Constraints on Spin-Dependent Dark Matter Scattering with Long-Lived Mediators from TeV Observations of the Sun with HAWC
Creators: name: Albert, A.
name: Alfaro, R.
name: Alvarez, C.
name: Arceo, R.
name: Arteaga-Velázquez, J. C.
name: Rojas, D. Avila
name: Solares, H. A. Ayala
name: Belmont-Moreno, E.
name: BenZvi, S. Y.
name: Brisbois, C.
name: Caballero-Mora, K. S.
name: Capistràn, T.
name: Carramiñana, A.
name: Casanova, S.
name: Castillo, M.
name: Cotzomi, J.
name: de León, S. Coutiño
name: De León, C.
name: De la Fuente, E.
name: Dichiara, S.
name: Dingus, B. L.
name: DuVernois, M. A.
name: Díaz-Vélez, J. C.
name: Engel, K.
name: Enríquez-Rivera, O.
name: Espinoza, C.
name: Fleischhack, H.
name: Fraija, N.
name: García-González, J. A.
name: Garfias, F.
name: González, M. M.
name: Goodman, J. A.
name: Hampel-Arias, Z.
name: Harding, J. P.
name: Hernandez, S.
name: Hona, B.
name: Hueyotl-Zahuantitla, F.
name: Hüntemeyer, P.
name: Iriarte, A.
name: Jardin-Blicq, A.
name: Joshi, V.
name: Kaufmann, S.
name: Vargas, H. León
name: Luis-Raya, G.
name: Lundeen, J.
name: López-Coto, R.
name: Malone, K.
name: Marinelli, S. S.
name: Martinez, O.
name: Martinez-Castellanos, I.
name: Martínez-Castro, J.
name: Miranda-Romagnoli, P.
name: Moreno, E.
name: Mostafá, M.
name: Nayerhoda, A.
name: Nellen, L.
name: Newbold, M.
name: Nisa, M. U.
name: Noriega-Papaqui, R.
name: Pretz, J.
name: Pérez-Pérez, E. G.
name: Ren, Z.
name: Rho, C. D.
name: Rivière, C.
name: Rosa-González, D.
name: Rosenberg, M.
name: Ruiz-Velasco, E.
name: Salazar, H.
name: Greus, F. Salesa
name: Sandoval, A.
name: Schneider, M.
name: Arroyo, M. Seglar
name: Sinnis, G.
name: Smith, A. J.
name: Surajbali, P.
name: Taboada, I.
name: Tibolla, O.
name: Tollefson, K.
name: Torres, I.
name: Villaseñor, L.
name: Weisgarber, T.
name: Westerhoff, S.
name: Wisher, I. G.
name: Wood, J.
name: Yapici, T.
name: Zepeda, A.
name: Zhou, H.
name: Álvarez, J. D.
name: Beacom, J. F.
name: Leane, R. K.
name: Linden, T.
name: Ng, K. C. Y.
name: Peter, A. H. G.
name: Zhou, B.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2018
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph)
subject: High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE)
subject: Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We analyze the Sun as a source for the indirect detection of dark matter through a search for gamma rays from the solar disk. Capture of dark matter by elastic interactions with the solar nuclei followed by annihilation to long-lived mediators can produce a detectable gamma-ray flux. We search three years of data from the High Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory and find no statistically significant detection of TeV gamma-ray emission from the Sun. Using this, we constrain the spin-dependent elastic scattering cross section of dark matter with protons for dark matter masses above 1 TeV, assuming an unstable mediator with a favorable lifetime. The results complement constraints obtained from Fermi-LAT observations of the Sun and together cover WIMP masses between 4 GeV and $10^6$ GeV. The cross section constraints for mediator decays to gamma rays can be as strong as $\sim10^{-45}$ cm$^{-2}$, which is more than four orders of magnitude stronger than current direct-detection experiments for 1 TeV dark matter mass. The cross-section constraints at higher masses are even better, nearly 7 orders of magnitude better than the current direct-detection constraints for 100 TeV dark matter mass. This demonstration of sensitivity encourages detailed development of theoretical models in light of these powerful new constraints.
description: 11 pages, 4 figures. See also companion paper 1808.05620. Accepted for publication in Physical Review D