arXiv subjects

Piero Ullio

Publications and source records attributed to Piero Ullio.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2004

The Role of Antimatter Searches in the Hunt for Supersymmetric Dark Matter

We analyze the antimatter yield of supersymmetric (SUSY) models with large neutralino annihilation cross sections. We introduce three benchmark scenarios, respectively featuring bino, wino and higgsino-like lightest neutralinos, and we study in detail the resulting antimatter spectral features. We carry out a systematic and transparent comparison between current and future prospects for direct detection, neutrino telescopes and antimatter searches. We demonstrate that often, in the models we consider, antimatter searches are the only detection channel which already constrains the SUSY parameter space. Particularly large antiprotons fluxes are expected for wino-like lightest neutralinos, while significant antideuteron fluxes result from resonantly annihilating binos. We introduce a simple and general recipe which allows to assess the visibility of a given SUSY model at future antimatter search facilities. We provide evidence that upcoming space-based experiments, like PAMELA or AMS, are going to be, in many cases, the unique open road towards dark matter discovery.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2004

Direct versus indirect detection in mSUGRA with self-consistent halo models

We perform a detailed analysis of the detection prospects of neutralino dark matter in the mSUGRA framework. We focus on models with a thermal relic density, estimated with high accuracy using the DarkSUSY package, in the range favored by current precision cosmological measurements. Direct and indirect detection rates are computed implementing two models for the dark matter halo, tracing opposite regimes for the phase of baryon infall, with fully consistent density profiles and velocity distribution functions. This has allowed, for the first time, a fully consistent comparison between direct and indirect detection prospects. We discuss all relevant regimes in the mSUGRA parameter space, underlining relevant effects, and providing the basis for extending the discussion to alternative frameworks. In general, we find that direct detection and searches for antideuterons in the cosmic rays seems to be the most promising ways to search for neutralinos in these scenarios.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

Neutralino Relic Density Enhancement in Non-Standard Cosmologies

The thermal relic abundance of species critically depends on the assumed underlying cosmological model. In the case of neutralinos, freeze-out takes place long before Big Bang Nucleosynthesis, which provides the strongest constraint on the evolution of the Hubble parameter in the Early Universe. We show that non-standard cosmologies, such as models featuring a quintessential scalar field or primordial anisotropies, can lead to large enhancements in the neutralino relic abundance, up to six orders of magnitudes. Within these scenarios, supersymmetric models with large neutralino annihilation cross sections may account for the whole inferred amount of cold dark matter, yielding on the other hand large indirect detection rates.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

The Galactic Center as a Dark Matter Gamma-Ray Source

The EGRET telescope has identified a gamma-ray source at the Galactic center. We point out here that the spectral features of this source are compatible with the gamma-ray flux induced by pair annihilations of dark matter weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). We show that the discrimination between this interpretation and other viable explanations will be possible with GLAST, the next major gamma-ray telescope in space, on the basis of both the spectral and the angular signature of the WIMP-induced component. If, on the other hand, the data will point to an alternative explanation, we prove that there will still be the possibility for GLAST to single out a weaker dark matter source at the Galactic center. The potential of GLAST has been explored both in the context of a generic simplified toy-model for WIMP dark matter, and in a more specific setup, the case of dark matter neutralinos in the minimal supergravity framework. In the latter, we find that even in the case of moderate dark matter densities in the Galactic center region, there are portions of the parameter space which will be probed by GLAST.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

SUSY Dark Matter and Quintessence

We investigate the enhancement of neutralino relic density in the context of a realistic cosmological scenario with Quintessence. The accurate relic density computation we perform allows us to be sensitive to both cases with shifts in the abundance at the percent level, and to enhancements as large as 10^6. We thoroughly analyze the dependence on the supersymmetric spectrum and on the mass and composition of the lightest neutralino. We point out that supersymmetric models yielding a wino or higgsino-like lightest neutralino become cosmologically appealing in the presence of Quintessence.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2003

