Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “MATTER”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 973 records · Page 54
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2013

ℤ{sub 3} scalar singlet dark matter

We consider the minimal scalar singlet dark matter stabilised by a ℤ{sub 3} symmetry. Due to the cubic term in the scalar potential, semi-annihilations, besides annihilations, contribute to the dark matter relic density. Unlike in the ℤ{sub 2} case, the dark matter spin independent direct detection cross section is no more linked to the annihilation cross section. We study the extrema of the potential and show that a too large cubic term would break the ℤ{sub 3} symmetry spontaneously, implying a lower bound on the direct detection cross section, and allowing the whole parameter space to be tested by XENON1T. In a small region of the parameter space the model can avoid the instability of the standard model vacuum up to the unification scale. If the semi-annihilations are large, however, new physics will be needed at TeV scale because the model becomes non-perturbative. The singlet dark matter mass cannot be lower than 53.8 GeV due to the constraint from Higgs boson decay into dark matter.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

The case for three-body decaying dark matter

Fermi-LAT has confirmed the excess in cosmic positron fraction observed by PAMELA, which could be explained by dark matter annihilating or decaying in the center of the galaxy. Most existing models postulate that the dark matter annihilates or decays into final states with two or four leptons, which would produce diffuse gamma ray emissions that are in tension with data measured by Fermi-LAT. We point out that the tension could be alleviated if the dark matter decays into three-body final states with a pair of leptons and a missing particle. Using the goldstino decay in a certain class of supersymmetric theories as a prime example, we demonstrate that simultaneous fits to the total e{sup +}+e{sup −} and the fractional e{sup +}/e{sup −} fluxes from Fermi-LAT and PAMELA could be achieved for a 2 TeV parent particle and a 1 TeV missing particle, without being constrained by gamma-ray measurements. By studying different effective operators giving rise to the dark matter decay, we show that this feature is generic for three-body decaying dark matter containing a missing particle. Constraints on the hadronic decay widths from the cosmic anti-proton spectra are also discussed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Prospects of antideuteron detection from dark matter annihilations or decays at AMS-02 and GAPS

The search for cosmic antideuterons has been proposed as a promising method to indirectly detect dark matter, due to the very small background flux from spallations expected at the energies relevant to experiments. The antideuteron flux from dark matter annihilations or decays is, however, severely constrained by the non-observation of an excess in the antiproton-to-proton fraction measured by PAMELA. In this paper we calculate, for representative dark matter annihilation and decay channels, upper limits on the number of antideuteron events at AMS-02 and GAPS from requiring that the associated antiproton flux is in agreement with the PAMELA data. To this end, we first analyze in detail the formation of antideuterons in the coalescence model using an event-by-event Monte Carlo simulation and using data from various high energy experiments. We find that the resulting coalescence momentum shows a dependence on the underlying process and on the center of mass energy involved. Then, we calculate, using a diffusion model, the flux of antideuterons at the Earth from dark matter annihilations or decays. Our results indicate that, despite the various sources of uncertainty, the observation of an antideuteron flux at AMS-02 or GAPS from dark matter annihilations or decays will be challenging.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Annihilation of singlet fermionic dark matter into two photons

We consider an extension of the standard model in which a singlet fermionic particle, to serve as cold dark matter, and a singlet Higgs are added. We perform a reanalysis on the free parameters. In particular, demanding a correct relic abundance of dark matter, we derive and plot the coupling of the singlet fermion with the singlet Higgs, g{sub s}, versus the dark matter mass. We analytically compute the pair annihilation cross section of singlet fermionic dark matter into two photons. The thermally averaged of this cross section is calculated for wide range of energies and plotted versus dark matter mass using g{sub s} consistent with the relic abundance condition. We also compare our results with the Fermi-Lat observations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Interpretation of AMS-02 results: correlations among dark matter signals

