Combined search in dwarf spheroidal galaxies for branon dark matter annihilation signatures with the MAGIC Telescopes

TL;DR

This paper reports a search for branon dark matter annihilation signals in dwarf spheroidal galaxies using MAGIC telescopes, setting new constraints on branon properties in the TeV mass range.

Contribution

It introduces the first multi-target gamma-ray search for branon dark matter in dwarf spheroidal galaxies, providing the most stringent limits to date in the TeV mass range.

Findings

Set new upper limits on branon annihilation cross-section

Provided the most restrictive constraints on branon mass in the TeV range

Demonstrated the effectiveness of gamma-ray telescopes in probing branon dark matter

Abstract

One of the most pressing questions for modern physics is the nature of dark matter (DM). Several efforts have been made to model this elusive kind of matter. The largest fraction of DM cannot be made of any of the known particles of the Standard Model (SM). We focus on brane world theory as a prospective framework for DM candidates beyond the SM of particle physics. The new degrees of freedom that appear in flexible brane world models, corresponding to brane fluctuations, are called branons. They behave as weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), which are one of the most favored candidates for DM. We present a multi-target DM search in dwarf spheroidal galaxies for branon DM annihilation signatures with the ground-based gamma-ray telescope MAGIC leading to the most constraining branon DM limits in the TeV mass range.