Search for Dark Matter with GLAST

The detection of exotic cosmic rays due to pair annihilation of dark matter particles in the Milky Way halo is a viable techniques to search for supersymmetric dark matter candidates. The study of the spectrum of gamma-rays, antiprotons and positrons offers good possibilities to perform this search in a significant portion of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model parameter space. In particular the EGRET team have seen a convincing signal for a strong excess of emission from the Galactic center that has no simple explanation with standard processes. We will review the limits achievable with the experiment GLAST taking into accounts the LEP results and we will compare this method with the antiproton and positrons experiments.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

Accurate relic densities with neutralino, chargino and sfermion coannihilations in mSUGRA

Neutralinos arise as natural dark matter candidates in many supersymmetric extensions of the Standard Model. We present a novel calculation of the neutralino relic abundance in which we include all so called coannihilation processes between neutralinos, charginos and sfermions, and, at the same time, we apply the state of the art technique to trace the freeze-out of a species in the early Universe. As a first application, we discuss here results valid in the mSUGRA framework; we enlight general trends as well as perform a detailed study of the neutralino relic densities in the mSUGRA parameter space. The emerging picture is fair agreement with previous analyses in the same framework, however we have the power to discuss it in many more details than previously done. E.g., we find that the cosmological bound on the neutralino mass is pushed up to ~565 GeV in the stau coannihilation region and to ~1500 GeV in the chargino coannihilation region.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2002

DarkSUSY - A numerical package for supersymmetric dark matter calculations

The question of the nature of dark matter in the Universe remains one of the most outstanding unsolved problems in basic science. One of the best motivated particle physics candidates is the lightest supersymmetric particle, assumed to be the lightest neutralino. We here describe DarkSUSY, an advanced numerical FORTRAN package for supersymmetric dark matter calculations. With DarkSUSY one can: (i) compute masses and compositions of various supersymmetric particles; (ii) compute the relic density of the lightest neutralino, using accurate methods which include the effects of resonances, pair production thresholds and coannihilations; (iii) check accelerator bounds to identify allowed supersymmetric models; and (iv) obtain neutralino detection rates for a variety of detection methods, including direct detection and indirect detection through antiprotons, gamma-rays and positrons from the Galactic halo or neutrinos from the center of the Earth or the Sun.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2002

Cosmological dark matter annihilations into gamma-rays - a closer look

We investigate the prospects of detecting weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter by measuring the contribution to the extragalactic gamma-ray radiation induced, in any dark matter halo and at all redshifts, by WIMP pair annihilations into high-energy photons. We perform a detailed analysis of the distinctive spectral features of this signal, recently proposed in a short letter by three of the authors, with emphasis on the signature due to monochromatic gamma-ray yields: the combined effect of cosmological redshift and absorption along the line of sight produces sharp bumps, peaked at the rest frame energy of the lines and asymmetrically smeared to lower energies. The level of the flux depends both on the particle physics scenario for WIMP dark matter and on the question of how dark matter clusters. Uncertainties introduced by the latter are thoroughly discussed implementing a realistic model inspired by results of the state-of-the-art N-body simulations and semi-analytic modeling in the cold dark matter structure formation theory. We also address the question of the potential gamma-ray background originating from blazars, presenting a novel calculation. Comparing the signal with the background, we find that there are viable configurations, in the combined parameter space defined by the particle physics setup and the structure formation scenario, for which the WIMP induced extragalactic gamma-ray signal will be detectable in the new generation of gamma-ray telescopes such as GLAST.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2001

