Dark Matter Searches with HAWC

TL;DR

This paper reports on HAWC's search for dark matter signals via gamma-ray observations from various astrophysical sources, setting limits on annihilation cross-sections and decay lifetimes for dark matter masses above 1 TeV.

Contribution

It provides new constraints on dark matter properties using high-energy gamma-ray data from HAWC, focusing on sources like dwarf galaxies, M31, and Virgo.

Findings

No significant excess detected from target sources.

Established upper limits on dark matter annihilation cross-section.

Set lower limits on dark matter decay lifetime.

Abstract

The High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) gamma-ray observatory is a wide field-of-view observatory sensitive to 0.5 TeV - 100 TeV gamma-rays and cosmic-rays in the State of Puebla, Mexico at an altitude of 4100m. The HAWC observatory performed an indirect search for dark matter via GeV-TeV photons resulting from dark matter annihilation and decay considering various sources, including dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs), the M31 galaxy and the Virgo cluster, as well as a combined limit using the dSphs. HAWC has not seen statistically significant excess from these sources. We searched for dark matter annihilation and decay at dark matter masses above 1 TeV. We will present the annihilation cross-section and decay lifetime limits.