Cosmic ray protons scattering off dark matter produce the Galactic Center gamma-ray excess through inelastic up-scattering followed by decay or direct elastic 2-to-3 photon production.
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Supernova 1987A Constraints on Sub-GeV Dark Sectors, Millicharged Particles, the QCD Axion, and an Axion-like Particle
Canonical reference. 100% of citing Pith papers cite this work as background.
abstract
We consider the constraints from Supernova 1987A on particles with small couplings to the Standard Model. We discuss a model with a fermion coupled to a dark photon, with various mass relations in the dark sector; millicharged particles; dark-sector fermions with inelastic transitions; the hadronic QCD axion; and an axion-like particle that couples to Standard Model fermions with couplings proportional to their mass. In the fermion cases, we develop a new diagnostic for assessing when such a particle is trapped at large mixing angles. Our bounds for a fermion coupled to a dark photon constrain small couplings and masses <200 MeV, and do not decouple for low fermion masses. They exclude parameter space that is otherwise unconstrained by existing accelerator-based and direct-detection searches. In addition, our bounds are complementary to proposed laboratory searches for sub-GeV dark matter, and do not constrain several "thermal" benchmark-model targets. For a millicharged particle, we exclude charges between 10^(-9) to a few times 10^(-6) in units of the electron charge; this excludes parameter space to higher millicharges and masses than previous bounds. For the QCD axion and an axion-like particle, we apply several updated nuclear physics calculations and include the energy dependence of the optical depth to accurately account for energy loss at large couplings. We rule out a hadronic axion of mass between 0.1 and a few hundred eV, or equivalently bound the PQ scale between a few times 10^4 and 10^8 GeV, closing the hadronic axion window. For an axion-like particle, our bounds disfavor decay constants between a few times 10^5 GeV up to a few times 10^8 GeV. In all cases, our bounds differ from previous work by more than an order of magnitude across the entire parameter space. We also provide estimated systematic errors due to the uncertainties of the progenitor.
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Millicharged particles weaken pulsational pair-instability in massive stars, shifting the lower edge of the black hole mass gap upward and turning gravitational wave observations into a probe for particles with masses 35-200 keV and charges 10^{-10} to 10^{-9}.
A scalar-mediated inelastic dark matter model with 100 eV splitting, Z2 symmetry forbidding elastic scattering, and a dimension-5 dipole operator reconciles dwarf galaxy observations with cosmological bounds via resonant enhancement and provides a distinct direct detection signal.
Resonant exponential growth of millicharged scalars in k²>0 electromagnetic waves is obtained by mapping the Klein-Gordon equation to the Mathieu equation, yielding new constraints on such particles.
Updated supernova ALP production rates including semi-Compton and pair-annihilation channels yield revised bounds on electron couplings, dominated by the decay a to e+ e- gamma at small couplings.
Supernova models yield coupling limits g_a ≲ 0.9×10^{-10} and g_φ ≲ 0.4×10^{-10} for masses above 100 keV from gamma-ray observations, plus stronger trapping-regime limits from explosion energy, that are difficult to reconcile with a muon g-2 explanation.
Limits on axion-like particles from photon-coupling searches are recast as constraints on massive graviton-like particles across lab, astrophysical, and cosmological experiments using analogous Primakoff and Gertsenshtein conversion mechanisms.
Solar-reflected inelastic dark matter produces detectable signals in xenon and semiconductor detectors, enabling new constraints on MeV-scale dark matter parameter space.
Stellar rotation relaxes supernova energy-loss bounds on axion-like particles by reducing core temperatures but has negligible impact on gamma-ray constraints from SN 1987A.
Semi-analytical fits are derived for millicharged particle energy-loss rates in three regimes relevant to pre-supernova stellar cores.
Planetary thunderstorms yield constraints on millicharged particles with the strongest bound q > 10^{-24} for bosonic mCPs from Saturn's layered clouds.
ALP-assisted first-order phase transitions can explain observed intergalactic magnetic fields and produce detectable gravitational waves, linking cosmology with particle physics searches.
