Paper

Cosmological implications of photon-flux upper limits at ultra-high energies in scenarios of Planckian-interacting massive particles for dark matter

Stanič, S, Coluccia, M R, Querchfeld, S, de Oliveira Franco, D, Filipčič, A, Mancarella, G, Palatka, M, Pawlowsky, J, González, N, Rizi, V, Luce, Q, Caruso, R, García, B, Pothast, M, Mandat, D, Supanitsky, A D, Gongora, J P, Convenga, F, Dasso, S, Muzio, M, Rossoni, S, Watson, A A, Avila, G, Rovero, A C, Asorey, H, Matthews, J, Wundheiler, B, Wahlberg, H, Medina-Tanco, G, Mostafá, M, O Martínez Bravo, Schulz, T, Schlüter, F, Janecek, P, Pękala, J, Sudholz, T, Fauth, A C, Mollerach, S, Pech, M, Pimenta, M, Fuster, A, de Oliveira, J, Feldbusch, F, Taricco, C, Schieler, H, Figueira, J M, Sigl, G, Binet, V, de Almeida, R M, Etchegoyen, A, Schimassek, M, Salina, G, Góra, D, Smau, R, Falcke, H, V V Kizakke Covilakam, De Vito, E, Bonifazi, C, Pereira Martins, E E, González, J M, Hansen, P, Squartini, R, Mariani, F M, Parra, A, Guarino, F, Prouza, M, Stanca, D, Khakurdikar, A, Heck, D, Aramo, C, Jurysek, J, Sarazin, F, Ventura, C, Niechciol, M, Mayotte, E, Condorelli, A, Klages, H O, Correia dos Santos, D, Fujii, T, Hampel, M R, Fazzini, N, Roncoroni, M J, Caccianiga, L, Fodran, T, Sciutto, S J, Abreu, P, Rodrigues de Carvalho, W, Canfora, F, Mayotte, S, Boncioli, D, Mü

2022

Overview

Using the data of the Pierre Auger Observatory, we report on a search for signatures that would be suggestive of super-heavy particles decaying in the Galactic halo. From the lack of signal, we present upper limits for different energy thresholds above \\(10^8\\)\\,GeV on the secondary by-product fluxes expected from the decay of the particles. Assuming that the energy density of these super-heavy particles matches that of dark matter observed today, we translate the upper bounds on the particle fluxes into tight constraints on the couplings governing the decay process as a function of the particle mass. Instantons, which are non-perturbative solutions to Yang-Mills equations, can give rise to decay channels otherwise forbidden and transform stable particles into meta-stable ones. Assuming such instanton-induced decay processes, we derive a bound on the reduced coupling constant of gauge interactions in the dark sector: \\(_X 0.09\\), for \\(10^9 M_X/GeV < 10^19\\). Conversely, we obtain that, for instance, a reduced coupling constant \\(_X = 0.09\\) excludes masses \\(M_X 3 10^13~\\)GeV. In the context of dark matter production from gravitational interactions alone during the reheating epoch, we derive constraints on the parameter space that involves, in addition to \\(M_X\\) and \\(_X\\), the Hubble rate at the end of inflation, the reheating efficiency, and the non-minimal coupling of the Higgs with curvature.

• Publisher: Cornell University Library, arXiv.org
• Subject: Augers / Cosmic microwave background / Couplings / Dark matter / Fluxes / Galactic halos / Heating / Instantons / Mathematical analysis / Particle decay / Particle mass / Tensors / Upper bounds