Limits on the radiative decay of sterile neutrino dark matter from the unresolved cosmic and soft x-ray backgrounds

Journal Article · Thu Mar 15 04:00:00 EDT 2007 · Physical Review. D, Particles Fields

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVD.75.063511· OSTI ID:21020135

Abazajian, Kevork N ^[1]; Markevitch, Maxim ^[2]; Koushiappas, Savvas M ^[3]; Hickox, Ryan C ^[2]

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1. Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742 (United States)
2. Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 (United States)
3. Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States)

We present upper limits on line emission in the Cosmic X-ray background (CXB) that would be produced by decay of sterile neutrino dark matter. We employ the spectra of the unresolved component of the CXB in the Chandra Deep Fields North and South obtained with the Chandra CCD detector in the E=0.8-9 keV band. The expected decay flux comes from the dark matter on the lines of sight through the Milky Way galactic halo. Our constraints on the sterile neutrino decay rate are sensitive to the modeling of the Milky Way halo. The highest halo mass estimates provide a limit on the sterile neutrino mass of m{sub s}<2.9 keV in the Dodelson-Widrow production model, while the lowest halo mass estimates provide the conservative limit of m{sub s}<5.7 keV (2{sigma}). We also discuss constraints from a short observation of the softer (E<1 keV) X-ray background with a rocket-borne calorimeter by McCammon and collaborators.

• OSTI ID: 21020135
• Journal Information: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields, Journal Name: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 75; ISSN PRVDAQ; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
CHARGE-COUPLED DEVICES
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
COSMIC PHOTONS
KEV RANGE
LIMITING VALUES
MILKY WAY
NEUTRINOS
NONLUMINOUS MATTER
PARTICLE DECAY
RADIATIVE DECAY
REST MASS
SHOWER COUNTERS
SOFT X RADIATION