Refined Cosmic-Ray Flux Predictions from Dark Matter Annihilation and Decay
Researchers have produced updated calculations of antiproton and antideuteron cosmic-ray fluxes expected from weak-scale dark matter particles using improved propagation models and cross-section data. The work refines previous predictions by incorporating newer Galactic propagation schemes (SLIM/BIG/QUAINT) and the latest inelastic cross-section models based on ALICE experimental data. These refined predictions are intended to improve the sensitivity of indirect dark matter searches using cosmic-ray observations.
A new study presents refined cosmic-ray flux calculations for antiprotons and antideuterons produced by the annihilation or decay of dark matter particles with masses between a few GeV and 100 TeV. The researchers employed updated models for how charged particles propagate through the Galaxy, including effects of spatial diffusion, energy losses, convection, and diffusive reacceleration, combined with improved spectral calculations from the CosmiXs tool. They tested multiple dark matter halo density profiles (NFW, Einasto, and Burkert) with current parameters and incorporated the latest inelastic cross-section data from ALICE experiments. Compared to earlier predictions from the PPPC4DMID package, the new calculations show greater robustness across different propagation scenarios (MIN-MAX variations). The authors have made their results publicly available in tabulated format across the 0.1–100 GeV kinetic energy range through a GitHub repository, enabling their use in indirect dark matter detection studies.
What's missing
The study does not discuss current observational constraints from existing cosmic-ray detectors (such as AMS-02) or provide explicit comparisons of predicted fluxes against measured data, which would contextualize the discovery potential of these predictions.
What different sources said
- arXiv astro-phCenter
Refined anti-proton and anti-deuteron fluxes from weak-scale Dark Matter
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