Detecting dark matter WIMPs in the Draco dwarf: A multiwavelength perspective
- INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, via Frascati 33, I-00040 Monteporzio (Italy) and Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Roma 2, I-00133 Rome (Italy)
- Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Mail Code 106-38, Pasadena, California 91125 (United States)
- Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati, Via Beirut 2-4, I-34014 Trieste (Italy) and Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Trieste, I-34014 Trieste (Italy)
We explore the possible signatures of dark matter pair annihilations in the nearby dwarf spheroidal galaxy Draco. After investigating the mass models for Draco in the light of available observational data, we carefully model the dark matter density profile, taking advantage of numerical simulations of hierarchical structure formation. We then analyze the gamma-ray and electron/positron yield expected for weakly interacting dark matter particle (WIMP) models, including an accurate treatment of the propagation of the charged particle species. We show that unlike in larger dark matter structures - such as galaxy clusters - spatial diffusion plays here an important role. While Draco would appear as a pointlike gamma-ray source, synchrotron emission from electrons and positrons produced by WIMP annihilations features a spatially extended structure. Depending upon the cosmic ray propagation setup and the size of the magnetic fields, the search for a diffuse radio emission from Draco can be a more sensitive indirect dark matter search probe than gamma rays. Finally, we show that available data are consistent with the presence of a black hole at the center of Draco: if this is indeed the case, very significant enhancements of the rates for gamma rays and other emissions related to dark matter annihilations are expected.
- OSTI ID:
- 20933272
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review. D, Particles Fields, Vol. 75, Issue 2; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.75.023513; (c) 2007 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0556-2821
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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