Revisiting GeV-scale annihilating dark matter with the AMS-02 positron fraction

Abstract

Antimatter cosmic-rays are used to probe new phenomena in physics, including dark matter annihilation. We use the cosmic-ray positron fraction spectrum by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, to search for such an annihilation signal in the Galaxy. We focus on dark matter with mass between 5 and 120 GeV, producing high-energy electrons and positrons. In these cosmic-ray energies the interplay of multiple astrophysical sources and phenomena, makes this search highly sensitive to the underlying astrophysical background assumptions. We use a vast public library of astrophysical models for the cosmic-ray positron fraction background, to derive robust upper limits on the dark matter's annihilation cross section for a number of annihilation channels. This library accounts for different types of cosmic-ray sources and uncertainties on their distribution in space and time. Also, it accounts for uncertainties on those sources' output, their injected into the interstellar medium cosmic-ray spectra and for uncertainties on cosmic-ray propagation. For any given dark matter particle mass and annihilation channel, upper limits on the annihilation cross section are given by bands that stretch a full order of magnitude in its value. Our work provides weaker limits compared to earlier results, that are however robust to all the relevant astrophysical uncertainties. Between 5 and 15 GeV, we find indications for a possible excess flux of cosmic-ray electrons and positrons. That excess is found for most, but not all of our astrophysical background parameter space, and its significance can vary appreciably. Further scrutiny is necessary to improve the understanding of these lower energy cosmic rays. Finally, we note that even if an excess signal is found in these energies, the current background uncertainties do not allow us to accurately deduce its underlying particle properties.

arXiv comment21 pages, 8 figures, 1 table, zenodo link: https://zenodo.org/record/7178634

References in corpus (143)

