Multiwavelength dark matter search

• Applicant: Dr. Denys Malyshev
• Subject Area: Nuclear and Elementary Particle Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Relativity, Fields ; Astrophysics and Astronomy
• Term: from 2018 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 414750543

Since the very first suggestions on the existence of dark matter (DM) in 1920 evidence for it steadily increases from year to year. According to nowadays standard cosmology, dark matter is the second (after dark energy) densiest specie in the Universe. Despite its density is measured with a high precision, its nature and most of its properties remain unknown, since only its gravitational interaction with "normal" baryonic matter has been observed up to date.It is usually assumed that DM is composed of yet undetected particles, predicted by extension(s) of the Standard Model (SM) of elementary particles. Among all proposed extensions of the SM, only a few suggest DM particle candidate(s), which could in addition solve open questions of the SM. Two such promising and interesting extensions, nuMSM and MSSM models, naturally provide DM candidates (sterile neutrino and WIMPs) in the keV -- GeV mass range.To explain the presence of dark matter in todays' Universe, the lifetime of the candidates has to be cosmological. However, depending on its nature, the DM particle could manifest itself through SM particles, decaying or annihilating to photons.Within this proposal we will perform a deep search of the signatures of the decaying/annihilating sterile neutrino/WIMP dark matter in astrophysical objects. To this aim, we plan to systematically analyse X-ray/gamma-ray data in the broad 1 keV -- 100 GeV energy range.To fulfill the goals of the project we will:1. Identify a sample of DM-dominated objects and instruments suitable to search for the DM signal;2. Analyze keV-GeV spectra of individual objects selected in the sample for the presence of DM decay/annihilation feature;3. Perform deep all-sky, template-correlation based, search for the DM signal at keV-GeV energies using all suitable data available to date.Our study will result either in the detection of the DM decay/annihilation signal or will put the tightest constraints to date on this signal and therefore on the DM parameters in the studied energy range. The obtained constraints could not be significantly improved before the launch or operation of next-generation X-ray/gamma-ray missions/observatories, that is in the next 10 years.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Denmark, Netherlands, Switzerland
• Cooperation Partners: Professor Dr. Alexey Boyarsky; Professor Dr. Andrii Neronov; Dr. Oleg Ruchayskij