arXiv subjects

Xiao-Song Hu

Publications and source records attributed to Xiao-Song Hu.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Constraints on Ultralight Scalar and Dark Photon Dark Matter from PPTA-DR3 and EPTA-DR2

The cold dark matter model successfully describes the Universe on large scales, yet faces challenges at sub-galactic scales. Ultralight dark matter (ULDM), with particle masses around $10^{-22} \mathrm{eV}$, offers a promising solution to these small-scale issues. Pulsar Timing Arrays (PTAs), designed to detect nanohertz gravitational waves, can also provide a sensitive probe for ULDM signals. In this work, we perform a Bayesian search for ULDM using PTA data sets, focusing on two types of signals: the oscillatory gravitational potential from scalar ULDM and the fifth-force interaction mediated by dark photon dark matter (DPDM). We incorporate pulsar distances in the analysis to better model the ULDM density. No statistically significant evidence for ULDM has been found, therefore we place 95% confidence-level upper limits on the relevant parameters. For scalar ULDM, our analysis does not exclude the scenario in which ULDM constitutes all of dark matter. The constraints from PPTA-DR3 show significant improvements over the earlier PPTA-DR2 (2018 Preview) across most of the mass range, and are consistent with the recent uncorrelated limits from other PTAs. We also present for the first time the DPDM constraints using EPTA data. The obtained bounds on the DPDM from the EPTA-DR2 and PPTA-DR3 are comparable to existing constraints.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2026

Targeted search for eccentric supermassive binary black holes in OJ 287 and nearby galaxy clusters with PPTA DR3

We perform Bayesian targeted searches for continuous gravitational waves from eccentric supermassive binary black holes (SMBBHs) using the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array third data release (PPTA DR3). Six electromagnetically motivated sky directions are analyzed, including the blazar OJ~287 and five nearby galaxy clusters (Virgo, Fornax, Norma, Hercules, and Coma). No significant signals are found. For OJ 287, by explicitly incorporating orbital eccentricity (up to $e_0 = 0.8$) to robustly capture signal power spread across multiple harmonics, we constrain the total binary mass to $M_{\rm tot} < 5.25 \times 10^{10} M_{\odot}$ (95\% credible level). We also place upper limits on the chirp mass of potential SMBBHs residing in galaxy clusters. By combining these limits with independent black hole mass estimates, we place novel constraints on the allowed binary mass ratios for potential hosts such as M87 and NGC~4889. Specifically, our results exclude binaries with mass ratios $q \gtrsim 10^{-2}$ at around 10 nHz for these massive systems, effectively ruling out equal-mass black hole mergers in the sampled parameter space. These findings demonstrate the growing power of pulsar timing arrays to probe SMBBH populations.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

Probing Ultralight Axion-like Dark Matter: A Pulsar Timing Arrays-Pulsar Polarization Arrays Synergy

Ultralight axionlike dark matter (ALDM) is a leading candidate in the dark matter realm, characterized by its prominent wave properties on astronomical scales. Pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) and Pulsar polarization arrays (PPAs) aim to detect this dark matter through timing and polarization measurements, respectively, of pulsars. The PTA relies on gravitational effects, while the PPA detects nongravitational effects. These two methods complement each other, synergistically enhancing the pulsar array's capability to identify the ALDM signals in the data. In this article, we provide a foundational development of this synergy. We begin by revisiting previously derived two-point correlation functions for both PTA and PPA, and extend the analysis to include the leading-order correlation between timing and polarization signals, encoded as a three-point function. We then explore the constructions of likelihood functions for PTA and combined PTA-PPA analyses within a Bayesian framework, aimed at detecting the characteristic correlations of ALDM signals. We emphasize the non-Gaussianity of the ALDM timing signals, which arises from their nonlinear dependence on the field, in contrast to the Gaussian nature of its polarization signals. To address the complexities introduced, we approach this investigation in two ways: one involves a Gaussian approximation with proper justifications, while the other derives the formalism from the generic Gaussian characteristics of the ALDM field. Particularly, for the combined PTA-PPA case, a clear connection between the three-point correlation function and the likelihood is established. We anticipate that these efforts will lead to further developments in PTA and PTA-PPA analysis methods, better accounting for the influence of non-Gaussianity.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

Constraining the parameters of heavy dark matter and memory-burdened primordial black holes with DAMPE electron measurements

The DArk Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) is a space-based instrument for detecting GeV-TeV cosmic rays and gamma rays. High-energy cosmic rays could be emitted from several dark matter candidates theoretically, such as the heavy dark matter (HDM) and the primordial black holes (PBHs). HDM particles with a mass of $>100\,{\rm TeV}$ could decay into $\gtrsim 10\,{\rm TeV}$ electron/positron pairs. PBHs with a mass of $\lesssim 10^{10}\,{\rm g}$ would survive to the present day if the Hawking radiation is significantly suppressed due to the memory burden effect and can also lead to the emission of $\gtrsim 10\,{\rm TeV}$ electrons. In this work, we use the DAMPE electron measurements to obtain the constraints on the decay lifetime $τ$ of HDM and the entropy index $k$ of memory-burdened PBHs at $95 \%$ confidence level. The constraints on the fraction $f_{\rm PBH}$ are also derived with a fixed $k$. Furthermore, the high-energy tail of the DAMPE electron spectrum shows a sign of going upwards, possibly suggesting the presence of an additional component; we discuss if this spectral behavior is real, which parameter space is required for it to be attributed to HDM or PBH. We will show that the required parameters have been constrained by existing limits.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

