Determining the dark matter mass with DeepCore

TL;DR

This paper explores how the IceCube/DeepCore neutrino telescope can detect high-energy neutrinos from dark matter annihilation in the Sun to determine the dark matter particle mass.

Contribution

It presents a new analysis of DeepCore's potential to measure dark matter mass through neutrino detection from solar annihilation signals.

Findings

DeepCore can potentially identify dark matter mass in the GeV to TeV range.

Neutrino signals from dark matter annihilation can be distinguished from background.

The method improves constraints on dark matter properties using neutrino observations.

Abstract

Cosmological and astrophysical observations provide increasing evidence of the existence of dark matter in our Universe. Dark matter particles with a mass above a few GeV can be captured by the Sun, accumulate in the core, annihilate, and produce high energy neutrinos either directly or by subsequent decays of Standard Model particles. We investigate the prospects for indirect dark matter detection in the IceCube/DeepCore neutrino telescope and its capabilities to determine the dark matter mass.