Neutralino Dark Matter from Indirect Detection Revisited

TL;DR

This paper reevaluates indirect detection methods for neutralino dark matter, highlighting the potential of non-thermal scenarios like wino or Higgsino dark matter to produce observable signals in cosmic rays and gamma rays.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive review of indirect detection signals for neutralino dark matter, emphasizing non-thermal production mechanisms and their phenomenological implications.

Findings

Non-thermal dark matter can produce detectable antimatter signals without large boost factors.

Wino and Higgsino dark matter may generate observable signals in cosmic rays and gamma rays.

Experiments like PAMELA and GLAST are expected to detect signals for pure wino dark matter.

Abstract

We revisit indirect detection possibilities for neutralino dark matter, emphasizing the complementary roles of different approaches. While thermally produced dark matter often requires large astrophysical "boost factors" to observe antimatter signals, the physically motivated alternative of non-thermal dark matter can naturally provide interesting signals, for example from light wino or Higgsino dark matter. After a brief review of cosmic ray propagation, we discuss signals for positrons, antiprotons, synchrotron radiation and gamma rays from wino annihilation in the galactic halo, and examine their phenomenology. For pure wino dark matter relevant to the LHC, PAMELA and GLAST should report signals.