Constraints on the properties of $ν$MSM dark matter using the satellite galaxies of the Milky Way

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Hauptverfasser: Newton, Oliver, Lovell, Mark R., Frenk, Carlos S., Jenkins, Adrian, Helly, John C., Cole, Shaun, Benson, Andrew J.
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2024
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author Newton, Oliver
Lovell, Mark R.
Frenk, Carlos S.
Jenkins, Adrian
Helly, John C.
Cole, Shaun
Benson, Andrew J.
author_facet Newton, Oliver
Lovell, Mark R.
Frenk, Carlos S.
Jenkins, Adrian
Helly, John C.
Cole, Shaun
Benson, Andrew J.
contents Low-mass galaxies provide a powerful tool with which to investigate departures from the standard cosmological paradigm in models that suppress the abundance of small dark matter structures. One of the simplest metrics that can be used to compare different models is the abundance of satellite galaxies in the Milky Way. Viable dark matter models must produce enough substructure to host the observed number of Galactic satellites. Here, we scrutinize the predictions of the neutrino Minimal Standard Model ($ν{\rm MSM}$), a well-motivated extension of the Standard Model of particle physics in which the production of sterile neutrino dark matter is resonantly enhanced by a lepton asymmetry in the primordial plasma. This process enables the model to evade current constraints associated with non-resonantly produced dark matter. Independently of assumptions about galaxy formation physics we rule out, with at least 95 per cent confidence, all parameterizations of the $ν{\rm MSM}$ with sterile neutrino rest mass, $M_{\rm s} \leq 1.4\, {\rm keV}$. Incorporating physically motivated prescriptions of baryonic processes and modelling the effects of reionization strengthen our constraints, and we exclude all $ν{\rm MSM}$ parameterizations with $M_{\rm s} \leq 4\, {\rm keV}$. Unlike other literature, our fiducial constraints do not rule out the putative 3.55 keV X-ray line, if it is indeed produced by the decay of a sterile neutrino; however, some of the most favoured parameter space is excluded. If the Milky Way satellite count is higher than we assume, or if the Milky Way halo is less massive than $M^{\rm MW}_{200} = 8 \times 10^{11}\, {\rm M_\odot}$, we rule out the $ν{\rm MSM}$ as the origin of the 3.55 keV excess. In contrast with other work, we find that the constraints from satellite counts are substantially weaker than those reported from X-ray non-detections.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2408_16042
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Constraints on the properties of $ν$MSM dark matter using the satellite galaxies of the Milky Way
Newton, Oliver
Lovell, Mark R.
Frenk, Carlos S.
Jenkins, Adrian
Helly, John C.
Cole, Shaun
Benson, Andrew J.
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Astrophysics of Galaxies
Low-mass galaxies provide a powerful tool with which to investigate departures from the standard cosmological paradigm in models that suppress the abundance of small dark matter structures. One of the simplest metrics that can be used to compare different models is the abundance of satellite galaxies in the Milky Way. Viable dark matter models must produce enough substructure to host the observed number of Galactic satellites. Here, we scrutinize the predictions of the neutrino Minimal Standard Model ($ν{\rm MSM}$), a well-motivated extension of the Standard Model of particle physics in which the production of sterile neutrino dark matter is resonantly enhanced by a lepton asymmetry in the primordial plasma. This process enables the model to evade current constraints associated with non-resonantly produced dark matter. Independently of assumptions about galaxy formation physics we rule out, with at least 95 per cent confidence, all parameterizations of the $ν{\rm MSM}$ with sterile neutrino rest mass, $M_{\rm s} \leq 1.4\, {\rm keV}$. Incorporating physically motivated prescriptions of baryonic processes and modelling the effects of reionization strengthen our constraints, and we exclude all $ν{\rm MSM}$ parameterizations with $M_{\rm s} \leq 4\, {\rm keV}$. Unlike other literature, our fiducial constraints do not rule out the putative 3.55 keV X-ray line, if it is indeed produced by the decay of a sterile neutrino; however, some of the most favoured parameter space is excluded. If the Milky Way satellite count is higher than we assume, or if the Milky Way halo is less massive than $M^{\rm MW}_{200} = 8 \times 10^{11}\, {\rm M_\odot}$, we rule out the $ν{\rm MSM}$ as the origin of the 3.55 keV excess. In contrast with other work, we find that the constraints from satellite counts are substantially weaker than those reported from X-ray non-detections.
title Constraints on the properties of $ν$MSM dark matter using the satellite galaxies of the Milky Way
topic Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Astrophysics of Galaxies
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.16042