skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Search for gamma-ray emission from dark matter annihilation in the large magellanic cloud with the fermi large area telescope

Journal Article · · Physical Review. D, Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [1];  [4];  [5];  [2]
  1. Rutgers Univ., Piscataway, NJ (United States)
  2. SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)
  3. California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA (United States); Univ. of Amsterdam, Amsterdam (Netherlands)
  4. Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)
  5. Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planetologie, Toulouse (France)

At a distance of 50 kpc and with a dark matter mass of ~1010 M, the large magellanic cloud (LMC) is a natural target for indirect dark matter searches. We use five years of data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) and updated models of the gamma-ray emission from standard astrophysical components to search for a dark matter annihilation signal from the LMC. We perform a rotation curve analysis to determine the dark matter distribution, setting a robust minimum on the amount of dark matter in the LMC, which we use to set conservative bounds on the annihilation cross section. The LMC emission is generally very well described by the standard astrophysical sources, with at most a 1–2σ excess identified near the kinematic center of the LMC once systematic uncertainties are taken into account. As a result, we place competitive bounds on the dark matter annihilation cross section as a function of dark matter particle mass and annihilation channel.

Research Organization:
SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-07CH11359; AC02-76SF00515
OSTI ID:
1252994
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1179702; OSTI ID: 1355160
Report Number(s):
FERMILAB-PUB-15-039-AE; arXiv:1502.01020; PRVDAQ; 1342903
Journal Information:
Physical Review. D, Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology, Vol. 91, Issue 10; ISSN 1550-7998
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 39 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (101)

