2 results
25 - High-energy neutrinos from WIMP annihilations in the Sun
- Edited by Gianfranco Bertone, Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris
-
- Book:
- Particle Dark Matter
- Published online:
- 04 August 2010
- Print publication:
- 07 January 2010, pp 507-520
-
- Chapter
- Export citation
-
Summary
Searching for dark matter with neutrinos
As the Solar System moves through the halo of the Milky Way, WIMPs become swept up by the Sun. Although dark matter particles interact only weakly, they occasionally scatter elastically with nuclei in the Sun and lose enough momentum to become gravitationally bound. Over the lifetime of the Sun, a sufficient density of WIMPs can accumulate in its centre so that an equilibrium is established between their capture and annihilation rates. The annihilation products of these WIMPs include neutrinos, which escape the Sun with minimal absorption, and thus potentially constitute an indirect signature of dark matter. Such neutrinos can be generated through the decays of heavy quarks, gauge bosons and other products of WIMP annihilation, and then proceed to travel to Earth where they can be efficiently identified using large volume neutrino detectors.
Compared with other dark matter detection techniques, indirect dark matter searches using neutrinos involve minimal astrophysical uncertainties. Although the capture rate of WIMPs onto the Sun depends on the local density and velocity distribution of dark matter (as do direct detection rates), the rate at which WIMPs annihilate is determined by the total number of WIMPs in the core of the Sun, which have accumulated over billions of years. As a consequence, any structure or other variations in the local dark matter density (subhaloes, streams, etc.) become averaged out.
Physics and Results from the AMANDA-II High Energy Neutrino Telescope
- Steven W. Barwick, the AMANDA Collaboration, J. Ahrens, X. Bai, S. W. Barwick, T. Becka, K.-H. Becker, E. Bernardini, D. Bertrand, F. Binon, A. Biron, S. Böser, O. Botner, O. Bouhali, T. Burgess, S. Carius, T. Castermans, D. Chirkin, J. Conrad, J. Cooley, D. F. Cowen, A. Davour, C. De Clercq, T. DeYoung, P. Desiati, J.-P. Dewulf, P. Doksus, P. Ekström, T. Feser, T. K. Gaisser, R. Ganupati, M. Gaug, H. Geenen, L. Gerhardt, A. Goldschmidt, A. Hallgren, F. Halzen, K. Hanson, R. Hardtke, T. Hauschildt, M. Hellwig, P. Herquet, G. C. Hill, P. O. Hulth, K. Hultqvist, S. Hundertmark, J. Jacobsen, A. Karle, L. Köpke, M. Kowalski, K. Kuehn, J. I. Lamoureux, H. Leich, M. Leuthold, P. Lindahl, J. Madsen, K. Mandli, P. Marciniewski, H. S. Matis, C. P. McParland, T. Messarius, Y. Minaeva, P. Miočinović, R. Morse, R. Nahnhauer, T. Neunhöffer, P. Niessen, D. R. Nygren, H. Ogelman, Ph. Olbrechts, C. Pérez de Los Heros, A. C. Pohl, P. B. Price, G. T. Przybylski, K. Rawlins, E. Resconi, W. Rhode, M. Ribordy, S. Richter, J. Rodríguez Martino, D. Ross, H.-G. Sander, K. Schinarakis, T. Schmidt, D. Schneider, R. Schwarz, A. Silvestri, M. Solarz, G. M. Spiczak, C. Spiering, D. Steele, P. Steffen, R. G. Stokstad, P. Sudhoff, K.-H. Sulanke, I. Taboada, L. Thollander, S. Tilav, W. Wagner, C. Walck, C. H. Wiebusch, C. Wiedemann, R. Wischnewski, H. Wissing, K. Woschnagg, G. Yodh, S. Young
-
- Journal:
- Symposium - International Astronomical Union / Volume 214 / 2003
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 26 May 2016, pp. 357-371
- Print publication:
- 2003
-
- Article
-
- You have access Access
- Export citation
-
This paper briefly describes the principle of operation and science goals of the AMANDA high energy neutrino telescope located at the South Pole, Antarctica. Results from an earlier phase of the telescope, called AMANDA-BIO, demonstrate both reliable operation and the broad astrophysical reach of this device, which includes searches for a variety of sources of ultrahigh energy neutrinos: generic point sources, Gamma-Ray Bursts and diffuse sources. The predicted sensitivity and angular resolution of the telescope were confirmed by studies of atmospheric muon and neutrino backgrounds. We also report on the status of the analysis from AMANDA-II, a larger version with far greater capabilities. At this stage of analysis, details of the ice properties and other systematic uncertainties of the AMANDA-II telescope are under study, but we have made progress toward critical science objectives. In particular, we present the first preliminary flux limits from AMANDA-II on the search for continuous emission from astrophysical point sources, and report on the search for correlated neutrino emission from Gamma Ray Bursts detected by BATSE before decommissioning in May 2000. During the next two years, we expect to exploit the full potential of AMANDA-II with the installation of a new data acquisition system that records full waveforms from the in-ice optical sensors.