The Glow of Axion Quark Nugget Dark Matter: (II) Galaxy Clusters

TL;DR

This study models axion quark nugget dark matter interactions in galaxy clusters, predicting electromagnetic signals that could be detected by current telescopes, with Fornax and Virgo as prime candidates.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive analysis of axion quark nugget emissions in galaxy clusters, linking dark matter interactions to observable electromagnetic signatures.

Findings

Fornax and Virgo clusters are promising for detecting axion quark nugget signals.

Predicted emissions are comparable to thermal and non-thermal backgrounds in certain frequency bands.

The model aligns with existing observational data for specific galaxy clusters.

Abstract

(abridged) We analyze the emission of axion quark nuggets in a large sample of 161 simulated galaxy clusters using the SLOW simulation. These clusters are divided into a sub-sample of 150 galaxy clusters, ordered in five mass bins ranging from $0.8$ to $31.7 \times 10^{14} \,M_\odot$, along with 11 cross-identified galaxy clusters from observations. We investigate dark matter-baryonic matter interactions in galaxy clusters in their present stage at redshift $z=0$ by assuming all dark matter consists of axion quark nuggets. The resulting electromagnetic signatures are compared to thermal Bremsstrahlung and non-thermal cosmic ray synchrotron emission in each galaxy cluster. We further investigate individual frequency bands imitating the observable range of the WMAP, Planck, Euclid, and XRISM telescopes for the most promising cross-identified galaxy clusters hosting detectable signatures of axion quark nugget emission. We propose that the Fornax and Virgo clusters represent the most promising candidates to search for axion quark nugget emission signatures.