Direct Measurement of Upward-going Ultrahigh Energy Dark Matter at the Pierre Auger Observatory

TL;DR

This paper explores the potential to detect ultrahigh energy dark matter particles originating from superheavy dark matter decay using the Pierre Auger Observatory's fluorescence detectors, providing upper flux limits and detection prospects.

Contribution

It introduces a method to directly search for upward-going ultrahigh energy dark matter particles passing through Earth using Auger data, and estimates flux limits based on observations.

Findings

Upper limits on UHE DM fluxes at 90% C.L. from Auger data.

Detection of UHE DM particles possible between 1 EeV and 10 EeV.

Provides constraints on superheavy dark matter decay models.

Abstract

In the present paper, it is assumed that there exist two dark matter particles: superheavy dark matter particles (SHDM), whose mass $\sim$ inflaton mass, and light fermion dark matter (DM) particles which are the ultrahigh energy (UHE) products of its decay. The Earth will be taken as a detector to directly search for the UHE DM particles. These upward-going particles, which pass through the Earth and air and interact with nuclei, can be detected by the fluorescence detectors (FD) of the Pierre Auger observatory (Auger), via fluorescent photons due to the development of an EAS. The numbers and fluxes of expected UHE DM particles are evaluated in the incoming energy range between 1 EeV and 1 ZeV with the different lifetimes of decay of SHDM and mass of $Z^{\prime}$. According to the Auger data from 2008 to 2019, the upper limit for UHE DM fluxes is estimated at 90\% C.L. with the FD of Auger. UHE DM particles could be directly detected in the energy range between O(1EeV) and O(10EeV) with the FD of Auger. Thus this might prove whether there exist SHDM particles in the Universe.