Testing Dark Matter with Neutrino Detectors

TL;DR

This paper explores how neutrino detectors can be utilized to detect signals from dark matter annihilations and decays, providing a novel method to constrain dark matter properties.

Contribution

It introduces a new approach to use neutrino detectors for setting limits on dark matter annihilation cross sections and lifetimes.

Findings

Neutrino detectors can place constraints on dark matter properties.

Current detectors already provide meaningful limits.

Future detectors could significantly improve these constraints.

Abstract

Neutrinos are the least detectable Standard Model particle. By making use of this fact, we consider dark matter annihilations and decays in the galactic halo and show how present and future neutrino detectors could be used to set general limits on the dark matter annihilation cross section and on the dark matter lifetime.