Speaker
Description
Weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) remain a central benchmark for particle dark matter, with gamma-ray observations providing one of the most powerful probes of annihilation signals across a wide mass range. Milky Way dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) constitute particularly robust targets due to their high dark matter content and low astrophysical foregrounds, enabling sensitive searches with minimal background modeling uncertainties.
We present the final results of a comprehensive multi-instrument analysis combining observations from five major gamma-ray facilities: Fermi-LAT, H.E.S.S., MAGIC, VERITAS, and HAWC. By integrating space- and ground-based datasets covering energies from ~100 MeV to ~100 TeV within a unified likelihood framework, this work achieves unprecedented sensitivity to dark matter annihilation signals in dSphs. The analysis incorporates consistent treatments of statistical and astrophysical uncertainties while preserving the complementary strengths of the individual instruments.
The combined constraints probe WIMP dark matter masses between 5 GeV and 100 TeV and improve upon existing single-experiment limits by factors of approximately 2–3 over significant portions of parameter space. For several benchmark annihilation channels, the resulting bounds approach or surpass canonical thermal relic cross sections, placing some of the most stringent gamma-ray limits on WIMP dark matter to date.
Beyond the immediate implications for particle dark matter, this study demonstrates the scientific reach enabled by coordinated analyses across independent observatories and establishes a methodological framework for future joint searches. These results illustrate the critical role of broad energy coverage and collaborative strategies in advancing indirect dark matter detection in the era of next-generation gamma-ray and multi-messenger experiments.
| Main Contribution topic | Indirect detection |
|---|---|
| Secondary contribution topic | Astrophysical observations |