A new signature of dark matter annihilations: gamma-rays from intermediate-mass black holes
Sep, 2005
11 pages
Published in:
- Phys.Rev.D 72 (2005) 103517
e-Print:
- astro-ph/0509565 [astro-ph]
Report number:
- FERMILAB-PUB-05-408-A
Citations per year
Abstract: (arXiv)
We study the prospects for detecting gamma-rays from Dark Matter (DM) annihilations in enhancements of the DM density (mini-spikes) around intermediate-mass black holes with masses in the range 10^2 \lsim M / \msun \lsim 10^6. Focusing on two different IMBH formation scenarios, we show that, for typical values of mass and cross section of common DM candidates, mini-spikes, produced by the adiabatic growth of DM around pregalactic IMBHs, would be bright sources of gamma-rays, which could be easily detected with large field-of-view gamma-ray experiments such as GLAST, and further studied with smaller field-of-view, larger-area experiments like Air Cherenkov Telescopes CANGAROO, HESS, MAGIC and VERITAS. The detection of many gamma-ray sources not associated with a luminous component of the Local Group, and with identical cut-offs in their energy spectra at the mass of the DM particle, would provide a potential smoking-gun signature of DM annihilations and shed new light on the nature of intermediate and supermassive Black Holes.Note:
- 11 pages, 5 figures Report-no: FERMILAB-PUB-05-408-A Journal-ref: Phys.Rev. D72 (2005) 103517
- 98.70.Sa
- 97.60.Lf
- 95.35.+d
- 98.62.Js
- dark matter: annihilation
- photon: production
- gamma ray: cosmic radiation
- black hole: mass
- galaxy
- cross section
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