Atmospheric Absorption of Dark Matter
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Typically, the interaction between dark matter and ordinary matter is assumed to be very small. Nevertheless, in this article, I show that the effective resonant absorption of dark photon dark matter in the atmosphere is definitely possible. This might also be associated with the alleged temperature anomalies observed in our upper stratosphere. By allowing a small amount of additional energy deposition to our upper stratosphere, a narrow dark matter mass range m A ∼ 0.0001–0.001 eV and the corresponding range of the mixing parameter ε are constrained for the first time. This proposal might overturn our usual assumption of extremely weak interaction between dark matter and ordinary matter and revive the hope of detecting dark matter directly. Some important implications of this proposal, such as the heating of planets and supermassive dark stars, would also be discussed.
Source: The Astrophysical Journal
Author: Man Ho Chan
Institution: Education University of Hong Kong
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $4,499
Awards: G6688017303, G7302155620
OpenAlex ID: W4409707821