Search for dark matter annihilations in the sun with the 79-string IceCube detector

Area of Science:

• Particle Physics
• Astrophysics
• Cosmology

Background:

• Dark matter constitutes a significant portion of the universe's mass.
• Neutrino telescopes like IceCube can detect signals from dark matter annihilation.
• The Sun is a potential source of neutrinos from dark matter interactions within its core.

Purpose of the Study:

• To search for muon neutrinos produced by dark matter annihilation in the Sun's center.
• To constrain the properties of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) by setting limits on their annihilation and scattering cross sections.
• To leverage the IceCube DeepCore subarray for enhanced sensitivity at lower energies.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the 79-string configuration of the IceCube neutrino telescope, including the DeepCore subarray.
• Analyzed 317 days of data collected between June 2010 and May 2011.
• Searched for an excess of muon neutrinos consistent with dark matter annihilation signals, while accounting for atmospheric backgrounds.

Main Results:

• The observed data were consistent with expected background levels from atmospheric muons and neutrinos.
• No significant excess of neutrinos attributable to dark matter annihilation was detected.
• Upper limits were placed on the dark matter annihilation rate.

Conclusions:

• The study sets the most stringent spin-dependent WIMP-proton cross section limits to date above 35 GeV/c² for many WIMP models.
• The results constrain WIMP properties within the mass range of 20-5000 GeV/c².
• The inclusion of the DeepCore subarray demonstrates its capability for low-energy neutrino searches.