Updated CMB constraints on Dark Matter annihilation cross-sections
Silvia Galli, Fabio Iocco, Gianfranco Bertone, Alessandro Melchiorri
TL;DR
This paper refines constraints on dark matter annihilation properties using recent CMB data, showing that light dark matter particles below 10 GeV are strongly constrained, especially with improved polarization measurements.
Contribution
It provides updated constraints on dark matter mass and annihilation cross-section using the latest CMB data and an improved energy coupling model.
Findings
Constraints exclude thermal WIMPs below ~10 GeV.
Recent polarization data tighten dark matter constraints.
Improved modeling enhances the accuracy of annihilation impact assessment.
Abstract
The injection of secondary particles produced by Dark Matter (DM) annihilation at redshift 100<z<1000 affects the process of recombination, leaving an imprint on Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropies. Here we provide a new assessment of the constraints set by CMB data on the mass and self-annihilation cross-section of DM particles. Our new analysis includes the most recent WMAP (7-year) and ACT data, as well as an improved treatment of the time-dependent coupling between the DM annihilation energy with the thermal gas. We show in particular that the improved measurement of the polarization signal places already stringent constraints on light DM particles, ruling out 'thermal' WIMPs with mass less then about 10 GeV.
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