The Zero Age Main Sequence of WIMP burners

TL;DR

This paper explores how dark matter accretion and annihilation can alter stellar evolution, potentially creating stable, protostar-like stars called WIMP burners, with implications for understanding certain young stars near galactic centers.

Contribution

It introduces a modified stellar model to study the impact of dark matter annihilation on main sequence stars, highlighting the existence of stable WIMP burner stars and their observational prospects.

Findings

WIMP burners resemble protostars on the Hayashi track

Dark matter annihilation can halt nuclear fusion in stars

Potential link to young OB stars at the galactic center

Abstract

We modify a stellar structure code to estimate the effect upon the main sequence of the accretion of weakly interacting dark matter onto stars and its subsequent annihilation. The effect upon the stars depends upon whether the energy generation rate from dark matter annihilation is large enough to shut off the nuclear burning in the star. Main sequence WIMP burners look much like protostars moving on the Hayashi track, although they are in principle completely stable. We make some brief comments about where such stars could be found, how they might be observed and more detailed simulations which are currently in progress. Finally we comment on whether or not it is possible to link the paradoxically young OB stars found at the galactic centre with WIMP burners.