The AMS-02 collaboration has recently released data on the positron fraction e{sup +}/(e{sup −}+e{sup +}) up to energies of about 350 GeV. If one insists on interpreting the observed excess as a dark matter signal, then we find it is best described by a TeV-scale dark matter annihilating into τ{sup +}τ{sup −}, although this situation is already severely constrained by gamma-ray measurements.The annihilation into μ{sup +}μ{sup −} is allowed by gamma-rays more than τ{sup +}τ{sup −}, but it gives a poorer fit to AMS-02 data. Moreover, since electroweak corrections induce correlations among the fluxes of stable particles from dark matter annihilations, the recent AMS-02 data imply a well-defined prediction for the correlated flux of antiprotons. Under the assumption that their future measurements will not show any antiproton excess above the background, the dark matter interpretation of the positron rise will possibly be ruled out by only making use of data from a single experiment. This work is the first of a program where we emphasize the role of correlations among dark matter signals.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

On the minimum dark matter mass testable by neutrinos from the Sun

We discuss a limitation on extracting bounds on the scattering cross section of dark matter with nucleons, using neutrinos from the Sun. If the dark matter particle is sufficiently light (less than about 4 GeV), the effect of evaporation is not negligible and the capture process goes in equilibrium with the evaporation. In this regime, the flux of solar neutrinos of dark matter origin becomes independent of the scattering cross section and therefore no constraint can be placed on it. We find the minimum values of dark matter masses for which the scattering cross section on nucleons can be probed using neutrinos from the Sun. We also provide simple and accurate fitting functions for all the relevant processes of GeV-scale dark matter in the Sun.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Cosmological anisotropy from non-comoving dark matter and dark energy

We consider a cosmological model in which the two major fluid components of the Universe, dark energy and dark matter, flow with distinct four-velocities. This cosmological configuration is equivalent to a single anisotropic fluid, expanding with a four-velocity that is an appropriate combination of the two fluid four-velocities. The energy density of the single cosmological fluid is larger than the sum of the energy densities of the two perfect fluids, i.e., dark energy and dark matter, respectively, and contains a correction term due to the anisotropy generated by the differences in the four-velocities. Furthermore, the gravitational field equations of the two-fluid anisotropic cosmological model are obtained for a Bianchi type I geometry. By assuming that the non-comoving motion of the dark energy and dark matter induces small perturbations in the homogeneous and isotropic Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker type cosmological background, and that the anisotropy parameter is small, the equations of the cosmological perturbations due to the non-comoving nature of the two major components are obtained. The time evolution of the metric perturbations is explicitly obtained for the cases of the exponential and power law background cosmological expansion. The imprints of a non-comoving dark energy - dark matter on the Cosmic Microwave Background and on the luminosity distance are briefly discussed, and the temperature anisotropies and the quadrupole are explicitly obtained in terms of the metric perturbations of the flat background metric. Therefore, if there is a slight difference between the four-velocities of the dark energy and dark matter, the Universe would acquire some anisotropic characteristics, and its geometry will deviate from the standard FLRW one. In fact, the recent Planck results show that the presence of an intrinsic large scale anisotropy in the Universe cannot be excluded a priori, so that the model presented in this work can be considered as a plausible and viable working hypothesis.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Dark matter searches with cosmic antideuterons: status and perspectives

The search for antideuterons in cosmic rays has been proposed as a promising channel for dark matter indirect detection, especially for dark matter particles with a low or intermediate mass. With the current operational phase of the AMS-02 experiment and the ongoing development of a future dedicated experiment, the General Antiparticle Spectrometer (GAPS), there are exciting prospects for a dark matter detection in the near future. In this paper we develop a detailed and complete re-analysis of the cosmic-ray antideuteron signal, by discussing the main relevant issues related to antideuteron production and propagation through the interstellar medium and the heliosphere. In particular, we first critically revisit the coalescence mechanism for antideuteron production in dark matter annihilation processes. Then, since antideuteron searches have their best prospects of detection at low kinetic energies where the effect of the solar wind and magnetic field are most relevant, we address the impact of solar modulation modeling on the antideuteron flux at the Earth by developing a full numerical 4D solution of cosmic rays transport in the heliosphere. We finally use these improved predictions to provide updated estimates of the reaching capabilities for AMS-02 and GAPS, compatible with the current constraints imposed by the antiprotons measurements of PAMELA. After the antiproton bound is applied, prospects of detection of up to about 15 events in GAPS LDB+ and AMS-02 missions are found, depending on the dark matter mass, annihilation rate and production channel from one side, and on the coalescence process, galactic and solar transport parameters on the other.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Evolution of the phase-space density and the Jeans scale for dark matter derived from the Vlasov-Einstein equation