Proposes underground MeV-scale electron-beam production of millicharged or dipole fermions followed by CCD detection to access unconstrained parameter space.
The paper surveys theoretical motivations, experimental searches, and bounds on the dark photon as a kinetically mixed gauge boson from a dark sector, covering both massive and massless cases along with related milli-charged fermion constraints.
citing papers explorer
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Producing the GeV Galactic Center Excess via Cosmic Ray-Dark Matter Scattering
Cosmic ray protons scattering off dark matter produce the Galactic Center gamma-ray excess through inelastic up-scattering followed by decay or direct elastic 2-to-3 photon production.
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The Black Hole Mass Gap as a New Probe of Millicharged Particles
Millicharged particles weaken pulsational pair-instability in massive stars, shifting the lower edge of the black hole mass gap upward and turning gravitational wave observations into a probe for particles with masses 35-200 keV and charges 10^{-10} to 10^{-9}.
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Scalar-Mediated Inelastic Dark Matter as a Solution to Small-Scale Structure Anomalies
A scalar-mediated inelastic dark matter model with 100 eV splitting, Z2 symmetry forbidding elastic scattering, and a dimension-5 dipole operator reconciles dwarf galaxy observations with cosmological bounds via resonant enhancement and provides a distinct direct detection signal.
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Resonant production of millicharged scalars in $k^2>0$ electromagnetic wave background
Resonant exponential growth of millicharged scalars in k²>0 electromagnetic waves is obtained by mapping the Klein-Gordon equation to the Mathieu equation, yielding new constraints on such particles.
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Supernova production of axion-like particles coupling to electrons, reloaded
Updated supernova ALP production rates including semi-Compton and pair-annihilation channels yield revised bounds on electron couplings, dominated by the decay a to e+ e- gamma at small couplings.
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Muonic Boson Limits: Supernova Redux
Supernova models yield coupling limits g_a ≲ 0.9×10^{-10} and g_φ ≲ 0.4×10^{-10} for masses above 100 keV from gamma-ray observations, plus stronger trapping-regime limits from explosion energy, that are difficult to reconcile with a muon g-2 explanation.
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Bounds on massive graviton-like particles from searches for axion-like particles coupling to photons
Limits on axion-like particles from photon-coupling searches are recast as constraints on massive graviton-like particles across lab, astrophysical, and cosmological experiments using analogous Primakoff and Gertsenshtein conversion mechanisms.
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Solar Reflection of Inelastic Dark Matter
Solar-reflected inelastic dark matter produces detectable signals in xenon and semiconductor detectors, enabling new constraints on MeV-scale dark matter parameter space.
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Rotation-induced Relaxation of Supernova Constraints on Axionlike Particles
Stellar rotation relaxes supernova energy-loss bounds on axion-like particles by reducing core temperatures but has negligible impact on gamma-ray constraints from SN 1987A.
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Millicharged Particle Production During Late-Stage Stellar Evolution
Semi-analytical fits are derived for millicharged particle energy-loss rates in three regimes relevant to pre-supernova stellar cores.
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Constraints on millicharged particles from thunderstorms on the Solar system planets
Planetary thunderstorms yield constraints on millicharged particles with the strongest bound q > 10^{-24} for bosonic mCPs from Saturn's layered clouds.
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Primordial Magnetogenesis and Gravitational Waves from ALP-assisted Phase Transition
ALP-assisted first-order phase transitions can explain observed intergalactic magnetic fields and produce detectable gravitational waves, linking cosmology with particle physics searches.
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Underground Production of Electromagnetic Dark States by MeV-scale Electron Beams and Detection with CCDs
Proposes underground MeV-scale electron-beam production of millicharged or dipole fermions followed by CCD detection to access unconstrained parameter space.
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The Dark Photon
The paper surveys theoretical motivations, experimental searches, and bounds on the dark photon as a kinetically mixed gauge boson from a dark sector, covering both massive and massless cases along with related milli-charged fermion constraints.