A radio-frequency WIMP search with the MeerKAT Galaxy Cluster Legacy Survey

TL;DR

This paper uses MeerKAT radio telescope data to search for dark matter signals in galaxy clusters, constraining WIMP properties and testing specific particle physics models with competitive results.

Contribution

It introduces a novel radio-frequency indirect dark matter search using MeerKAT data, including constraints on WIMP models and the 2HDM+S particle physics scenario.

Findings

Excluded WIMP masses below ~1000 GeV for certain annihilation channels.

Provided competitive constraints on dark matter parameter space.

Utilized diffuse synchrotron emission and non-detections for analysis.

Abstract

Radio-frequency, indirect dark matter searches have recently been gaining prevalence, due to the high sensitivity and resolution capabilities of the new generation of radio interferometers. MeerKAT is currently one of the most sensitive instruments of its kind, making it ideal for indirect dark matter searches. By making use of publicly available data from the MeerKAT Galaxy Cluster Legacy Survey we are able to use both the observed diffuse synchrotron emission and non-detections to constrain the WIMP dark matter parameter space. In addition to a subset of generic WIMP annihilation channels, we probe the dark matter candidate within the 2HDM+S particle physics model, which was developed as an explanation for anomalies observed in the Large Hadron Collider data from runs 1 and 2. By undertaking a statistical analysis of the radio flux densities within galaxy clusters we are able to exclude the thermal relic value for WIMP masses $< \, \sim 1000 $ GeV for annihilation into bottom quarks with our median case. This is competitive with the best constraints in the current literature.