Sharp Gamma-ray Spectral Features from Scalar Dark Matter Annihilations

TL;DR

This paper explores gamma-ray spectral features from scalar dark matter annihilations, demonstrating how current gamma-ray telescopes constrain model parameters and discussing the complementarity with other search methods.

Contribution

It introduces a toy model for scalar dark matter with lepton coupling, analyzing gamma-ray line signals and their constraints from Fermi-LAT and H.E.S.S. data.

Findings

Gamma-ray line searches strongly constrain scalar dark matter models.

Current telescopes limit parameter space for thermally produced dark matter.

Spectral feature searches complement other indirect, direct, and collider dark matter searches.

Abstract

The search for sharp features in the gamma-ray spectrum is a promising approach to identify a signal from dark matter annihilations over the astrophysical backgrounds. In this paper we investigate the generation of gamma-ray lines and internal bremsstrahlung signals in a toy model where the dark matter particle is a real scalar that couples to a lepton and an exotic fermion via a Yukawa coupling. We show that the Fermi-LAT and H.E.S.S. searches for line-like spectral features severely constrain regions of the parameter space where the scalar dark matter is thermally produced. Finally, we also discuss the complementarity of the searches for sharp spectral features with other indirect dark matter searches, as well as with direct and collider searches.