Constraints on spin-dependent dark matter scattering with long-lived mediators from TeV observations of the Sun with HAWC

• Published in: Physical review. D 2018-12, Vol.98 (12), p.1, Article 123012
• Main Authors: Albert, A., Alfaro, R., Alvarez, C., Arceo, R., Arteaga-Velázquez, J. C., Avila Rojas, D., Ayala Solares, H. A., Belmont-Moreno, E., BenZvi, S. Y., Brisbois, C., Caballero-Mora, K. S., Capistrán, T., Carramiñana, A., Casanova, S., Castillo, M., Cotzomi, J., Coutiño de León, S., De León, C., De la Fuente, E., Dichiara, S., Dingus, B. L., DuVernois, M. A., Díaz-Vélez, J. C., Engel, K., Enríquez-Rivera, O., Espinoza, C., Fleischhack, H., Fraija, N., García-González, J. A., Garfias, F., González, M. M., Goodman, J. A., Hampel-Arias, Z., Harding, J. P., Hernandez, S., Hona, B., Hueyotl-Zahuantitla, F., Hüntemeyer, P., Iriarte, A., Jardin-Blicq, A., Joshi, V., Kaufmann, S., León Vargas, H., Luis-Raya, G., Lundeen, J., López-Coto, R., Malone, K., Marinelli, S. S., Martinez, O., Martinez-Castellanos, I., Martínez-Castro, J., Miranda-Romagnoli, P., Moreno, E., Mostafá, M., Nayerhoda, A., Nellen, L., Newbold, M., Nisa, M. U., Noriega-Papaqui, R., Pretz, J., Pérez-Pérez, E. G., Ren, Z., Rho, C. D., Rivière, C., Rosa-González, D., Rosenberg, M., Ruiz-Velasco, E., Salazar, H., Salesa Greus, F., Sandoval, A., Schneider, M., Seglar Arroyo, M., Sinnis, G., Smith, A. J., Springer, R. W., Surajbali, P., Taboada, I., Tibolla, O., Tollefson, K., Torres, I., Villaseñor, L., Weisgarber, T., Westerhoff, S., Wisher, I. G., Wood, J., Yapici, T., Zepeda, A., Zhou, H., Álvarez, J. D., Beacom, J. F., Leane, R. K., Linden, T., Ng, K. C. Y., Peter, A. H. G., Zhou, B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS; Atomic, Nuclear and Particle Physics; Dark matter; Elastic scattering; Gamma rays; High altitude; Nuclei (nuclear physics); PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS; Scattering cross sections; Sun
• ISSN: 2470-0010; 2470-0029
• DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.98.123012

We analyze the Sun as a source for the indirect detection of dark matter through a search for gamma rays from the solar disk. Capture of dark matter by elastic interactions with the solar nuclei followed by annihilation to long-lived mediators can produce a detectable gamma-ray flux. We search 3 years of data from the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory and find no statistically significant detection of TeV gamma-ray emission from the Sun. Using this, we constrain the spin-dependent elastic scattering cross section of dark matter with protons for dark matter masses above 1 TeV, assuming a sufficiently long-lived mediator. The results complement constraints obtained from Fermi-LAT observations of the Sun and together cover WIMP masses between 4 and 106 GeV . In the optimal scenario, the cross-section constraints for mediator decays to gamma rays can be as strong as ∼ 10−45 cm2 , which is more than 4 orders of magnitude stronger than current direct-detection experiments for a 1 TeV dark matter mass. The cross-section constraints at higher masses are even better, nearly 7 orders of magnitude better than the current direct-detection constraints for a 100 TeV dark matter mass. This demonstration of sensitivity encourages detailed development of theoretical models in light of these powerful new constraints.