Astrophysical Uncertainties in the Cosmic Ray Electron and Positron Spectrum From Annihilating Dark Matter

TL;DR

This paper constrains cosmic ray propagation models using recent data to better understand the uncertainties in the electron and positron spectra from dark matter annihilation in the Milky Way.

Contribution

It provides new constraints on cosmic ray propagation parameters and quantifies their impact on dark matter indirect detection signals.

Findings

Propagation model parameters are constrained by recent observational data.

Uncertainties in the electron and positron spectra from dark matter are quantified.

Implications for dark matter detection strategies are discussed.

Abstract

In recent years, a number of experiments have been conducted with the goal of studying cosmic rays at GeV to TeV energies. This is a particularly interesting regime from the perspective of indirect dark matter detection. To draw reliable conclusions regarding dark matter from cosmic ray measurements, however, it is important to first understand the propagation of cosmic rays through the magnetic and radiation fields of the Milky Way. In this paper, we constrain the characteristics of the cosmic ray propagation model through comparison with observational inputs, including recent data from the CREAM experiment, and use these constraints to estimate the corresponding uncertainties in the spectrum of cosmic ray electrons and positrons from dark matter particles annihilating in the halo of the Milky Way.