Section on Prospects for Dark Matter Detection of the White Paper on the Status and Future of Ground-Based TeV Gamma-Ray Astronomy

TL;DR

This paper reviews the potential of future ground-based TeV gamma-ray experiments to detect dark matter, emphasizing the importance of gamma-ray observations in identifying dark matter particles and understanding their distribution.

Contribution

It provides an analysis of how upcoming gamma-ray experiments can complement other dark matter search methods and highlights the significance of gamma-ray spectra in dark matter identification.

Findings

Gamma-ray measurements are crucial for dark matter particle identification.

Future experiments can map dark matter distribution in galactic halos.

Gamma-ray observations complement direct and accelerator-based searches.

Abstract

This is a report on the findings of the dark matter science working group for the white paper on the status and future of TeV gamma-ray astronomy. The white paper was commissioned by the American Physical Society, and the full white paper can be found on astro-ph (arXiv:0810.0444). This detailed section discusses the prospects for dark matter detection with future gamma-ray experiments, and the complementarity of gamma-ray measurements with other indirect, direct or accelerator-based searches. We conclude that any comprehensive search for dark matter should include gamma-ray observations, both to identify the dark matter particle (through the charac- teristics of the gamma-ray spectrum) and to measure the distribution of dark matter in galactic halos.