Search for Dark Matter signatures with MAGIC-I and prospects for MAGIC Phase-II

TL;DR

This paper discusses the search for dark matter signatures using the MAGIC-I telescope, highlighting recent results and prospects for future observations with MAGIC Phase-II, focusing on high-energy gamma-ray detection from astrophysical dark matter candidates.

Contribution

It presents recent MAGIC-I results on dark matter searches and evaluates the potential of MAGIC Phase-II for detecting gamma-ray signals from dark matter annihilation.

Findings

MAGIC-I has set constraints on gamma-ray emissions from dark matter candidates.

Potential for MAGIC Phase-II to improve detection sensitivity.

Dwarf spheroidal galaxies and galaxy clusters are promising targets.

Abstract

In many Dark Matter (DM) scenarios, the annihilation of DM particles can produce gamma rays with a continuum spectrum that extends up to very high energies of the order of the electroweak symmetry breaking scale (hundreds of GeV). Astrophysical structures supposed to be dynamically dominated by DM, such as dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies, Galaxy Clusters (the largest ones in the local Universe being mostly observable from the northern hemisphere) and Intermediate Mass Black Holes, can be considered as interesting targets to look for DM annihilation with Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs). Instead, the center of our Galaxy seems to be strongly contaminated with astrophysical sources. The 17m Major Atmospheric Gamma-ray Imaging Cherenkov (MAGIC-I) Telescope, situated in the Canary island of La Palma (2200 m a.s.l.), is best suited for DM searches, due to its unique combination of high sensitivity and low energy threshold among current IACTs which can potentially allow to provide clues on the high energy end, and possibly peak, of the gamma-ray DM-induced spectrum constrained at lower energies with the Fermi Space Telescope. The recent results achieved by MAGIC-I for some of the best candidates, as well as the DM detection prospects for the MAGIC Phase II, are reported.