Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
9828023 | New Astronomy Reviews | 2005 | 19 Pages |
Abstract
The diffuse galactic EGRET gamma ray data show a clear excess for energies above 1Â GeV in comparison with the expectations from conventional galactic models. The excess is seen with the same spectrum in all sky directions, as expected for Dark Matter (DM) annihilation. This hypothesis is investigated in detail. The energy spectrum of the excess is used to limit the WIMP mass to the 50-100Â GeV range, while the skymaps are used to determine the halo structure, which is consistent with a triaxial isothermal halo with additional enhancement of DM in the disc. The latter is strongly correlated with the ring of stars around our galaxy at a distance of 14Â kpc, thought to originate from the tidal disruption of a dwarf galaxy. It is shown that this ring of DM with a mass of â8Â ÃÂ 1010Mâ causes the mysterious change of slope in the rotation curve at RÂ =Â 1.1R0 and the large local surface density of the disc. The total mass of the halo is determined to be 3Â ÃÂ 1012Mâ. A cuspy profile is definitely excluded to describe the gamma ray data. These signals of Dark Matter Annihilation are compatible with Supersymmetry for boost factors of 20 upwards and have a statistical significance of more than 10Ï in comparison with the conventional galactic model. The latter combined with all features mentioned above provides an intriguing hint that the EGRET excess is indeed a signal from Dark Matter Annihilation.
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Physical Sciences and Engineering
Physics and Astronomy
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Authors
W. de Boer,