Planck CMB data set upper limits on vector and axial-vector dark matter-electron couplings for masses 100 eV to 100 keV via energy injection from inelastic scattering and hydrogen absorption.
Slatyer, and Jes´ us Zavala,Contributions to cosmic reionization from dark matter annihilation and decay,Phys
4 Pith papers cite this work. Polarity classification is still indexing.
abstract
Dark matter annihilation or decay could have a significant impact on the ionisation and thermal history of the universe. In this paper, we study the potential contribution of dark matter annihilation (s-wave- or p-wave-dominated) or decay to cosmic reionisation, via the production of electrons, positrons and photons. We map out the possible perturbations to the ionisation and thermal histories of the universe due to dark matter processes, over a broad range of velocity-averaged annihilation cross-sections/decay lifetimes and dark matter masses. We have employed recent numerical studies of the efficiency with which annihilation/decay products induce heating and ionization in the intergalactic medium, and in this work extended them down to a redshift of $1+z = 4$ for two different reionisation scenarios. We also improve on earlier studies by using the results of detailed structure formation models of dark matter haloes and subhaloes that are consistent with up-to-date $N$-body simulations, with estimates on the uncertainties that originate from the smallest scales. We find that for dark matter models that are consistent with experimental constraints, a contribution of more than 10% to the ionisation fraction at reionisation is disallowed for all annihilation scenarios. Such a contribution is possible only for decays into electron/positron pairs, for light dark matter with mass $m_\chi \lesssim $ 100 MeV, and a decay lifetime $\tau_\chi \sim 10^{24} - 10^{25}$ s.
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In a dark-photon-mediated Dirac fermionic DM model, only narrow resonant regions with small dark-sector coupling allow the candidate to saturate the full relic density while evading current direct and indirect detection bounds.
The thesis presents a new 3-to-2 freezeout mechanism, bound-state effects on searches, a new axion interferometric search, reionization assessments, 21-cm constraints, and the DarkHistory code for ionization and thermal histories.
Future 21-cm observations may constrain TeV-scale decaying dark matter subcomponents more tightly than CMB data for lifetimes above 10^15 s, with strongest sensitivity for neutrino decay channels due to differences in injected electromagnetic energy spectra.
citing papers explorer
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CMB Limits on the Absorption of Light Vector and Axial-Vector Dark Matter
Planck CMB data set upper limits on vector and axial-vector dark matter-electron couplings for masses 100 eV to 100 keV via energy injection from inelastic scattering and hydrogen absorption.
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GeV-scale thermal dark matter from dark photons: tightly constrained, yet allowed
In a dark-photon-mediated Dirac fermionic DM model, only narrow resonant regions with small dark-sector coupling allow the candidate to saturate the full relic density while evading current direct and indirect detection bounds.
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Dark Matter Energy Deposition and Production from the Table-Top to the Cosmos
The thesis presents a new 3-to-2 freezeout mechanism, bound-state effects on searches, a new axion interferometric search, reionization assessments, 21-cm constraints, and the DarkHistory code for ionization and thermal histories.
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Cosmological constraints on TeV-scale dark matter subcomponents decaying between recombination and reionisation
Future 21-cm observations may constrain TeV-scale decaying dark matter subcomponents more tightly than CMB data for lifetimes above 10^15 s, with strongest sensitivity for neutrino decay channels due to differences in injected electromagnetic energy spectra.