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Deep Search for Decaying Dark Matter with XMM-Newton Blank-Sky Observations
Joshua W Foster1,2,3, Marius Kongsore1, Christopher Dessert1,2,3
1Leinweber Center for Theoretical Physics, Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|August 16, 2021
Summary
Researchers searched for decaying dark matter (DM) using XMM-Newton data. No evidence of sterile neutrino decay was found, setting new limits on dark matter in the keV range.
Area of Science:
- Particle Physics
- Astrophysics
- Cosmology
Background:
- Sterile neutrinos are hypothetical particles that could explain neutrino masses and constitute dark matter.
- Decaying dark matter may produce detectable X-ray signals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct the most sensitive search to date for decaying dark matter (DM) in the 5-16 keV mass range.
- To constrain scenarios involving sterile neutrinos as dark matter.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 547 Ms of archival XMM-Newton data from MOS and PN instruments.
- Search for narrow spectral features in the Milky Way's halo.
- Utilized Gaussian process modeling to account for background contributions.
Main Results:
- No evidence for unassociated X-ray lines indicative of decaying dark matter was detected.
- The study produced the strongest constraints to date on decaying DM in the 5-16 keV mass range.
Conclusions:
- The search did not find evidence supporting sterile neutrinos as dark matter in the studied mass range.
- The results significantly constrain decaying dark matter models, particularly those involving sterile neutrinos.
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