Dark Matter at the Galactic Center - Indirect Detection of a Subparsec Spike

by Prof. Pearl Sandick (U. Utah)

Thursday Mar 22, 2018, 3:30 PM → 4:30 PM Pacific/Honolulu

112 (Watanabe Hall)

In this talk I’ll discuss the possible density spike of dark matter in the subparsec region near the supermassive black hole at the Galactic Center, and its effect on gamma-ray signals from dark matter annihilations. I’ll explore the impacts of the modeling of the dark matter distribution in our Galaxy on the point-like signal of dark matter annihilation from the Galactic Center, considering a range of values for relevant astrophysical parameters that describe the dark matter profile, including a possible spike. The quantitative dependence of the gamma-ray flux on these choices will be presented, as well as constraints on generic models of dark matter, allowing for the possibility of a non-negligible velocity-dependent component of the annihilation cross section. I will also discuss the possibility of inverting the approach described above, in which case gamma-ray observations of a known DM candidate may help determine the spike profile, which could potentially improve our understanding of the astrophysics that led to it.