Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics – High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Scientific paper
2011-05-16
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
43 pages, 23 figures, 10 tables. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. D: streamlined paper, added a paragraph about detectab
Scientific paper
We study the possibility for detecting gamma-ray emission from galaxy clusters. We consider 1) leptophilic models of dark matter (DM) annihilation that include a Sommerfeld enhancement (SFE), 2) different representative benchmark models of supersymmetric DM, and 3) cosmic ray (CR) induced pion decay. Among all clusters/groups of a flux-limited X-ray sample, we predict Virgo, Fornax and M49 to be the brightest DM sources and find a particularly low CR-induced background for Fornax. For a minimum substructure mass given by the DM free-streaming scale, cluster halos maximize the substructure boost for which we find a factor above 1000. Since regions around the virial radius dominate the annihilation flux of substructures, the resulting surface brightness profiles are almost flat. This makes it very challenging to detect this flux with imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. Assuming cold dark matter with a substructure mass distribution down to an Earth mass and using extended Fermi upper limits, we rule out the leptophilic models in their present form in 28 clusters, and limit the boost from SFE in M49 and Fornax to be < 5. This corresponds to a limit on SFE in the Milky Way of < 3, which is too small to account for the increasing positron fraction with energy as seen by PAMELA and challenges the DM interpretation. Alternatively, if SFE is realized in Nature, this would imply a limiting substructure mass of M_lim > 10^4 M_sol - a problem for structure formation. Using individual cluster observations, it will be challenging for Fermi to constrain our selection of DM benchmark models without SFE. The Fermi upper limits are, however, closing in on our predictions for the CR flux using an analytic model based on cosmological hydrodynamical cluster simulations. We limit the CR-to-thermal pressure in nearby bright galaxy clusters of the Fermi sample to < 10% and in Norma and Coma to < 3%.
Bergstrom Lars
Pfrommer Christoph
Pinzke Anders
No associations
LandOfFree
Prospects of detecting gamma-ray emission from galaxy clusters: cosmic rays and dark matter annihilations does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Prospects of detecting gamma-ray emission from galaxy clusters: cosmic rays and dark matter annihilations, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Prospects of detecting gamma-ray emission from galaxy clusters: cosmic rays and dark matter annihilations will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-727557