Constraints on dark matter-neutrino scattering from the Milky-Way satellites and subhalo modeling for dark acoustic oscillations

TL;DR

This paper constrains dark matter-neutrino scattering cross sections using Milky Way satellite observations and models the impact of dark acoustic oscillations on small-scale structure formation.

Contribution

It introduces a semi-analytical subhalo model for interacting dark matter and derives the strongest constraints on DM-neutrino scattering cross sections from satellite data.

Findings

Strong upper bounds on DM-neutrino cross sections at 95% CL.

Constraints depend on neutrino energy and scattering power n.

Modeling of subhalo evolution supports the constraints.

Abstract

The elastic scattering between dark matter (DM) and radiation can potentially explain small-scale observations that the cold dark matter faces as a challenge, as damping density fluctuations via dark acoustic oscillations in the early universe erases small-scale structure. We study a semi-analytical subhalo model for interacting dark matter with radiation, based on the extended Press-Schechter formalism and subhalos' tidal evolution prescription. We also test the elastic scattering between DM and neutrinos using observations of Milky-Way satellites from the Dark Energy Survey and PanSTARRS1. We conservatively impose strong constraints on the DM-neutrino scattering cross section of $\sigma_{{\rm DM}\text{-}\nu,n}\propto E_\nu^n$ $(n=0,2,4)$ at $95\%$ confidence level (CL), $\sigma_{{\rm DM}\text{-}\nu,0}< 10^{-32}\ {\rm cm^2}\ (m_{\rm DM}/{\rm GeV})$, $\sigma_{{\rm DM}\text{-}\nu,2}< 10^{-43}\ {\rm cm^2}\ (m_{\rm DM}/{\rm GeV})(E_\nu/E_{\nu}^0)^2$ and $\sigma_{{\rm DM}\text{-}\nu,4}< 10^{-54}\ {\rm cm^2}\ (m_{\rm DM}/{\rm GeV})(E_\nu/E_{\nu}^0)^4$, where $E_\nu$ is the neutrino energy and $E_\nu^0$ is the average momentum of relic cosmic neutrinos today, $E_\nu^0 \simeq 6.1\ {\rm K}$. By imposing a satellite forming condition, we obtain the strongest upper bounds on the DM-neutrino cross section at $95\%$ CL, $\sigma_{{\rm DM}\text{-}\nu,0}< 4\times 10^{-34}\ {\rm cm^2}\ (m_{\rm DM}/{\rm GeV})$, $\sigma_{{\rm DM}\text{-}\nu,2}< 10^{-46}\ {\rm cm^2}\ (m_{\rm DM}/{\rm GeV})(E_\nu/E_{\nu}^0)^2$ and $\sigma_{{\rm DM}\text{-}\nu,4}< 7\times 10^{-59}\ {\rm cm^2}\ (m_{\rm DM}/{\rm GeV})(E_\nu/E_{\nu}^0)^4$.