Year: 2025
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: We present a search for synchrotron emission from Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) annihilation in the Reticulum II (Ret II) dwarf spheroidal galaxy. Using deep 8-hour observations with the MeerKAT Interferometry in the UHF band, we image the target field and perform source subtraction to create a residual map sensitive to diffuse emission. We model the expected synchrotron signal for WIMP annihilation into $b\bar{b}$, $\tau^+\tau^-$, and $\mu^+\mu^-$ channels. No significant signal is detected. We derive stringent upper limits on the velocity-weighted annihilation cross-section $\langle \sigma v \rangle$ at 95\% confidence level, excluding values above approximately $10^{-26}$ cm$^3$s$^{-1}$ for WIMP masses between 20--100 GeV in the $b\bar{b}$ channel. Our results, a significant improvement over previous ATCA limits, demonstrate MeerKAT's powerful capabilities in indirect dark matter searches and provide a preview of the potential of the upcoming Square Kilometre Array (SKA)
DOI: 10.22323/1.501.0525
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4414452009
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