2021/11/29 by MAGIC Collaboration, V. A. Acciari, Stefano Ansoldi +224
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena #Coma (optics) #Dark Matter and Cosmic Phenomena #Dark matter #Dwarf galaxy #Dwarf spheroidal galaxy #Galaxy #MAGIC (telescope) #Milky Way #Particle Detector Development and Performance #Physics #Sigma #WIMP #astro-ph.HE
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.dark.2021.100912
published as Physics of the Dark Universe, Volume 35, March 2022, 100912 · 17 pages, 5 figures
arxiv created 2021/11/29 · openalex publication_date 2021/12/06 · openalex created_date 2021/12/31 · arxiv updated 2022/03/01 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Milky Way dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) are among the best candidates to search for signals of dark matter annihilation with Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes, given their high mass-to-light ratios and the fact that they are free of astrophysical gamma-ray emitting sources. Since 2011, MAGIC has performed a multi-year observation program in search for Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) in dSphs. Results on the observations of Segue 1 and Ursa Major II dSphs have already been published and include some of the most stringent upper limits (ULs) on the velocity-averaged cross-section ⟨ σann v ⟩ of WIMP annihilation from observations of dSphs. In this work, we report on the analyses of 52.1 h of data of Draco dSph and 49.5 h of Coma Berenices dSph observed with the MAGIC telescopes in 2018 and in 2019 respectively. No hint of a signal has been detected from either of these targets and new constraints on the ⟨ σann v ⟩ of WIMP candidates have been derived. In order to improve the sensitivity of the search and reduce the effect of the systematic uncertainties due to the J-factor estimates, we have combined the data of all dSphs observed with the MAGIC telescopes. Using 354.3 h of dSphs good quality data, 95 % CL ULs on ⟨ σann v ⟩ have been obtained for 9 annihilation channels. For most of the channels, these results reach values of the order of 10-24 cm3/s at ∼1 TeV and are the most stringent limits obtained with the MAGIC telescopes so far.