Search for a gamma-ray line feature from a group of nearby Galaxy clusters with Fermi LAT Pass 8 data

TL;DR

This study searches for gamma-ray line signals from 16 nearby galaxy clusters using 85 months of Fermi-LAT data, finding no significant lines but setting upper limits on dark matter annihilation cross sections.

Contribution

It provides the first comprehensive search for gamma-ray lines in galaxy clusters with Fermi-LAT data and constrains dark matter annihilation parameters.

Findings

No significant gamma-ray line detected.

Upper limits on dark matter annihilation cross section established.

Potential tentative line signal at ~43 GeV noted.

Abstract

Galaxy clusters are the largest gravitationally bound objects in the universe and may be suitable targets for indirect dark matter searches. With 85 months of Fermi-LAT Pass 8 publicly available data, we analyze the gamma-ray emission in the directions of 16 nearby Galaxy Clusters with an unbinned likelihood analysis. No globally statistically-significant $\gamma-$ray line feature is identified and a tentative line signal may be present at $\sim 43$ GeV. The 95\% confidence level upper limits on the velocity-averaged cross section of dark matter particles annihilating into double $\gamma-$rays (i.e., $\langle \sigma v \rangle_{\chi\chi\rightarrow \gamma\gamma}$) are derived. Unless very optimistic boost factors of dark matter annihilation in these Galaxy Clusters have been assumed, such constraints are much weaker than the bounds set by the Galactic $\gamma-$ray data.