# Origin of the tentative AMS antihelium events

## TL;DR

This paper explores whether the tentative antihelium events detected by AMS could originate from dark matter annihilation or decay, considering uncertainties in antinuclei formation, and discusses how future data could test this hypothesis.

## Contribution

It demonstrates that dark matter could explain the AMS antihelium events within current uncertainties, highlighting the importance of improved constraints and data for validation.

## Key findings

- Antiproton rate from dark matter is marginally consistent with AMS data.
- Antideuteron rate aligns with current constraints under dark matter hypothesis.
- Future measurements could confirm or refute the dark matter origin of antihelium events.

## Abstract

We demonstrate that the tentative detection of a few antihelium events with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) on board the International Space Station can, in principle, be ascribed to the annihilation or decay of Galactic dark matter, when accounting for uncertainties in the coalescence process leading to the formation of antinuclei. We show that the predicted antiproton rate, assuming the antihelium events came from dark matter, is marginally consistent with AMS data, as is the antideuteron rate with current available constraints. We argue that a dark matter origin can be tested with better constraints on the coalescence process, better control of misidentified events, and with future antideuteron data.