Spectral Gamma-ray Signatures of Cosmological Dark Matter Annihilation

We propose a new signature for weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter, a spectral feature in the diffuse extragalactic gamma-ray radiation. This feature, a sudden drop of the gamma-ray intensity at an energy corresponding to the WIMP mass, comes from the asymmetric distortion of the line due to WIMP annihilation into two gamma-rays caused by the cosmological redshift. Unlike other proposed searches for a line signal, this method is not very sensitive to the exact dark matter density distribution in halos and subhalos. The only requirement is that the mass distribution of substructure on small scales follows approximately the Press-Schechter law, and that smaller halos are on the average denser than large halos, which is a generic outcome of N-body simulations of Cold Dark Matter, and which has observational support. The upcoming Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) will be eminently suited to search for these spectral features. For numerical examples, we use rates computed for supersymmetric particle dark matter, where a detectable signal is possible.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2001

A novel antimatter detector based on X-ray deexcitation of exotic atoms

We propose a novel antiparticle detector. The gaseous antiparticle spectrometer (GAPS) effects particle identification through the characteristic X-rays emitted by antiparticles when they form exotic atoms in gases. GAPS obtains particularly high grasp (effective area--solid angle product) at lower particle energies, where conventional schemes are most limited in their utility. The concept is simple and lightweight, so it can be readily employed on balloon and space-based missions. An extremely powerful potential application of GAPS is a space-based search for the neutralino through the detection of a neutralino annihilation by-product -- the antideuteron. Paradoxically, this space-based search for the neutralino is capable of achieving comparable sensitivity to as yet unrealized third generation, underground dark matter experiments. And GAPS can obtain this performance in a very modest satellite experiment. GAPS can also provide superior performance in searches for primary antiprotons produced via neutralino annihilation, black hole evaporation and in probing subdominant contributions to the antiproton flux at low energies. In a deep space mission GAPS will obtain higher sensitivity for a given weight and power than BGO calorimeters.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2001

Indirect detection of neutralino dark matter candidates in anomaly-mediated supersymmetry breaking scenarios

We consider a model for neutralino dark matter candidates arising in anomaly-mediated supersymmetry breaking schemes, and examine its testability through the search for exotic cosmic rays produced by neutralino pair annihilations in the dark halo of the Galaxy. We find that the model is already constrained by available antiprotons and positrons measurements and may be further tested in upcoming measurements of these cosmic ray species. We show also that the monochromatic gamma-ray flux from neutralino annihilations is enhanced in this model up to two orders of magnitude with respect to alternative scenarios. The gamma-ray flux detected by the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope in the direction of the Galactic center exceeds significantly the theoretical expectation of standard emission models. We prove that if at least 10% of this excess is due to gamma-ray radiation with continuum energy spectrum from neutralino annihilations in the model under investigation, the associated gamma-ray line will be detected by upcoming gamma-ray experiments.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2001

A Dark-Matter Spike at the Galactic Center?

The past growth of the central black hole (BH) might have enhanced the density of cold dark matter halo particles at the Galactic center. We compute this effect in realistic growth models of the present (2-3)*10**6 solar mass BH from a low-mass seed BH, with special attention to dynamical modeling in a realistic galaxy environment with merger and orbital decay of a seed BH formed generally outside the exact center of the halo. An intriguing ``very-dense spike'' of dark matter has been claimed in models of Gondolo and Silk with density high enough to contradict with experimental upper bounds of neutralino annihilation radiation. This ``spike'' disappears completely or is greatly weakened when we include important dynamical processes neglected in their idealized/restrictive picture with cold particles surrounding an at-the-center zero-seed adiabaticly-growing BH. For the seed BH to spiral in and settle to the center within a Hubble time by dynamical friction, the seed mass must be at least a significant fraction of the present BH. Any subsequent at-the-center growth of the BH and steepening of the central Keplerian potential well can squeeze the halo density distribution only mildly, whether the squeezing happens adiabatically or instantaneously.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

A new population of WIMPs in the solar system and indirect detection rates

A new Solar System population of Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) dark matter has been proposed to exist. We investigate the implications of this population on indirect signals in neutrino telescopes (due to WIMP annihilations in the Earth) for the case when the WIMP is the lightest neutralino of the MSSM, the minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model. The velocity distribution and capture rate of this new population is evaluated and the flux of neutrino-induced muons from the center of the Earth in neutrino telescopes is calculated. We show that the effects of the new population can be crucial for masses around 60-120 GeV, where enhancements of the predicted muon flux from the center of the Earth by up to a factor of 100 compared to previously published estimates occur. As a result of the new WIMP population, neutrino telescopes should be able to probe a much larger region of parameter space in this mass range.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

