Limits on a muon flux from neutralino annihilations in the Sun with the IceCube 22-string detector

TL;DR

This study used the IceCube 22-string detector to search for muon neutrinos from neutralino annihilations in the Sun, setting the most stringent limits to date on such processes within a broad WIMP mass range.

Contribution

First to set upper limits on neutralino annihilation in the Sun using IceCube 22-string data, constraining WIMP-proton cross-sections for masses 250-5000 GeV.

Findings

No excess neutrino flux observed over background.

Established the most stringent limits on neutralino annihilation.

Constrained WIMP-proton cross-sections across a wide mass range.

Abstract

A search for muon neutrinos from neutralino annihilations in the Sun has been performed with the IceCube 22-string neutrino detector using data collected in 104.3 days of live-time in 2007. No excess over the expected atmospheric background has been observed. Upper limits have been obtained on the annihilation rate of captured neutralinos in the Sun and converted to limits on the WIMP-proton cross-sections for WIMP masses in the range 250 - 5000 GeV. These results are the most stringent limits to date on neutralino annihilation in the Sun.