We discuss solutions of Vlasov-Einstein equation for collisionless dark matter particles in the context of a flat Friedmann universe. We show that, after decoupling from the primordial plasma, the dark matter phase-space density indicator Q = ρ/(σ{sub 1D}{sup 2}){sup 3/2} remains constant during the expansion of the universe, prior to structure formation. This well known result is valid for non-relativistic particles and is not ''observer dependent'' as in solutions derived from the Vlasov-Poisson system. In the linear regime, the inclusion of velocity dispersion effects permits to define a physical Jeans length for collisionless matter as function of the primordial phase-space density indicator: λ{sub J} = (5π/G){sup 1/2}Q{sup −1/3}ρ{sub dm}{sup −1/6}. The comoving Jeans wavenumber at matter-radiation equality is smaller by a factor of 2-3 than the comoving wavenumber due to free-streaming, contributing to the cut-off of the density fluctuation power spectrum at the lowest scales. We discuss the physical differences between these two scales. For dark matter particles of mass equal to 200 GeV, the derived Jeans mass is 4.3 × 10{sup −6}M{sub ⊙}.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Using the CMB angular power spectrum to study Dark Matter-photon interactions

In this paper, we explore the impact of Dark Matter-photon interactions on the CMB angular power spectrum. Using the one-year data release of the Planck satellite, we derive an upper bound on the Dark Matter-photon elastic scattering cross section of σ{sub DM−γ} ≤ 8 × 10{sup −31} (m{sub DM}/GeV) cm{sup 2} (68% CL) if the cross section is constant and a present-day value of σ{sub DM−γ} ≤ 6 × 10{sup −40}(m{sub DM}/GeV) cm{sup 2} (68% CL) if it scales as the temperature squared. For such a limiting cross section, both the B-modes and the TT angular power spectrum are suppressed with respect to ΛCDM predictions for ℓ∼>500 and ℓ∼>3000 respectively, indicating that forthcoming data from CMB polarisation experiments and Planck could help to constrain and characterise the physics of the dark sector. This essentially initiates a new type of dark matter search that is independent of whether dark matter is annihilating, decaying or asymmetric. Thus, any CMB experiment with the ability to measure the temperature and/or polarisation power spectra at high ℓ should be able to investigate the potential interactions of dark matter and contribute to our fundamental understanding of its nature.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Extended gamma-ray emission from Coy Dark Matter

We show that it is possible for WIMP dark matter to produce a large signal in indirect dark matter searches without producing signals elsewhere. We illustrate our point by fitting the Fermi-LAT extended galactic gamma-ray excess with a simple model of Dirac dark matter that annihilates primarily into b quarks via a pseudoscalar. Current collider constraints are weak while the 14 TeV LHC run will constrain a limited portion of the parameter space. No signal is expected in additional indirect searches or at future direct detection experiments. Our results emphasise the importance of fully understanding potential indirect signals of dark matter as they may provide the only information about the dark matter particle.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Hilltop inflation with preinflation from coupling to matter fields

