Testing the Dark Matter Scenario for PeV Neutrinos Observed in IceCube

Area of Science:

• Astrophysics
• Particle Physics
• Cosmology

Background:

• Diffuse PeV neutrinos detected by IceCube suggest new physics.
• Late-time decay of very heavy dark matter is a leading candidate explanation.
• Multimessenger astronomy provides crucial constraints on astrophysical models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the consistency of dark matter decay models with existing multimessenger data.
• To identify key observational strategies for testing these models.
• To explore the potential of future observatories in confirming or refuting dark matter decay scenarios.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of diffuse gamma-ray background data from Fermi.
• Consideration of future gamma-ray observations (HAWC, Tibet AS+MD).
• Proposing muon neutrino searches with next-generation telescopes (IceCube-Gen2).

Main Results:

• Proposed dark matter decay models are marginally consistent with diffuse gamma-ray background.
• Detailed analysis of sub-TeV gamma-ray data is crucial for model validation.
• Future neutrino and gamma-ray observations offer independent tests.

Conclusions:

• Dark matter decay remains a plausible explanation for PeV neutrinos.
• Future gamma-ray and neutrino observatories will be pivotal in testing these models.
• Searches for dark matter in nearby halos can independently verify or exclude models.