How to calculate dark matter direct detection exclusion limits that are consistent with gamma rays from annihilation in the Milky Way halo

When comparing constraints on the weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) properties from direct and indirect detection experiments it is crucial that the assumptions made about the dark matter (DM) distribution are realistic and consistent. For instance, if the Fermi LAT Galactic center GeV gamm...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Cerdeno, David G., Fornasa, Mattia, Green, Anne M., Peiro, Miguel
Format: Article
Published: American Physical Society 2016
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/39475/
_version_ 1848795845504270336
author Cerdeno, David G.
Fornasa, Mattia
Green, Anne M.
Peiro, Miguel
author_facet Cerdeno, David G.
Fornasa, Mattia
Green, Anne M.
Peiro, Miguel
author_sort Cerdeno, David G.
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description When comparing constraints on the weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) properties from direct and indirect detection experiments it is crucial that the assumptions made about the dark matter (DM) distribution are realistic and consistent. For instance, if the Fermi LAT Galactic center GeV gamma-ray excess was due to WIMP annihilation, its morphology would be incompatible with the standard halo model that is usually used to interpret data from direct detection experiments. In this article, we calculate exclusion limits from direct detection experiments using self-consistent velocity distributions, derived from mass models of the Milky Way where the DM halo has a generalized Navarro-Frenk-White profile. We use two different methods to make the mass model compatible with a DM interpretation of the Galactic center gamma-ray excess. First, we fix the inner slope of the DM density profile to the value that best fits the morphology of the excess. Second, we allow the inner slope to vary and include the morphology of the excess in the data sets used to constrain the gravitational potential of the Milky Way. The resulting direct detection limits differ significantly from those derived using the standard halo model, in particular for light WIMPs, due to the differences in both the local DM density and velocity distribution.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T19:38:34Z
format Article
id nottingham-39475
institution University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-14T19:38:34Z
publishDate 2016
publisher American Physical Society
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling nottingham-394752020-05-04T18:06:54Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/39475/ How to calculate dark matter direct detection exclusion limits that are consistent with gamma rays from annihilation in the Milky Way halo Cerdeno, David G. Fornasa, Mattia Green, Anne M. Peiro, Miguel When comparing constraints on the weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) properties from direct and indirect detection experiments it is crucial that the assumptions made about the dark matter (DM) distribution are realistic and consistent. For instance, if the Fermi LAT Galactic center GeV gamma-ray excess was due to WIMP annihilation, its morphology would be incompatible with the standard halo model that is usually used to interpret data from direct detection experiments. In this article, we calculate exclusion limits from direct detection experiments using self-consistent velocity distributions, derived from mass models of the Milky Way where the DM halo has a generalized Navarro-Frenk-White profile. We use two different methods to make the mass model compatible with a DM interpretation of the Galactic center gamma-ray excess. First, we fix the inner slope of the DM density profile to the value that best fits the morphology of the excess. Second, we allow the inner slope to vary and include the morphology of the excess in the data sets used to constrain the gravitational potential of the Milky Way. The resulting direct detection limits differ significantly from those derived using the standard halo model, in particular for light WIMPs, due to the differences in both the local DM density and velocity distribution. American Physical Society 2016-08-15 Article PeerReviewed Cerdeno, David G., Fornasa, Mattia, Green, Anne M. and Peiro, Miguel (2016) How to calculate dark matter direct detection exclusion limits that are consistent with gamma rays from annihilation in the Milky Way halo. Physical Review D, 94 . 043516/1-043516/11. ISSN 2470-0029 https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.94.043516 doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.94.043516 doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.94.043516
spellingShingle Cerdeno, David G.
Fornasa, Mattia
Green, Anne M.
Peiro, Miguel
How to calculate dark matter direct detection exclusion limits that are consistent with gamma rays from annihilation in the Milky Way halo
title How to calculate dark matter direct detection exclusion limits that are consistent with gamma rays from annihilation in the Milky Way halo
title_full How to calculate dark matter direct detection exclusion limits that are consistent with gamma rays from annihilation in the Milky Way halo
title_fullStr How to calculate dark matter direct detection exclusion limits that are consistent with gamma rays from annihilation in the Milky Way halo
title_full_unstemmed How to calculate dark matter direct detection exclusion limits that are consistent with gamma rays from annihilation in the Milky Way halo
title_short How to calculate dark matter direct detection exclusion limits that are consistent with gamma rays from annihilation in the Milky Way halo
title_sort how to calculate dark matter direct detection exclusion limits that are consistent with gamma rays from annihilation in the milky way halo
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/39475/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/39475/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/39475/