Clouds to the Galactic Center Gamma-Ray Excess
• The Galactic Center GeV Excess from a Series of Leptonic Cosmic-Ray Outbursts
• Microlensing Optical Depth towards the Galactic Bulge Using Clump Giants from the MACHO Survey
• Halo-to-Halo Similarity and Scatter in the Velocity Distribution of Dark Matter
• Simulated Milky Way analogues: implications for dark matter direct searches
• Microlensing optical depth toward the Galactic Bulge using bright sources from OGLE-II
• The Distribution of Dark Matter in the Milky Way's Disk
• The local dark matter phase-space density and impact on WIMP direct detection
• Millisecond pulsar interpretation of the Galactic center gamma-ray excess
• The distribution function of dark matter in massive haloes
• The Density and Pseudo-Phase-Space Density Profiles of CDM halos
• Anisotropic dark matter distribution functions and impact on WIMP direct detection
• Secondary Infall and the Pseudo-Phase-Space Density Profiles of Cold Dark Matter Halos
• Towards a realistic astrophysical interpretation of the gamma-ray Galactic center excess
• A self-consistent phase-space distribution function for the anisotropic Dark Matter halo of the Milky Way
• The EROS2 search for microlensing events towards the spiral arms: the complete seven season results
• A universal velocity distribution of relaxed collisionless structures
• Moderate Steepening of Galaxy Cluster Dark Matter Profiles by Baryonic Pinching
• Properties of Galactic Dark Matter: Constraints from Astronomical Observations
• On the importance of direct detection combined limits for spin independent and spin dependent dark matter interactions
• Observations of High-Energy Gamma-Ray Emission Toward the Galactic Centre with the Fermi Large Area Telescope

Cited by in corpus (7)

• Astrophysical uncertainties on the local dark matter distribution and direct detection experiments
• Anatomy of Eddington-like inversion methods in the context of dark matter searches
• Predicting the dark matter velocity distribution in galactic structures: tests against hydrodynamic cosmological simulations
• Dark matter capture by the Sun: revisiting velocity distribution uncertainties
• Surrogate Models for Direct Dark Matter Detection
• Towards a more rigorous treatment of uncertainties on the velocity distribution of dark matter particles for capture in stars
• Analytical derivation of the radial distribution function in spherical dark matter halos