Constraints on leptophilic dark matter from the AMS-02 experiment

TL;DR

This paper uses AMS-02 cosmic ray data to set upper limits on leptophilic dark matter annihilation, excluding masses below 100 GeV, and incorporates electroweak radiation effects in the analysis.

Contribution

It introduces a new background model for cosmic ray spectra and derives novel constraints on leptophilic dark matter using AMS-02 data.

Findings

Excluded dark matter masses below 100 GeV for thermal relics

Developed a comprehensive background model for cosmic ray electrons and positrons

Calculated antiproton signals including electroweak radiation effects

Abstract

The annihilation of dark matter particles in the galactic halo of the Milky Way may lead to cosmic ray signatures that can be probed by the AMS-02 experiment, which has measured the composition and fluxes of charged cosmic rays with unprecedented precision. Given the absence of characteristic spectral features in the electron and positron fluxes measured by AMS-02, we derive upper limits on the dark matter annihilation cross section for leptophilic dark matter models. Our limits are based on a new background model that describes all recent measurements of the energy spectra of cosmic ray positrons and electrons. For thermal dark matter relics, we can exclude dark matter masses below about 100 GeV. We include the radiation of electroweak gauge bosons in the dark matter annihilation process and compute the antiproton signal that can be expected within leptophilic dark matter models.