Kevork Abazajian (Fermilab)
"Direct Detection of Dark Matter in the X-ray"
ABSTRACT
Singlet (sterile) neutrinos, a natural candidate for warm or cold dark
matter, arise in simple extensions of the neutrino sector of the standard
model of particle physics as well as under the aegis of supersymmetric
models. The required coupling of the singlets with active neutrinos for
their production in the early universe imposes a radiative decay mode
whose X-ray line signature can be detected or constrained by observations
of nearby galaxy clusters. Taking into account Lyman-alpha forest and
reionization limits, the presently unconstrained range of singlet mass can
behave as warm dark matter, suppressing small scale structure and
softening core densities, or as standard cold dark matter.
Coincidentally, this mass range is readily detectable by current X-ray
observatories. I describe current observational efforts, as well as how
this novel detection can probe the epoch of dark matter production and the
nature of the QCD transition.
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