On probing self interacting dark matter models through the absorption of gravitational waves

TL;DR

This paper explores how gravitational wave absorption by interacting dark matter can provide new constraints on dark matter properties, using a novel inverse bremsstrahlung approach, though current constraints are less strict than existing ones.

Contribution

It introduces a new method to constrain dark matter models through gravitational wave absorption analysis, expanding the tools for dark matter research.

Findings

Constraints on dark matter from GW absorption are less stringent than existing bounds.

The inverse bremsstrahlung process is a viable mechanism for GW-dark matter interactions.

Analysis covers low and high redshift scenarios in dark matter halos and IGM.

Abstract

In the forthcoming years, the study of the fundamental interactions between gravitational waves (GWs) and matter will be crucial in order to understand what the new generations of GWs detectors will tell us. We present the inverse bremsstrahlung (IB) absorption of GWs as a novel approach to GWs physics that can help set constraints on different physical models. We study the absorption of GWs in scattering processes of interacting dark matter. The observation of GWs of a given frequency sets constraints on its absorption efficiency. In the case of interacting dark matter, this can translate to constraints on its mass-coupling space, or in its temperature. For this, we parametrize the absorption of GWs in DM halos and in IGM, at low and very high redshifts. We find the arising constraints to be less stringent than existing ones.