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arXiv · 2507.01962

Sub-keV dark matter can strongly ionize molecular clouds

Pedro De la Torre Luque·Pierluca Carenza·Thong T. Q. Nguyen
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Abstract

We show that the ionization of dense molecular clouds can be used to set strong constraints on dark matter models producing UV/X-ray photons in their annihilation or decay. We place robust and competitive constraints on various dark matter models, such as axion-like particles, scalars and sterile neutrinos, for masses between $\sim30$~eV and $10$~keV, and project forecasts to illustrate the potential of this target. We discuss how these constraints can be significantly improved by considering a more refined sample of molecular clouds near the Galactic Center and above the Galactic plane, a detailed modeling of the cosmic-ray ionization contribution and, potentially, a more refined analysis of the gas density in clouds through dust extinction maps. Thus, ionization of molecular clouds emerges as one of the most powerful tools for probing sub-keV dark matter.

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Pedro De la Torre Luque, Pierluca Carenza, Thong T. Q. Nguyen. 2025-07-02. Sub-keV dark matter can strongly ionize molecular clouds. https://doi.org/10.1103/qmw9-1k4k

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