We propose a class of models of supersymmetric hilltop inflation (also called ''new inflation'') where the initial conditions of the inflaton close to the hilltop are generated through ''matter field preinflation''. This is achieved via a coupling term between the inflaton and matter fields (i.e. Standard Model fields or a right-handed neutrino). The same coupling also opens up a decay channel for the inflaton into Standard Model fields, which allows efficient reheating of the universe. We discuss the multifield dynamics of the inflaton and matter fields during inflation using the δN formalism and show under which conditions the model effectively reduces to single-field hilltop inflation during the last 60 e-folds. We also study perturbative reheating through the matter-inflaton coupling for a specific example where the matter field is identified with a right-handed (s)neutrino, and demonstrate that in this case the model can generate the observed baryon asymmetry through nonthermal leptogenesis.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Correlation between dark matter and dark radiation in string compactifications

Reheating in string compactifications is generically driven by the decay of the lightest modulus which produces Standard Model particles, dark matter and light hidden sector degrees of freedom that behave as dark radiation. This common origin allows us to find an interesting correlation between dark matter and dark radiation. By combining present upper bounds on the effective number of neutrino species N{sub eff} with lower bounds on the reheating temperature as a function of the dark matter mass m{sub DM} from Fermi data, we obtain strong constraints on the (N{sub eff}, m{sub DM})-plane. Most of the allowed region in this plane corresponds to non-thermal scenarios with Higgsino-like dark matter. Thermal dark matter can be allowed only if N{sub eff} tends to its Standard Model value. We show that the above situation is realised in models with perturbative moduli stabilisation where the production of dark radiation is unavoidable since bulk closed string axions remain light and do not get eaten up by anomalous U(1)s.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Nonabelian dark matter models for 3.5 keV X-rays

A recent analysis of XXM-Newton data reveals the possible presence of an X-ray line at approximately 3.55 keV, which is not readily explained by known atomic transitions. Numerous models of eV-scale decaying dark matter have been proposed to explain this signal. Here we explore models of multicomponent nonabelian dark matter with typical mass ∼ 1-10 GeV (higher values being allowed in some models) and eV-scale splittings that arise naturally from the breaking of the nonabelian gauge symmetry. Kinetic mixing between the photon and the hidden sector gauge bosons can occur through a dimension-5 or 6 operator. Radiative decays of the excited states proceed through transition magnetic moments that appear at one loop. The decaying excited states can either be primordial or else produced by upscattering of the lighter dark matter states. These models are significantly constrained by direct dark matter searches or cosmic microwave background distortions, and are potentially testable in fixed target experiments that search for hidden photons. We note that the upscattering mechanism could be distinguished from decays in future observations if sources with different dark matter velocity dispersions seem to require different values of the scattering cross section to match the observed line strengths.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

What is the probability that direct detection experiments have observed dark matter?

In Dark Matter direct detection we are facing the situation of some experiments reporting positive signals which are in conflict with limits from other experiments. Such conclusions are subject to large uncertainties introduced by the poorly known local Dark Matter distribution. We present a method to calculate an upper bound on the joint probability of obtaining the outcome of two potentially conflicting experiments under the assumption that the Dark Matter hypothesis is correct, but completely independent of assumptions about the Dark Matter distribution. In this way we can quantify the compatibility of two experiments in an astrophysics independent way. We illustrate our method by testing the compatibility of the hints reported by DAMA and CDMS-Si with the limits from the LUX and SuperCDMS experiments. The method does not require Monte Carlo simulations but is mostly based on using Poisson statistics. In order to deal with signals of few events we introduce the so-called ''signal length'' to take into account energy information. The signal length method provides a simple way to calculate the probability to obtain a given experimental outcome under a specified Dark Matter and background hypothesis.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Dark matter and halo bispectrum in redshift space: theory and applications

