Search for dark matter using sub-PeV $\mathbf{\gamma }$-rays observed by Tibet AS${}_{\mathbf{\gamma }}$

Abstract

The discovery of diffuse sub-PeV gamma-rays by the Tibet AS${}_{\gamma }$ Collaboration promises to revolutionize our understanding of the high-energy astrophysical universe. It has been shown that these data broadly agree with prior theoretical expectations. We study the impact of this discovery on a well-motivated new physics scenario: PeV-scale decaying dark matter (DM). Considering a wide range of final states in DM decay, a number of DM density profiles, and numerous astrophysical background models, we find that these data provide the most stringent limit on DM lifetime for various Standard Model final states. In particular, we find that the strongest constraints are derived for DM masses in between a few PeV to a few tens of PeV. Near-future data of these high-energy gamma-rays can be used to discover PeV-scale decaying DM.

v2: 9 pages, 4 figures. Minor changes, result unchanged. Matches version published as a Letter in Physical Review D

References in corpus (12)

• Dark Matter Candidates from Particle Physics and Methods of Detection
• Weak Corrections are Relevant for Dark Matter Indirect Detection
• First Detection of sub-PeV Diffuse Gamma Rays from the Galactic Disk: Evidence for Ubiquitous Galactic Cosmic Rays beyond PeV Energies
• Inverse Compton constraints on the Dark Matter e+e- excesses
• Absorption of Very High Energy Gamma Rays in the Milky Way
• Boosted Dark Matter in IceCube and at the Galactic Center
• Electroweak Bremsstrahlung in Dark Matter Annihilation
• Baryonic and dark matter distribution in cosmological simulations of spiral galaxies
• Monochromatic neutrinos generated by dark matter and the see-saw mechanism
• Interpreting IceCube 6-year HESE data as an evidence for hundred TeV decaying Dark Matter
• Neutrinos in IceCube/KM3NeT as probes of Dark Matter Substructures in Galaxy Clusters
• Dark matter decay through gravity portals