• SciPy 1.0--Fundamental Algorithms for Scientific Computing in Python
• Array Programming with NumPy
• The Structure of Cold Dark Matter Halos
• A direct empirical proof of the existence of dark matter
• Observation of an anomalous positron abundance in the cosmic radiation
• A Theory of Dark Matter
• Axions In String Theory
• Dark Matter Candidates from Particle Physics and Methods of Detection
• A History of Dark Matter
• Did LIGO detect dark matter?
• Cosmological Parameters from Observations of Galaxy Clusters
• Freeze-In Production of FIMP Dark Matter
• Primordial Black Holes as Dark Matter
• Propagation of cosmic-ray nucleons in the Galaxy
• Big Bang Nucleosynthesis: 2015
• The Kinematics of the Ultra-Faint Milky Way Satellites: Solving the Missing Satellite Problem
• Cosmology with the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect
• Formation of Galaxy Clusters
• Dark Matter Annihilation in The Galactic Center As Seen by the Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope
• Large-Scale Galaxy Bias
• PPPC 4 DM ID: A Poor Particle Physicist Cookbook for Dark Matter Indirect Detection
• Precise Relic WIMP Abundance and its Impact on Searches for Dark Matter Annihilation
• Cosmological implications of baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) measurements
• Cosmological Relaxation of the Electroweak Scale
• Baryon Acoustic Oscillations in the Ly-α forest of BOSS quasars
• The SIMP Miracle
• Measurement of separate cosmic-ray electron and positron spectra with the Fermi Large Area Telescope
• WIMP dark matter candidates and searches - current status and future prospects
• The Faintest Dwarf Galaxies
• One percent determination of the primordial deuterium abundance
• Astrophysical Signatures of Secluded Dark Matter
• Direct detection of a break in the teraelectronvolt cosmic-ray spectrum of electrons and positrons
• Model-independent implications of the e+, e-, anti-proton cosmic ray spectra on properties of Dark Matter
• Pulsars as the Sources of High Energy Cosmic Ray Positrons
• 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
• Searching for Dark Matter Annihilation in Recently Discovered Milky Way Satellites with Fermi-LAT
• A New Milky Way Dwarf Galaxy in Ursa Major
• A novel determination of the local dark matter density
• Background model systematics for the Fermi GeV excess
• Primordial Nucleosynthesis: from precision cosmology to fundamental physics
• Dark Matter and Pulsar Model Constraints from Galactic Center Fermi-LAT Gamma Ray Observations
• The Lyman-alpha Forest in the Cold Dark Matter Model
• Hundreds of Milky Way Satellites? Luminosity Bias in the Satellite Luminosity Function
• The dark matter density at the Sun's location
• Fermi-LAT Observations of High-Energy Gamma-Ray Emission Toward the Galactic Center
• Astrophysical and Dark Matter Interpretations of Extended Gamma-Ray Emission from the Galactic Center
• A White Paper on keV Sterile Neutrino Dark Matter
• The SIMPlest Miracle
• A New Milky Way Companion: Unusual Globular Cluster or Extreme Dwarf Satellite?
• The Observed Growth of Massive Galaxy Clusters I: Statistical Methods and Cosmological Constraints
• Exciting Dark Matter and the INTEGRAL/SPI 511 keV signal
• Asymmetric Inflationary Reheating and the Nature of Mirror Universe
• TeV Gamma Rays from Geminga and the Origin of the GeV Positron Excess
• On the local dark matter density
• Constraints on cosmic-ray propagation models from a global Bayesian analysis
• The origin of the positron excess in cosmic rays
• The distribution of dark matter in galaxies
• The cosmic-ray positron energy spectrum measured by PAMELA
• A Tale of Tails: Dark Matter Interpretations of the Fermi GeV Excess in Light of Background Model Systematics
• LHC Signals for a SuperUnified Theory of Dark Matter
• New Positron Spectral Features from Supersymmetric Dark Matter - a Way to Explain the PAMELA Data?
• Leptophilic Dark Matter
• On possible interpretations of the high energy electron-positron spectrum measured by the Fermi Large Area Telescope
• Novel dark matter constraints from antiprotons in the light of AMS-02
• New limits on dark matter annihilation from AMS cosmic ray positron data
• Possible dark matter annihilation signal in the AMS-02 antiproton data
• Big Bang Nucleosynthesis as a Probe of New Physics
• WIMPonium and Boost Factors for Indirect Dark Matter Detection
• The BAO+BBN take on the Hubble tension
• Pulsars versus Dark Matter Interpretation of ATIC/PAMELA
• GeV-Scale Thermal WIMPs: Not Even Slightly Dead
• Dark Matter distribution in the Milky Way: microlensing and dynamical constraints
• Attenuation of VHE gamma rays by the Milky Way interstellar radiation field
• Extended Measurement of the Cosmic-Ray Electron and Positron Spectrum from 11 GeV to 4.8 TeV with the Calorimetric Electron Telescope on the International Space Station
• Dynamical constraints on the dark matter distribution in the Milky Way
• Probing the Pulsar Origin of the Anomalous Positron Fraction with AMS-02 and Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes
• Cosmic antiprotons as a probe for supersymmetric dark matter?
• Dark matter annihilations and decays after the AMS-02 positron measurements
• Dark Matter and Pulsar Origins of the Rising Cosmic Ray Positron Fraction in Light of New Data From AMS
