SciPost Submission Page

Prospects of future MeV telescopes in probing weak-scale Dark Matter

by Marco Cirelli, Arpan Kar

Submission summary

Authors (as registered SciPost users):

Marco Cirelli · Arpan Kar

Abstract

Galactic weak-scale Dark Matter (DM) particles annihilating into lepton-rich channels not only produce gamma-rays via prompt radiation but also generate abundant energetic electrons and positrons, which subsequently emit through bremsstrahlung or inverse Compton scattering (collectively called `secondary-radiation photons'). While the prompt gamma-rays concentrate at high-energy, the secondary emission falls in the MeV range, which a number of upcoming experiments (AMEGO, E-ASTROGAM, MAST...) will probe. We investigate the sensitivity of these future telescopes for weak-scale DM, focusing for definiteness on observations of the galactic center. We find that they have the potential of probing a wide region of the DM parameter space which is currently unconstrained. Namely, in rather optimistic configurations, future MeV telescopes could probe thermally-produced DM with a mass up to the TeV range, or GeV DM with an annihilation cross section 2 to 3 orders of magnitude smaller than the current bounds, precisely thanks to the significant leverage provided by their sensitivity to secondary emissions. We comment on astrophysical and methodological uncertainties, and compare with the reach of high-energy gamma ray experiments.

Author indications on fulfilling journal expectations

• Provide a novel and synergetic link between different research areas.
• Open a new pathway in an existing or a new research direction, with clear potential for multi-pronged follow-up work
• Detail a groundbreaking theoretical/experimental/computational discovery
• Present a breakthrough on a previously-identified and long-standing research stumbling block

Author comments upon resubmission

List of changes