Effects of velocity-dependent dark matter annihilation on the energy spectrum of the extragalactic gamma-ray background

Journal Article · Mon Nov 01 04:00:00 EDT 2010 · Physical Review. D, Particles Fields

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVD.82.095007· OSTI ID:21503823

Campbell, Sheldon; Dutta, Bhaskar ^[1]; Komatsu, Eiichiro ^[2]

---

1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A and M University, College Station, Texas 77843 (United States)
2. Texas Cosmology Center and Department of Astronomy, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712 (United States)

We calculate the effects of velocity-dependent dark matter annihilation cross sections on the intensity of the extragalactic gamma-ray background. Our formalism does not assume a locally thermal distribution of dark matter particles in phase space, and is valid for arbitrary velocity-dependent annihilation. Although the model of the dark matter distribution we use is simple and may not describe nature precisely, it is sufficient for quantifying the effects of velocity-dependent annihilations: different halo models would be expected to produce the same general features. As concrete examples, we calculate the effects of p-wave annihilation (with the v-weighted cross section of {sigma}v=a+bv{sup 2}) on the mean intensity of extragalactic gamma rays produced in cosmological dark matter halos. This velocity variation makes the shape of the energy spectrum harder, but this change in the shape is too small to see unless b/a > or approx. 10{sup 6}. While we find no such models in the parameter space of the minimal supersymmetric standard model, we show that it is possible to find b/a > or approx. 10{sup 6} in the extension MSSM x U(1){sub B-L}. However, we find that the most dominant effect of the p-wave annihilation is the suppression of the amplitude of the gamma-ray background. A nonzero b at the dark matter freeze-out epoch requires a smaller value of a in order for the relic density constraint to be satisfied, suppressing the amplitude by a factor as low as 10{sup -6} for a thermal relic. Nonthermal relics will have weaker amplitude suppression. As another velocity-dependent effect, we calculate the spectrum for s-wave annihilation into fermions enhanced by the attractive Sommerfeld effect. Resonances associated with this effect result in significantly enhanced intensities, with a slightly softer energy spectrum.

• OSTI ID: 21503823
• Journal Information: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields, Journal Name: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields Journal Issue: 9 Vol. 82; ISSN PRVDAQ; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
AMPLITUDES
ANNIHILATION
COSMIC GAMMA SOURCES
COSMIC RADIATION
COSMIC RAY SOURCES
CROSS SECTIONS
DENSITY
DISTRIBUTION
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ENERGY SPECTRA
FERMIONS
FIELD THEORIES
FREEZING OUT
GAMMA RADIATION
GRAND UNIFIED THEORY
INTERACTIONS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MATHEMATICAL SPACE
MATTER
NONLUMINOUS MATTER
P WAVES
PARTIAL WAVES
PARTICLE INTERACTIONS
PARTICLE MODELS
PHASE SPACE
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
QUANTUM FIELD THEORY
RADIATIONS
RESONANCE
S WAVES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SPACE
SPECTRA
STANDARD MODEL
SUPERSYMMETRY
SYMMETRY
UNIFIED GAUGE MODELS
VELOCITY