1. Cosmological implications of photon-flux upper limits at ultra-high energies in scenarios of Planckian-interacting massive particles for dark matter
- Author
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The Pierre Auger Collaboration, Abreu, P., Aglietta, M., Albury, J. M., Allekotte, I., Cheminant, K. Almeida, Almela, A., Alvarez-Muñiz, J., Batista, R. Alves, Yebra, J. Ammerman, Anastasi, G. A., Anchordoqui, L., Andrada, B., Andringa, S., Aramo, C., Ferreira, P. R. Araújo, Arnone, E., Velázquez, J. C. Arteaga, Asorey, H., Assis, P., Avila, G., Avocone, E., Badescu, A. M., Bakalova, A., Balaceanu, A., Barbato, F., Bellido, J. A., Berat, C., Bertaina, M. E., Bhatta, G., Biermann, P. L., Binet, V., Bismark, K., Bister, T., Biteau, J., Blazek, J., Bleve, C., Blümer, J., Boháčová, M., Boncioli, D., Bonifazi, C., Arbeletche, L. Bonneau, Borodai, N., Botti, A. M., Brack, J., Bretz, T., Orchera, P. G. Brichetto, Briechle, F. L., Buchholz, P., Bueno, A., Buitink, S., Buscemi, M., Büsken, M., Caballero-Mora, K. S., Caccianiga, L., Canfora, F., Caracas, I., Caruso, R., Castellina, A., Catalani, F., Cataldi, G., Cazon, L., Cerda, M., Chinellato, J. A., Chudoba, J., Chytka, L., Clay, R. W., Cerutti, A. C. Cobos, Colalillo, R., Coleman, A., Coluccia, M. R., Conceição, R., Condorelli, A., Consolati, G., Contreras, F., Convenga, F., Santos, D. Correia dos, Covault, C. E., Dasso, S., Daumiller, K., Dawson, B. R., Day, J. A., de Almeida, R. M., de Jesús, J., de Jong, S. J., Neto, J. R. T. de Mello, De Mitri, I., de Oliveira, J., Franco, D. de Oliveira, de Palma, F., de Souza, V., De Vito, E., Del Popolo, A., del Río, M., Deligny, O., Deval, L., di Matteo, A., Dobre, M., Dobrigkeit, C., D'Olivo, J. C., Mendes, L. M. Domingues, Anjos, R. C. dos, Dova, M. T., Ebr, J., Engel, R., Epicoco, I., Erdmann, M., Escobar, C. O., Etchegoyen, A., Falcke, H., Farmer, J., Farrar, G., Fauth, A. C., Fazzini, N., Feldbusch, F., Fenu, F., Fick, B., Figueira, J. M., Filipčič, A., Fitoussi, T., Fodran, T., Fujii, T., Fuster, A., Galea, C., Galelli, C., García, B., Vegas, A. L. Garcia, Gemmeke, H., Gesualdi, F., Gherghel-Lascu, A., Ghia, P. L., Giaccari, U., Giammarchi, M., Glombitza, J., Gobbi, F., Gollan, F., Golup, G., Berisso, M. Gómez, Vitale, P. F. Gómez, Gongora, J. P., González, J. M., González, N., Goos, I., Góra, D., Gorgi, A., Gottowik, M., Grubb, T. D., Guarino, F., Guedes, G. P., Guido, E., Hahn, S., Hamal, P., Hampel, M. R., Hansen, P., Harari, D., Harvey, V. M., Haungs, A., Hebbeker, T., Heck, D., Hill, G. C., Hojvat, C., Hörandel, J. R., Horvath, P., Hrabovský, M., Huege, T., Insolia, A., Isar, P. G., Janecek, P., Johnsen, J. A., Jurysek, J., Kääpä, A., Kampert, K. H., Keilhauer, B., Khakurdikar, A., Covilakam, V. V. Kizakke, Klages, H. O., Kleifges, M., Kleinfeller, J., Knapp, F., Kunka, N., Lago, B. L., Langner, N., de Oliveira, M. A. Leigui, Lenok, V., Letessier-Selvon, A., Lhenry-Yvon, I., Presti, D. Lo, Lopes, L., López, R., Lu, L., Luce, Q., Lundquist, J. P., Payeras, A. Machado, Mancarella, G., Mandat, D., Manning, B. C., Manshanden, J., Mantsch, P., Marafico, S., Mariani, F. M., Mariazzi, A. G., Mariş, I. C., Marsella, G., Martello, D., Martinelli, S., Bravo, O. Martínez, Mastrodicasa, M., Mathes, H. J., Matthews, J., Matthiae, G., Mayotte, E., Mayotte, S., Mazur, P. O., Medina-Tanco, G., Melo, D., Menshikov, A., Michal, S., Micheletti, M. I., Miramonti, L., Mollerach, S., Montanet, F., Morejon, L., Morello, C., Mostafá, M., Müller, A. L., Muller, M. A., Mulrey, K., Mussa, R., Muzio, M., Namasaka, W. M., Nasr-Esfahani, A., Nellen, L., Nicora, G., Niculescu-Oglinzanu, M., Niechciol, M., Nitz, D., Norwood, I., Nosek, D., Novotny, V., Nožka, L., Nucita, A, Núñez, L. A., Oliveira, C., Palatka, M., Pallotta, J., Papenbreer, P., Parente, G., Parra, A., Pawlowsky, J., Pech, M., Pękala, J., Pelayo, R., Peña-Rodriguez, J., Martins, E. E. Pereira, Armand, J. Perez, Bertolli, C. Pérez, Perrone, L., Petrera, S., Petrucci, C., Pierog, T., Pimenta, M., Pirronello, V., Platino, M., Pont, B., Pothast, M., Privitera, P., Prouza, M., Puyleart, A., Querchfeld, S., Rautenberg, J., Ravignani, D., Reininghaus, M., Ridky, J., Riehn, F., Risse, M., Rizi, V., de Carvalho, W. Rodrigues, Rojo, J. Rodriguez, Roncoroni, M. J., Rossoni, S., Roth, M., Roulet, E., Rovero, A. C., Ruehl, P., Saftoiu, A., Saharan, M., Salamida, F., Salazar, H., Salina, G., Gomez, J. D. Sanabria, Sánchez, F., Santos, E. M., Santos, E., Sarazin, F., Sarmento, R., Sarmiento-Cano, C., Sato, R., Savina, P., Schäfer, C. M., Scherini, V., Schieler, H., Schimassek, M., Schimp, M., Schlüter, F., Schmidt, D., Scholten, O., Schoorlemmer, H., Schovánek, P., Schröder, F. G., Schulte, J., Schulz, T., Sciutto, S. J., Scornavacche, M., Segreto, A., Sehgal, S., Shellard, R. C., Sigl, G., Silli, G., Sima, O., Smau, R., Šmída, R., Sommers, P., Soriano, J. F., Squartini, R., Stadelmaier, M., Stanca, D., Stanič, S., Stasielak, J., Stassi, P., Streich, A., Suárez-Durán, M., Sudholz, T., Suomijärvi, T., Supanitsky, A. D., Szadkowski, Z., Tapia, A., Taricco, C., Timmermans, C., