Difficulty of detecting minihalos via $\gamma$-rays from dark matter annihilation

Abstract

Analytical calculations and recent numerical experiments have shown that a sizable of the mass in our Galaxy is in a form of clumpy, virialized substructures that, according to \cite{dms:05}, can be as light as $10^{-6} \msun$. In this work we estimate the gamma-rays flux expected from dark matter annihilation occurring within these minihalos, under the hypothesis that the bulk of dark matter is composed by neutralinos. We generate mock sky maps showing the angular distribution of the expected gamma-ray signal. We compare them with the sensitivities of satellite-borne experiments such as GLAST and find that a possible detection of minihalos is indeed very challenging.

4 pages, four color figures. Version published on PRL

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