Simulating the radio emissions of dark matter for new high-resolution observations with MeerKAT

TL;DR

This paper compares different simulation methods for modeling dark matter-induced radio emissions, aiding the interpretation of high-resolution MeerKAT observations to constrain dark matter properties.

Contribution

It provides the first quantitative comparison of simulation techniques for dark matter radio emission modeling, guiding their applicability in upcoming high-precision observations.

Findings

Comparison of simulation methods and their accuracy

Guidelines for choosing appropriate simulation techniques

Implications for dark matter constraints with MeerKAT

Abstract

Recent work has shown that searches for diffuse radio emission by MeerKAT - and eventually the SKA - are well suited to provide some of the strongest constraints yet on dark matter annihilations. To make full use of the observations by these facilities, accurate simulations of the expected dark matter abundance and diffusion mechanisms in these astrophysical objects are required. However, because of the computational costs involved, various mathematical and numerical techniques have been developed to perform the calculations in a feasible manner. Here we provide the first quantitative comparison between methods that are commonly used in the literature, and outline the applicability of each one in various simulation scenarios. These considerations are becoming ever more important as the hunt for dark matter continues into a new era of precision radio observations.