Rotational properties of 21 SC galaxies with a large range of luminosities and radii, from NGC 4605 /R = 4kpc/ to UGC 2885 /R = 122 kpc/ journal May 1980
Planck 2013 results. XVI. Cosmological parameters journal October 2014
Direct Constraints on the Dark Matter Self‐Interaction Cross Section from the Merging Galaxy Cluster 1E 0657−56 journal May 2004
First Results from the LUX Dark Matter Experiment at the Sanford Underground Research Facility journal March 2014
THE LARGE AREA TELESCOPE ON THE FERMI GAMMA-RAY SPACE TELESCOPE MISSION journal May 2009
Constraining Dark Matter Models from a Combined Analysis of Milky Way Satellites with the Fermi Large Area Telescope journal December 2011
Dark matter constraints from observations of 25 Milky Way satellite galaxies with the Fermi Large Area Telescope journal February 2014
Exclusion of Canonical Weakly Interacting Massive Particles by Joint Analysis of Milky Way Dwarf Galaxies with Data from the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope journal December 2011
SEARCH FOR DARK MATTER SATELLITES USING FERMI -LAT journal February 2012
Searching for dark matter subhalos in the Fermi-LAT second source catalog journal August 2012
Stringent constraints on the dark matter annihilation cross section from subhalo searches with the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope journal January 2014
Dark matter subhalos in the Fermi first source catalog journal September 2010
Constraints on dark matter annihilation in clusters of galaxies with the Fermi large area telescope journal May 2010
Constraints on decaying dark matter from Fermi observations of nearby galaxies and clusters journal December 2010
Constraints on cosmological dark matter annihilation from the Fermi-LAT isotropic diffuse gamma-ray measurement journal April 2010
Anisotropies in the diffuse gamma-ray background measured by the Fermi LAT journal April 2012
Detection of a gamma-ray source in the Galactic Center consistent with extended emission from dark matter annihilation and concentrated astrophysical emission journal October 2012
Astrophysical and dark matter interpretations of extended gamma-ray emission from the Galactic Center journal July 2014
A comment on the emission from the Galactic Center as seen by the Fermi telescope journal November 2011
Dark matter and pulsar model constraints from Galactic Center Fermi-LAT gamma-ray observations journal October 2013
Dark matter annihilation in the Galactic Center as seen by the Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope journal March 2011
Origin of the gamma rays from the Galactic Center journal December 2011
Stringent constraints on the dark matter annihilation cross section from the region of the Galactic Center journal June 2013
Two emission mechanisms in the Fermi Bubbles: A possible signal of annihilating dark matter journal September 2013
The consistency of Fermi-LAT observations of the galactic center with a millisecond pulsar population in the central stellar cluster journal March 2011
Multiwavelength Constraints on Pulsar Populations in the Galactic Center journal June 2012
Millisecond pulsars cannot account for the inner Galaxy’s GeV excess journal October 2013
Millisecond pulsars and the Galactic Center gamma-ray excess: the importance of luminosity function and secondary emission journal February 2015
Dark matter versus pulsars: catching the impostor journal October 2013
Cosmic ray protons in the inner Galaxy and the Galactic Center gamma-ray excess journal July 2014
Galactic Center gamma-ray ``excess'' from an active past of the Galactic Centre? journal October 2014
Hidden on-shell mediators for the Galactic Center γ -ray excess journal August 2014
Flavored dark matter and the Galactic Center gamma-ray excess journal September 2014
Dark Matter with Pseudoscalar-Mediated Interactions Explains the DAMA Signal and the Galactic Center Excess journal January 2015
Class of Higgs-portal dark matter models in the light of gamma-ray excess from galactic center journal May 2015
Hidden sector dark matter models for the Galactic Center gamma-ray excess journal July 2014
Interpretation of the Galactic Center excess of gamma rays with heavier dark matter particles journal July 2014
Extended gamma-ray emission from Coy Dark Matter journal May 2014
Particle physics implications for CoGeNT, DAMA, and Fermi journal August 2011
Low-mass right-handed sneutrino dark matter: SuperCDMS and LUX constraints and the Galactic Centre gamma-ray excess journal August 2014
NMSSM interpretation of the Galactic Center excess journal October 2014
The windows for kinetically mixed Z′-mediated dark matter and the galactic center gamma ray excess journal August 2014
Gamma rays from the Galactic center and the WMAP haze journal April 2011
Renormalizable model for the Galactic Center gamma-ray excess from dark matter annihilation journal September 2014
Higgs portal vector dark matter for GeV scale γ-ray excess from galactic center journal September 2014
The galactic center region gamma ray excess from a supersymmetric leptophilic Higgs model journal May 2011
Fitting the Galactic Center gamma-ray excess with cascade annihilations journal November 2014
A simplified 2HDM with a scalar dark matter and the galactic center gamma-ray excess journal December 2014
WIMPless dark matter and the excess gamma rays from the Galactic center journal April 2011
Prospects for detecting gamma rays from annihilating dark matter in dwarf galaxies in the era of the Dark Energy Survey and Large Synoptic Survey Telescope journal March 2015
Are the Magellanic Clouds on Their First Passage about the Milky Way? journal October 2007
THIRD-EPOCH MAGELLANIC CLOUD PROPER MOTIONS. I. HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE /WFC3 DATA AND ORBIT IMPLICATIONS journal February 2013
Period-Luminosity Relation for Type II Cepheids
  • Matsunaga, Noriyuki; Feast, Michael W.; Menzies, John W.
  • STELLAR PULSATION: CHALLENGES FOR THEORY AND OBSERVATION: Proceedings of the International Conference, AIP Conference Proceedings https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3246584
conference January 2009
The Araucaria Project. Determination of the Large Magellanic Cloud Distance from Late-Type Eclipsing Binary Systems. i. Ogle-051019.64-685812.3 journal May 2009
Neutralino annihilation γ-rays from clumps and the LMC journal April 2004
Gamma-ray and synchrotron emission from neutralino annihilation in the Large Magellanic Cloud journal September 2004
Cosmological dark matter annihilations into γ rays: A closer look journal December 2002
An analytical model for spherical galaxies and bulges journal June 1990
Analytical models for galactic nuclei journal January 1996
The Cores of Dark Matter–Dominated Galaxies: Theory versus Observations journal July 1998
The Structure of Cold Dark Matter Halos journal May 1996
The impact of dark matter cusps and cores on the satellite galaxy population around spiral galaxies: Impact of cusps and cores on the satellite population journal May 2010
Why Baryons Matter: the Kinematics of Dwarf Spheroidal Satellites journal April 2014
New Understanding of Large Magellanic Cloud Structure, Dynamics, and Orbit from Carbon Star Kinematics journal November 2002
An H i Aperture Synthesis Mosaic of the Large Magellanic Cloud journal August 1998
Third-Epoch Magellanic Cloud Proper Motions. ii. the Large Magellanic Cloud Rotation Field in Three Dimensions journal January 2014
An Off-Center Density peak in the Milky Way'S dark Matter Halo? journal February 2013
High-Resolution Rotation Curves and Galaxy mass Models from Things journal November 2008
Carbon stars in the halo of the Magellanic Clouds: Identification and radial velocity data journal May 1997
Magellanic Cloud Structure from Near-Infrared Surveys. I. The Viewing Angles of the Large Magellanic Cloud journal October 2001
Cuspy no more: how outflows affect the central dark matter and baryon distribution in Λ cold dark matter galaxies: Galaxy cores in ΛCDM journal March 2012
Cusp-core transformations in dwarf galaxies: observational predictions journal January 2013
The dependence of dark matter profiles on the stellar-to-halo mass ratio: a prediction for cusps versus cores journal November 2013
The Coupling Between the Core/Cusp and Missing Satellite Problems journal October 2012
THE AVERAGE STAR FORMATION HISTORIES OF GALAXIES IN DARK MATTER HALOS FROM z = 0-8 journal May 2013
Galactic star formation and accretion histories from matching galaxies to dark matter haloes journal December 2012
A mass-dependent density profile for dark matter haloes including the influence of galaxy formation journal May 2014
Reproducing the Stellar Mass/Halo mass Relation in Simulated Λcdm Galaxies: Theory Versus Observational Estimates journal March 2013
Dwarf Galaxy Annihilation and Decay Emission Profiles for dark Matter Experiments journal March 2015
Fitting the gamma-ray spectrum from dark matter with DMFIT: GLAST and the galactic center region journal November 2008
Model-independent dark matter annihilation bound from the diffuse gamma ray flux journal September 2007
Electroweak Jet Cascading in the Decay of Superheavy Particles journal October 2002
Role of electroweak bremsstrahlung for indirect dark matter signatures journal December 2009
TeV scale dark matter and electroweak radiative corrections journal August 2010
Weak corrections are relevant for dark matter indirect detection journal March 2011
PPPC 4 DM ID: a poor particle physicist cookbook for dark matter indirect detection journal March 2011
Calibration of the Energetic Gamma-Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) for the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory journal May 1993
In‐Flight Calibration of EGRET on the Compton Gamma‐Ray Observatory journal July 1999
Observations of the Large Magellanic Cloud in high-energy gamma rays journal November 1992
Observations of the Large Magellanic Cloud with Fermi journal March 2010
FERMI LARGE AREA TELESCOPE SECOND SOURCE CATALOG journal March 2012
FERMI -LAT OBSERVATIONS OF THE DIFFUSE γ-RAY EMISSION: IMPLICATIONS FOR COSMIC RAYS AND THE INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM journal April 2012
The on-orbit calibration of the Fermi Large Area Telescope journal October 2009
THE FERMI LARGE AREA TELESCOPE ON ORBIT: EVENT CLASSIFICATION, INSTRUMENT RESPONSE FUNCTIONS, AND CALIBRATION journal October 2012
Searching for dark Matter Annihilation in the Smith High-Velocity Cloud journal June 2014
On the Distribution of the Likelihood Ratio journal September 1954
Search for 100 MeV to 10 GeV γ-ray lines in the Fermi-LAT data and implications for gravitino dark matter in the μνSSM journal October 2014
Asymptotic formulae for likelihood-based tests of new physics journal February 2011
Background model systematics for the Fermi GeV excess journal March 2015
GAIA: Composition, formation and evolution of the Galaxy journal April 2001
SPITZER , GAIA , AND THE POTENTIAL OF THE MILKY WAY journal November 2013

