Solar constraints on captured electrophilic dark matter

TL;DR

This paper uses solar gamma ray measurements to set new, significantly stronger limits on the interaction cross-section between dark matter and electrons, covering a wide mass range from GeV to PeV.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method of constraining dark matter-electron interactions using solar gamma ray data, improving existing bounds by several orders of magnitude.

Findings

Limits on dark matter-electron scattering cross-section are 4-6 orders of magnitude stronger.

Constraints apply to dark matter masses from GeV to PeV.

Solar gamma ray observations are effective for probing dark matter properties.

Abstract

Dark matter captured by interaction with electrons inside the Sun may annihilate via long-lived mediator to produce observable gamma ray signals. We utilize solar gamma ray flux measurements from the Fermi Large Area Telescope and High Altitude Water Cherenkov observatory to put bounds on the dark matter electron scattering cross-section. We find that our limits are four to six orders of magnitude stronger than the existing limits for dark matter masses ranging between GeV to PeV scale.