Search for neutrinos from decaying dark matter with IceCube: IceCube Collaboration

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Journal Article
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Date
2018
Authors
Aartsen MG
Ackermann M
Adams J
Aguilar JA
Ahlers M
Ahrens M
Al Samarai I
Altmann D
Andeen K
Anderson T
Abstract

© 2018, The Author(s). With the observation of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, interest has risen in models of PeV-mass decaying dark matter particles to explain the observed flux. We present two dedicated experimental analyses to test this hypothesis. One analysis uses 6 years of IceCube data focusing on muon neutrino ‘track’ events from the Northern Hemisphere, while the second analysis uses 2 years of ‘cascade’ events from the full sky. Known background components and the hypothetical flux from unstable dark matter are fitted to the experimental data. Since no significant excess is observed in either analysis, lower limits on the lifetime of dark matter particles are derived: we obtain the strongest constraint to date, excluding lifetimes shorter than 1028s at 90% CL for dark matter masses above 10TeV.

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Keywords
astro-ph.HE, IceCube, Dark Matter Decay, Astrophysical Neutrinos, Heavy Decaying Dark Matter
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ANZSRC fields of research
Field of Research::02 - Physical Sciences::0201 - Astronomical and Space Sciences::020106 - High Energy Astrophysics; Cosmic Rays
Fields of Research::51 - Physical sciences::5107 - Particle and high energy physics::510703 - Particle physics
Fields of Research::51 - Physical sciences::5101 - Astronomical sciences::510103 - Cosmology and extragalactic astronomy
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