Cited By (14)

Deep view of the Large Magellanic Cloud with six years of Fermi -LAT observations journal January 2016
A review of indirect searches for particle dark matter journal June 2016
Examining The Fermi-LAT Third Source Catalog in search of dark matter subhalos journal December 2015
Isotropic extragalactic flux from dark matter annihilations: lessons from interacting dark matter scenarios journal August 2016
Search for right-handed neutrinos from dark matter annihilation with gamma-rays journal July 2017
Searching for dark matter annihilation from individual halos: uncertainties, scatter and signal-to-noise ratios journal August 2018
Testing the weak equivalence principle by differential measurements of fundamental constants in the Magellanic Clouds journal June 2019
Search for γ -ray emission from dark matter particle interactions from the Andromeda and Triangulum galaxies with the Fermi Large Area Telescope journal June 2019
The Fermi Galactic Center GeV Excess and Implications for Dark Matter journal May 2017
WIMP searches with gamma rays in the Fermi era: challenges, methods and results text January 2015
Isotropic extragalactic flux from dark matter annihilations: lessons from interacting dark matter scenarios text January 2016
A review of indirect searches for particle dark matter text January 2016
Search for right-handed neutrinos from dark matter annihilation with gamma-rays text January 2017
Testing the weak equivalence principle by differential measurements of fundamental constants in the Magellanic Clouds text January 2019