The Potential of the Dwarf Galaxy Triangulum II for Dark Matter Indirect Detection

TL;DR

This paper assesses the dark matter detection potential of Triangulum II, an ultra faint dwarf galaxy, by estimating its J-factor and analyzing its velocity data, suggesting it is a promising target for indirect dark matter searches.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed estimate of Triangulum II's J-factor using Jeans analysis and highlights its potential as a prime target for dark matter indirect detection.

Findings

Triangulum II has a very large J-factor, indicating high dark matter density.

Velocity data shows no significant tidal disruption signs.

Follow-up observations are necessary due to limited current data.

Abstract

The recently discovered object Triangulum II appears to be an ultra faint dwarf spheroidal galaxy which may be one of the most dark matter dominated objects yet known. In this work we try to estimate the potential of this object for studies of the indirect detection of self-annihilating dark matter by obtaining its astrophysical J-factor. We perform a basic estimate of the velocity gradient to look for signs of the halo being tidally disrupted but show that the observed value is statistically compatible with zero velocity gradient. We solve the spherical Jeans equation using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) engine GreAT and the Jeans analysis part of the CLUMPY package. We find the results point towards a very large J-factor, appearing to make Triangulum II one of the best targets in the search for dark matter. However we stress that the very small number of line of sight velocities currently available for this object make follow up studies essential.