• High-energy antiprotons from old supernova remnants
• A Robust Excess in the Cosmic-Ray Antiproton Spectrum: Implications for Annihilating Dark Matter
• Interpretation of AMS-02 electrons and positrons data
• A Natural Supersymmetric Model with MeV Dark Matter
• The Case for a 700+ GeV WIMP: Cosmic Ray Spectra from PAMELA, Fermi and ATIC
• The Bullet Cluster 1E0657-558 evidence shows Modified Gravity in the absence of Dark Matter
• On cosmic ray acceleration in supernova remnants and the FERMI/PAMELA data
• Indirect and direct search for dark matter
• High Energy Positrons From Annihilating Dark Matter
• Present status of primordial nucleosynthesis after WMAP: results from a new BBN code
• Dissecting cosmic-ray electron-positron data with Occam's Razor: the role of known Pulsars
• Testing astrophysical models for the PAMELA positron excess with cosmic ray nuclei
• The galactic antiproton spectrum at high energies: background expectation vs. exotic contributions
• High-Energy Gamma Rays from the Milky Way: Three-Dimensional Spatial Models for the Cosmic-Ray and Radiation Field Densities in the Interstellar Medium
• The characteristics of the Galactic center excess measured with 11 years of Fermi-LAT data
• An Effective Theory of Dirac Dark Matter
• Scrutinizing the evidence for dark matter in cosmic-ray antiprotons
• Self-Generated Cosmic-Ray Confinement in TeV Halos: Implications for TeV Gamma-Ray Emission and the Positron Excess
• AMS-02 data confronts acceleration of cosmic ray secondaries in nearby sources
• Is the PAMELA anomaly caused by the supernova explosions near the Earth?
• Three-Dimensional Model of Cosmic-Ray Lepton Propagation Reproduces Data from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space Station
• A Predictive Analytic Model for the Solar Modulation of Cosmic Rays
• The PAMELA Positron Excess from Annihilations into a Light Boson
• How to constrain warm dark matter with the Lyman $\alpha$ forest
• New very local interstellar spectra for electrons, positrons, protons and light cosmic ray nuclei
• Constraints on dark matter annihilation from AMS-02 results
• Light Weakly Coupled Axial Forces: Models, Constraints, and Projections
• Pulsar interpretation for the AMS-02 result
• AMS-100: The Next Generation Magnetic Spectrometer in Space -- An International Science Platform for Physics and Astrophysics at Lagrange Point 2
• The Role of Antimatter Searches in the Hunt for Supersymmetric Dark Matter
• Galactic factories of cosmic-ray electrons and positrons
• The Return of the Templates: Revisiting the Galactic Center Excess with Multi-Messenger Observations
• Implications of the AMS-02 positron fraction in cosmic rays
• Can Supersymmetry Naturally Explain the Positron Excess?
• Cosmic-Ray Electron Excess from Pulsars is Spiky or Smooth?: Continuous and Multiple Electron/Positron injections
• Can we explain AMS-02 antiproton and positron excesses simultaneously by nearby supernovae without pulsars nor dark matter?
• Constraining the origin of the rising cosmic ray positron fraction with the boron-to-carbon ratio
• Neutrino Mass and Dark Matter in light of recent AMS-02 results
• The origin of the spectral intensities of cosmic-ray positrons
• Deciphering the local Interstellar spectra of primary cosmic ray species with HelMod
• PAMELA and AMS-02 positron and electron spectra are reproduced by three-dimensional cosmic-ray modeling
• SOLARPROP: Charge-sign Dependent Solar Modulation for Everyone
• Dynamical Dark Matter and the Positron Excess in Light of AMS
• Modulation of Galactic Cosmic Rays in the Inner Heliosphere, Comparing with PAMELA Measurements
• Statistical Issues in Astrophysical Searches for Particle Dark Matter
• Possible Evidence for the Stochastic Acceleration of Secondary Antiprotons by Supernova Remnants
• Stochastic cosmic ray sources and the TeV break in the all-electron spectrum
• Dark Matter Particle Explorer observations of high-energy cosmic ray electrons plus positrons and their physical implications
• Pinpointing Cosmic Ray Propagation With The AMS-02 Experiment
• Studying the Milky Way Pulsar Population with Cosmic-Ray Leptons
• Constraining positron emission from pulsar populations with AMS-02 data
• Charge Asymmetric Cosmic Ray Signals From Dark Matter Decay
• Cosmic-Ray Positrons Strongly Constrain Leptophilic Dark Matter
• Slightly Non-Minimal Dark Matter in PAMELA and ATIC
• TeV Electron Spectrum for Probing Cosmic-Ray Escape from a Supernova Remnant
• New determination of the production cross section for secondary positrons and electrons in the Galaxy
• Features in the Spectrum of Cosmic-Ray Positrons from Pulsars
• Galactic Cosmic-Ray Propagation in the Inner Heliosphere: Improved Force-Field Model
• Utilizing cosmic-ray positron and electron observations to probe the averaged properties of Milky Way pulsars
• Production and acceleration of antinuclei in supernova shockwaves
• Cosmic Rays from Pulsars and Magnetars
• Constraining the Charge-, Time- and Rigidity-Dependence of Cosmic-Ray Solar Modulation with AMS-02 Observations during Solar Cycle 24
• Dark matter annihilation into leptons through gravity portals

Cited by in corpus (1)

• Possible counterpart signal of the Fermi bubbles at the cosmic-ray positrons