THE SIGNATURES OF PARTICLE DECAY IN 21 cm ABSORPTION FROM THE FIRST MINIHALOS
The imprint of decaying dark matter (DM) particles on the characteristics of the {sup 2}1 cm forest{sup —}absorption at 21 cm from minihalos in the spectra of distant radio-loud sources—is considered within a one-dimensional, self-consistent hydrodynamic description of minihalos from their turnaround point to virialization. The most pronounced influence of decaying DM on the evolution of minihalos is found in the mass range M = 10{sup 5}-10{sup 6} M{sub ☉}, for which unstable DM with a current upper limit on its ionization rate of ξ{sub L} = 0.59 × 10{sup –25} s{sup –1} reduces the 21 cm optical depth by an order of magnitude compared with the standard recombination scenario. Even a rather modest ionization, ξ ∼ 0.3ξ{sub L}, practically erases absorption features and results in a considerable decrease (by factor of more than 2.5) of the number of strong (W{sub ν}{sup obs}∼>0.3 kHz at z ≅ 10) absorptions. In such circumstances, broadband observations are more suitable for inferring the physical conditions of the absorbing gas. X-ray photons from stellar activity of the initial episodes of star formation can compete with the contribution from decaying DM only at z < 10. Therefore, observing the 21 cm signal will allow us to follow the evolution of decaying DM particles in the redshift range z = 10-15. On the other hand, a non-detection of the 21 cm signal in the frequency range ν < 140 MHz can establish a lower limit on the ionization rate from decaying DM.
- OSTI ID:
- 22270701
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 777, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
ABSORPTION SPECTRA
ASTRONOMY
ASTROPHYSICS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COSMIC PHOTONS
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
COSMOLOGY
IONIZATION
KHZ RANGE
MASS
MHZ RANGE
NONLUMINOUS MATTER
ONE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
PARTICLE DECAY
RECOMBINATION
RED SHIFT
STARS
STELLAR ACTIVITY
UNIVERSE