Constraints on primordial black holes in dSphs using radio observations

Primordial black holes (PBHs) are hypothetical objects formed at the early epoch of the universe, which could be a type of dark matter (DM) candidate without the need for new particles. The abundance of PBH DM has been constrained strictly by many observations.In this work, with the radio observations of Fornax and Segue I, we constrain the abundance of PBH in dwarf spheroidal galaxies through the synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) effect of Hawking radiation electrons. By selecting optimal sources, we obtain the constraints on the fraction of PBH DM down to $\sim10^{-3}$ for Segue I and $\sim10^{-5}$ for Fornax at asteroidal mass. We also predict that, with 100 hours of future observation by the Square Kilometer Array, the SSC approach could place constraints comparable to the current strictest results for PBHs of $<5\times10^{15}\,{\rm g}$. Better projected constraints can be obtained by including the inverse Compton scattering on cosmic microwave background photons.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2024

Constraining dark photon parameters based on the very high energy observations of blazars

Dark photon is a new gauge boson beyond the Standard Model as a kind of dark matter (DM) candidate. Dark photon dark matter (DPDM) interacts with electromagnetic fields via kinetic mixing, implicating an approach to give a constraint with extragalactic very high energy (VHE) sources. In this work, we attempt to constrain the kinetic mixing from the photon-dark photon scattering process in the host galaxy of blazar, the intergalactic medium and the Milky Way. The VHE photons from a blazar would pass through a dense DM spike around the supermassive black hole where the absorption from DPDM is dramatically enhanced. The kinetic mixing is constrained to be $ε\sim 10^{-7}$ at a 95$\%$ confidence level with $m_{\rm D}\sim 0.03 - 1$ eV mass range from the observations of Markarian (Mrk) 421 and Mrk 501.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

Constraints on the annihilation of heavy dark matter in dwarf spheroidal galaxies with gamma-ray observations

Electrons and positrons produced in dark matter annihilation can generate secondary emission through synchrotron and IC processes, and such secondary emission provides a possible means to detect DM particles with masses beyond the detector's energy band. The secondary emission of heavy dark matter (HDM) particles in the TeV-PeV mass range lies within the Fermi-LAT energy band. In this paper, we utilize the Fermi-LAT observations of dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies to search for annihilation signals of HDM particles. We consider the propagation of $e^+/e^-$ produced by DM annihilation within the dSphs, derive the electron spectrum of the equilibrium state by solving the propagation equation, and then compute the gamma-ray signals produced by the $e^+/e^-$ population through the IC and synchrotron processes. Considering the spatial diffusion of electrons, the dSphs are modeled as extended sources in the analysis of Fermi-LAT data according to the expected spatial intensity distribution of the gamma rays. We do not detect any significant HDM signal. By assuming a magnetic field strength of $B=1\,{\rm μG}$ and a diffusion coefficient of $D_0 = 3\times10^{28}\,{\rm cm^{2}s^{-1}}$ of the dSphs, we place limits on the annihilation cross section for HDM particles. Our results are weaker than the previous limits given by the VERITAS and IceCube observations of dSphs, but extend the existing limits to higher DM masses. As a complement, we also search for the prompt $γ$-rays produced by DM annihilation and give limits on the cross section in the 10-$10^5$ GeV mass range. Consequently, in this paper we obtain the upper limits on the DM annihilation cross section for a very wide mass range from 10 GeV to 100 PeV in a unified framework of the Fermi-LAT data analysis.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

Using $γ$-ray observations of dwarf spheroidal galaxies to test the possible common origin of the W-boson mass anomaly and the GeV $γ$-ray/antiproton excesses

A recent result from Fermilab suggests that the measured W-boson mass deviates from the prediction of the Standard Model (SM) with a significance of $>7σ$, and there may exist new physics beyond the SM. It is proposed that the inert two Higgs doublet model (i2HDM) can well explain the new W-boson mass. Meanwhile, the lightest neutral scalar $S$ in the i2HDM can be stable and play the role of dark matter with a preferred dark matter mass of $\sim 54-74$ GeV. It is also found that part of the parameter space of this model can explain both the Galactic center GeV gamma-ray excess detected by $Fermi$-LAT and the GeV antiproton excess detected by AMS-02 through a $SS\rightarrow WW^*$ annihilation. In this paper, we aim to test the possible common i2HDM origin of the three anomaly/excesses using the $Fermi$-LAT observations of Milky Way dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies. We perform single and stacking analyses on 19 dSphs that have J-factor measurements. We find that our upper limits are below the favored parameters and seems to be able to exclude the possibility of a common origin of the three anomaly/excesses. However, because the J-factor measurements include relatively large uncertainties, which come from the measurements of stellar kinematics, whether this model could be reliably excluded needs to be further confirmed by future observations.

astro-ph.HE↗