Radiation from cold molecular clouds and Sun chromosphere produced by anti-quark nugget dark matter

TL;DR

This paper explores the potential astrophysical signatures of anti-quark nugget dark matter, proposing observational methods to detect their radiation in various cosmic environments, including molecular clouds and the Sun's chromosphere.

Contribution

It introduces a model predicting observable electromagnetic signals from anti-quark nuggets in space, and assesses their detectability with current telescopes.

Findings

Infrared and visible radiation from anti-QNs in molecular clouds could be observable.

Gamma-ray photons from proton annihilation on anti-QNs may be detectable by Fermi-LAT.

Anti-QN radiation in the solar corona is too weak to cause significant effects.

Abstract

We study astrophysical implications of the quark nugget model of dark matter and propose observational techniques for detecting anti-Quark Nuggets (anti-QNs) with modern telescopes. Anti-QNs are compact composite objects of antiquark matter with a typical radius $R\sim 10^{-5}$ cm and density exceeding that of nuclear matter. Atoms and molecules of interstellar medium collide with anti-quark nuggets and annihilate. We estimate thermal radiation from anti-QNs in cold molecular clouds in our galaxy and show that this radiation appears sufficiently strong to be observed in infrared and visible spectra. Proton annihilation on anti-QNs produces $\gamma$-photons with energies in the range 100-400 MeV which may be detected by telescopes such as Fermi-LAT. We have found that anti-QN radiation inside the solar corona is too weak to produce a significant plasma heating or any other observable effects, while the radiation of $\gamma$-photons from the chromosphere may be observable. We also address the problem of survival of anti-quark nuggets in the early universe.