A general study of decaying scalar dark matter: existing limits and projected radio signals at the SKA

TL;DR

This study constrains the decay rate of scalar dark matter across a broad mass range using astrophysical data and explores SKA radio telescope's potential to detect decay signals, providing new limits and detection prospects.

Contribution

It offers the most robust upper limits on the decay width of scalar dark matter and assesses SKA's capability to detect radio signals from DM decay across various branching ratios.

Findings

Decay width constraints: $oxed{ ext{Γ} extless 10^{-26} - 10^{-27} ext{s}^{-1}}$ (excluding $ uar{ u}$)

SKA can detect decay widths as low as $oxed{ ext{10}^{-30} - 10^{-29} ext{s}^{-1}}$ for all branching ratios

Detection prospects improve for DM masses above a few hundred GeV when including $ uar{ u}$ decay mode.

Abstract

We consider a decaying scalar dark matter (DM) with mass $m_\chi$ in the range 10 GeV - 10 TeV and vary the branching ratios of all possible two-body SM final states (excluding and including $\nu\bar{\nu}$) in the range $0\%-100\%$ to derive constraints on the total decay width $\Gamma$ using the data collected by several astrophysical and cosmological observations. We find that, $\Gamma \lesssim 10^{-26} - 10^{-27}\,{\rm s}^{-1}$ (excluding $\nu\bar{\nu}$) and $\Gamma \lesssim 10^{-24} - 10^{-26}\,{\rm s}^{-1}$ (including $\nu\bar{\nu}$) are allowed, depending on the values of $m_\chi$, which are most robust upper limits on $\Gamma$ for a generic decaying scalar DM. We then investigate the prospect of the upcoming Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope in detecting the DM decay induced radio signals originating inside the dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies. We have classified the DM parameter space, allowed by the existing observations, independently of the branching ratio of each individual two-body SM final state, based on the detectability at the SKA. Excluding the $\nu\bar{\nu}$ decay mode, we find that, throughout the DM mass range considered, $\Gamma \gtrsim 10^{-30}\,{\rm s}^{-1} - 10^{-29}\,{\rm s}^{-1}$ is detectable for all possible branching ratio combinations at the SKA (assuming 100 hours of observation time), with conservative choices for the relevant astrophysical parameters. On the other hand, when arbitrary branching ratios are allowed also for the $\nu\bar{\nu}$ decay mode, DM decays can be probed independently of the branching ratio of each SM final state for $\Gamma \gtrsim 2 \times 10^{-29}\,{\rm s}^{-1}$, provided DM masses are greater than a few hundreds of GeV.