arXiv · 2408.02721
Attenuation of Cosmic Ray Electron Boosted Dark Matter
Abstract
We consider a model of boosted dark matter (DM), where a fraction of DM is upscattered to relativistic energies by cosmic ray electrons. Such interactions responsible for boosting the DM also attenuate its flux at the Earth. Considering a simple model of constant interaction cross-section, we make analytical estimates of the variation of the attenuation ceiling with the DM mass and confirm it numerically. We then extend our analysis to a $Z'$-mediated leptophilic DM model. We show that the attenuation ceiling remains nearly model-independent for DM and mediator particles heavier than the electron, challenging some previous discussions on this topic. Using the XENONnT direct detection experiment, we illustrate how constraints based on energy-dependent scattering can significantly differ from those based on an assumed constant cross-section. This highlights the importance of re-evaluating these constraints in the context of specific models.
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Tim Herbermann, Manfred Lindner, Manibrata Sen. 2024-08-05. Attenuation of Cosmic Ray Electron Boosted Dark Matter. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevd.110.123023
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