Year: 2007
Type: article
Abstract: We study the prospects for detecting gamma-rays from decaying dark matter (DM), focusing in particular on gravitino DM in R-parity breaking vacua. Given the substantially different angular distribution of the predicted gamma-ray signal with respect to the case of annihilating DM, and the relatively poor (of order 0.1°) angular resolution of gamma-ray detectors, the best strategy for detection is in this case to look for an exotic contribution to the gamma-ray flux at high galactic latitudes, where the decaying DM contribution would resemble an astrophysical extragalactic component, similar to the one inferred by EGRET observations. Upcoming experiments such as GLAST and AMS-02 may identify this exotic contribution and discriminate between it and astrophysical sources, or place significant constraints on the mass and lifetime of DM particles.
Authors: Gianfranco Bertone, Wilfried Buchmüller, Laura Covi, Alejandro Ibarra
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Funder: CERN
OpenAlex ID: W2022498027