Signatures of the Milky Way's Dark Disk in Current and Future Experiments

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the Milky Way's dark disk influences dark matter detection experiments, showing it enhances detection rates, modulates signals, and increases neutrino fluxes, thereby impacting current and future detection strategies.

Contribution

It quantifies the effects of the dark disk on direct and indirect dark matter detection, highlighting its significance for experimental sensitivity and interpretation.

Findings

Dark disk increases low-energy detection rates by up to 3 times.

Annual modulation signals are significantly boosted and phase-shifted.

Neutrino flux from the Sun is increased by a factor of ~5 due to the dark disk.

Abstract

In hierarchical structure formation models of disk galaxies, a dark matter disk forms as massive satellites are preferentially dragged into the disk-plane where they dissolve. Here, we quantify the importance of this dark disk for direct and indirect dark matter detection. The low velocity of the dark disk with respect to the Earth enhances detection rates in direct detection experiments at low recoil energy. For WIMP masses M_{WIMP} >~ 50 GeV, the detection rate increases by up to a factor of 3 in the 5 - 20 keV recoil energy range. Comparing this with rates at higher energy is sensitive to M_{WIMP}, providing stronger mass constraints particularly for M_{WIMP}>~100 GeV. The annual modulation signal is significantly boosted by the dark disk and the modulation phase is shifted by ~3 weeks relative to the dark halo. The variation of the observed phase with recoil energy determines M_{WIMP}, once the dark disk properties are fixed by future astronomical surveys. The low velocity of the particles in the dark disk with respect to the solar system significantly enhances the capture rate of WIMPs in the Sun, leading to an increased flux of neutrinos from the Sun which could be detected in current and future neutrino telescopes. The dark disk contribution to the muon flux from neutrino back conversion at the Earth is increased by a factor of ~5 compared to the SHM, for rho_d/rho_h=0.5.