Statistical analysis of all-sky gamma-ray data for particle dark matter searches

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17H04836
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Particle/Nuclear/Cosmic ray/Astro physics
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Ando Shin'ichiro 東京大学, カブリ数物連携宇宙研究機構, 客員科学研究員 (80791970)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 暗黒物質対消滅 / 高エネルギー天体 / 全天ガンマ線解析

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Using gamma-ray data over the entire sky, we have succeeded in providing the most accurate limits on weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), which have been considered to be one of the most promising candidates for dark matter. In particular, by cross-correlating gamma-ray data from the Fermi satellite in the GeV region with gravitational lensing data from the Dark Energy Survey, we have not only obtained limits on WIMPs but also succeeded for the first time in directly demonstrating the existence of high-energy gamma-ray sources embedded in dark matter structures.
We also succeeded in constructing semi-analytical models for these WIMPs in the small-scale structure of dark matter, which provides more accurate constraints than previous studies.

Free Research Field

宇宙素粒子物理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

暗黒物質の正体を解き明かすことは現代物理学の最重要課題の一つである。長年に渡ってWIMPは暗黒物質の最有力候補と考えられており、このためその性質を既に存在している大規模ガンマ線データを最新の統計的手法を用いることで突き止めることは、非常に大きな学術的意味を有する。本研究で得たWIMPに対する制限は世界をリードするものであり、また将来の暗黒物質探査の方向性を決める上で、極めて深い意義を持っている。