We present a phenomenological modification of the standard perturbation theory prediction for the bispectrum in redshift space that allows us to extend the model to mildly non-linear scales over a wide range of redshifts, z≤1.5. Our model require 18 free parameters that are fitted to N-body simulations using the shapes k{sub 2}/k{sub 1}=1, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5. We find that we can describe the bispectrum of dark matter particles with ∼5% accuracy for k{sub i}∼<0.10 h/Mpc at z=0, for k{sub i}∼<0.15 h/Mpc at z=0.5, for k{sub i}∼<0.17 h/Mpc at z=1.0 and for k{sub i}∼<0.20 h/Mpc at z=1.5. For very squeezed triangles with k{sub 1}=k{sub 2}∼>0.1 hMpc{sup -1} and k{sub 3}≤0.02 hMpc{sup -1}, however, neither SPT nor the proposed fitting formula are able to describe the measured dark matter bispectrum with this accuracy. We show that the fitting formula is sufficiently general that can be applied to other intermediate shapes such as k{sub 2}/k{sub 1}=1.25, 1.75, and 2.25. We also test that the fitting formula is able to describe with similar accuracy the bispectrum of cosmologies with different Ω{sub m}, in the range 0.2∼< Ω{sub m} ∼< 0.4, and consequently with different values of the logarithmic grow rate f at z=0, 0.4∼< f(z=0) ∼< 0.6. We apply this new formula to recover the bias parameters, f and σ{sub 8}, by combining the redshift space power spectrum monopole and quadrupole with the bispectrum monopole for both dark matter particles and haloes. We find that the combination of these three statistics can break the degeneracy between b{sub 1}, f and σ{sub 8}. For dark matter particles the new model can be used to recover f and σ{sub 8} with ∼1% accuracy. For dark matter haloes we find that f and σ{sub 8} present larger systematic shifts, ∼10%. The systematic offsets arise because of limitations in the modelling of the interplay between bias and redshift space distortions, and represent a limitation as the statistical errors of forthcoming surveys reach this level. Conveniently, we find that these residual systematics are mitigated for combinations of parameters. In particular, the quantity fσ{sub 8} is still recovered with ∼1% accuracy for the particular halo population and cosmology studied. The improvement on the modelling of the bispectrum presented in this paper will be useful for extracting information from current and future galaxy surveys.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Tully-Fisher relation, galactic rotation curves and dissipative mirror dark matter

If dark matter is dissipative then the distribution of dark matter within galactic halos can be governed by dissipation, heating and hydrostatic equilibrium. Previous work has shown that a specific model, in the framework of mirror dark matter, can explain several empirical galactic scaling relations. It is shown here that this dynamical halo model implies a quasi-isothermal dark matter density, ρ(r) ≅ ρ{sub 0}r{sub 0}{sup 2}/(r{sup 2}+r{sub 0}{sup 2}), where the core radius, r{sub 0}, scales with disk scale length, r{sub D}, via r{sub 0}/kpc ≈ 1.4(r{sub D}/kpc). Additionally, the product ρ{sub 0}r{sub 0} is roughly constant, i.e. independent of galaxy size (the constant is set by the parameters of the model). The derived dark matter density profile implies that the galactic rotation velocity satisfies the Tully-Fisher relation, L{sub B}∝v{sup 3}{sub max}, where v{sub max} is the maximal rotational velocity. Examples of rotation curves resulting from this dynamics are given.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

IceCube events and decaying dark matter: hints and constraints

In the light of the new IceCube data on the (yet unidentified) astrophysical neutrino flux in the PeV and sub-PeV range, we present an update on the status of decaying dark matter interpretation of the events. In particular, we develop further the angular distribution analysis and discuss the perspectives for diagnostics. By performing various statistical tests (maximum likelihood, Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Anderson-Darling tests) we conclude that currently the data show a mild preference (below the two sigma level) for the angular distribution expected from dark matter decay vs. the isotropic distribution foreseen for a conventional astrophysical flux of extragalactic origin. Also, we briefly develop some general considerations on heavy dark matter model building and on the compatibility of the expected energy spectrum of decay products with the IceCube data, as well as with existing bounds from gamma-rays. Alternatively, assuming that the IceCube data originate from conventional astrophysical sources, we derive bounds on both decaying and annihilating dark matter for various final states. The lower limits on heavy dark matter lifetime improve by up to an order of magnitude with respect to existing constraints, definitively making these events—even if astrophysical in origin—an important tool for astroparticle physics studies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