Analysis of heavy neutrinos as a dark matter candidate (original) (raw)
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2017
The Keplerian distribution of velocities is not observed in the rotation of large scale structures, such as found in the rotation of spiral galaxies. The deviation from Keplerian distribution provides compelling evidence of the presence of non-luminous matter i.e. called dark matter. There are several astrophysical motivations for investigating the dark matter in and around the galaxy as halo. In this work we address various theoretical and experimental indications pointing towards the existence of this unknown form of matter. Amongst its constituents neutrino is one of the most prospective candidates. We know the neutrinos oscillate and have tiny masses, but there are also signatures for existence of heavy and light sterile neutrinos and possibility of their mixing. Altogether, the role of neutrinos is of great interests in cosmology and understanding dark matter.
1999
In these lectures I highlight some key features of massive neutrinos in the context of cosmology. I first review the thermal history and the free-streaming kinematics of the uniform cosmic background neutrinos. I then describe how fluctuations in the phase space distributions of neutrinos and other particles arise and evolve after neutrino decoupling according to the linear perturbation theory of gravitational instability. The different clustering properties of massive neutrinos (aka hot dark matter) and cold dark matter are contrasted. The last part discusses the nonlinear stage of gravitational clustering and highlights the effects of massive neutrinos on the formation of cosmological structure.
Probing dark matter models with neutrinos from the Galactic center
Physical Review D, 2010
We calculate the contained and upward muon and shower fluxes due to neutrinos produced via dark matter annihilation or decay in the Galactic center. We consider dark matter models in which the dark matter particle is a gravitino, a Kaluza-Klein particle and a particle in leptophilic models. The Navarro-Frenk-White profile for the dark matter density distribution in the Galaxy is used. We incorporate neutrino oscillations by assuming maximal mixing and parametrize our results for muon and shower distributions. The muon and shower event rates and the minimum observation times in order to reach 2σ detection significance are evaluated. We illustrate how observation times vary with the cone half angle chosen about the Galactic center, with the result that the optimum angles are about 10 • and 50 • for the muon events and shower events, respectively. We find that for the annihilating dark matter models such as the leptophilic and Kaluza-Klein models, upward and contained muon as well as showers are promising signals for dark matter detection in just a few years of observation, whereas for decaying dark matter models, the same observation times can only be reached with showers. We also illustrate for each model the parameter space probed with the 2σ signal detection in five years. We discuss how the shape of the parameter space probed change with significance and the observation time.
Interactions of astrophysical neutrinos with dark matter: a model building perspective
Journal of High Energy Physics
We explore the possibility that high energy astrophysical neutrinos can interact with the dark matter on their way to Earth. Keeping in mind that new physics might leave its signature at such energies, we have considered all possible topologies for effective interactions between neutrino and dark matter. Building models, that give rise to a significant flux suppression of astrophysical neutrinos at Earth, is rather difficult. We present a Z ′ -mediated model in this context. Encompassing a large variety of models, a wide range of dark matter masses from 10−21 eV up to a TeV, this study aims at highlighting the challenges one encounters in such a model building endeavour after satisfying various cosmological constraints, collider search limits and electroweak precision measurements.
Neutrinos from dark matter annihilations at the galactic center
Physical Review D, 2004
We discuss the prospects for detection of high energy neutrinos from dark matter annihilation at the Galactic centre. Despite the large uncertainties associated with our poor knowledge of the distribution of dark matter in the innermost regions of the Galaxy, we determine an upper limit on the neutrino flux by requiring that the associated gamma-ray emission does not exceed the observed flux. We conclude that if dark matter is made of neutralinos, a neutrino flux from dark matter annihilations at the GC will not be observable by Antares. Conversely, the positive detection of such a flux would either require an alternative explanation, in terms of astrophysical processes, or the adoption of other dark matter candidates, disfavouring the case for neutralinos.
High-energy neutrino signatures of dark matter
Physical Review D, 2010
Decaying dark matter has previously been proposed as a possible explanation for the excess high energy cosmic ray electrons and positrons seen by PAMELA and the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope (FGST). To accommodate these signals however, the decays must be predominantly leptonic, to muons or taus, and therefore produce neutrinos, potentially detectable with the IceCube neutrino observatory. We find that,
Model for neutrino masses and dark matter
Physical Review D, 2003
We propose a model for neutrino masses that simultaneously results in a new dark matter candidate, the right-handed neutrino. We derive the dark matter abundance in this model, show how the hierarchy of neutrino masses is obtained, and verify that the model is compatible with existing experimental results. The model provides an economical method of unifying two seemingly separate puzzles in contemporary particle physics and cosmology.