DarkSUSY - A numerical package for dark matter calculations in the MSSM

The question of the nature of the dark matter in the Universe remains one of the most outstanding unsolved problems in basic science. One of the best motivated particle physics candidates is the lightest supersymmetric particle, assumed to be the lightest neutralino. We here describe DarkSUSY, an advanced numerical FORTRAN package for supersymmetric dark matter calculations which we release for public use. With the help of this package, the masses and compositions of various supersymmetric particles can be computed, for given input parameters of the minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model (MSSM). For the lightest neutralino, the relic density is computed, using accurate methods which include the effects of resonances, pair production thresholds and coannihilations. Accelerator bounds are checked to identify viable dark matter candidates. Finally, detection rates are computed for a variety of detection methods, such as direct detection and indirect detection through antiprotons, gamma-rays and positrons from the Galactic halo or neutrinos from the center of the Earth or the Sun.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

Spin-Dependent WIMPs in DAMA?

We investigate whether the annual modulation observed in the DAMA experiment can be due to a weakly-interacting massive particle (WIMP) with an axial-vector (spin-dependent; SD) coupling to nuclei. We evaluate the SD WIMP-proton cross section under the assumption that such scattering accounts for the DAMA modulation, and we do the same for a SD WIMP-neutron cross section. We show that SD WIMP-proton scattering is ruled out in a model-independent fashion by null searches for energetic neutrinos from WIMP annihilation in the Sun, and that SD WIMP-neutron scattering is ruled out for WIMP masses > 20 GeV by the null result with the DAMA Xe detector. A SD WIMP with mass < 20 GeV is still compatible, but only if the SD WIMP-neutron interaction is four orders of magnitude greater than the WIMP-proton interaction.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2000

Velocity distributions and annual-modulation signatures of weakly-interacting massive particles

An annual modulation in the event rate of the NaI detector of the DAMA collaboration has been used to infer the existence of particle dark matter in the Galactic halo. Bounds on the WIMP mass and WIMP-nucleon cross section have been derived. These analyses have assumed that the local dark-matter velocity distribution is either isotropic or has some bulk rotation. Here we consider the effects of possible structure in the WIMP velocity distribution on the annual-modulation amplitude. We show that if we allow for a locally anisotropic velocity dispersion tensor, the interpretation of direct detection experiments could be altered significantly. We also show that uncertainties in the velocity distribution that arise from uncertainties in the radial density profile are less important if the velocity dispersion is assumed to be isotropic.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1999

Implications of a New Solar System Population of Neutralinos on Indirect Detection Rates

Recently, a new Solar System population of weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter has been proposed to exist. We investigate the implications of this population on indirect signals in neutrino telescopes (due to WIMP annihilations in the Earth) for the case when the WIMP is the lightest neutralino of the MSSM, the minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model. The velocity distribution and capture rate of this new population is evaluated and the flux of neutrino-induced muons from the center of the Earth in neutrino telescopes is calculated. The strength of the signal is very sensitive to the velocity distribution of the new population. We analytically estimate this distribution using the approximate conservation of the component of the WIMP angular momentum orthogonal to the ecliptic plane. The non-linear problem of combining a fixed capture rate from the standard galactic WIMP population with one rising linearly with time from the new population to obtain the present-day annihilation rate in the Earth is also solved analytically. We show that the effects of the new population can be crucial for masses below around 150 GeV, where enhancements of the predicted muon flux from the center of the Earth by up to a factor of 100 compared to previously published estimates occur. As a result of the new WIMP population, the next generation of neutrino telescopes should be able to probe a much larger region of parameter space in the mass range 60-130 GeV.

hep-ph↗