Calorimetric Dark Matter Detection with Galactic Center Gas Clouds

Area of Science:

• Astrophysics
• Particle Physics
• Cosmology

Background:

• Dark matter interactions are not fully understood.
• Gas clouds in the Galactic Center offer a unique environment to study dark matter.
• Previous studies have been limited by magnetic field effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a novel method for testing dark matter interactions using Galactic Center gas clouds.
• To constrain specific dark matter models, including millicharged dark matter.
• To explore the potential for future dark matter detection strategies.

Main Methods:

• Analyzing dark matter heating effects on gas clouds.
• Calculating new bounds on dark matter-nucleon scattering cross-sections.
• Investigating the impact of poloidal magnetic fields in the Galactic Center.

Main Results:

• A new upper limit is established for dark matter nucleon scattering for masses between 10-100 MeV.
• Constraints are placed on millicharged dark matter models, including those relevant to the EDGES 21 cm anomaly.
• The unique magnetic field configuration in the Galactic Center mitigates deflection of charged dark matter.

Conclusions:

• Galactic Center gas clouds provide a powerful new probe for dark matter physics.
• The proposed method offers a complementary approach to existing dark matter detection techniques.
• Further observations of these gas clouds could lead to significant advancements in understanding dark matter.