Constraints on spin-dependent dark matter scattering with long-lived mediators from TeV observations of the Sun with HAWC

Résumé fourni par la source

We analyze the Sun as a source for the indirect detection of dark matter through a search for gamma rays from the solar disk. Capture of dark matter by elastic interactions with the solar nuclei followed by annihilation to long-lived mediators can produce a detectable gamma-ray flux. We search 3 years of data from the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory and find no statistically significant detection of TeV gamma-ray emission from the Sun. Using this, we constrain the spin-dependent elastic scattering cross section of dark matter with protons for dark matter masses above 1 TeV, assuming a sufficiently long-lived mediator. The results complement constraints obtained from Fermi-LAT observations of the Sun and together cover WIMP masses between 4 and $1{0}^{6}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}$. In the optimal scenario, the cross-section constraints for mediator decays to gamma rays can be as strong as $\ensuremath{\sim}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}45}\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$, which is more than 4 orders of magnitude stronger than current direct-detection experiments for a 1 TeV dark matter mass. The cross-section constraints at higher masses are even better, nearly 7 orders of magnitude better than the current direct-detection constraints for a 100 TeV dark matter mass. This demonstration of sensitivity encourages detailed development of theoretical models in light of these powerful new constraints.

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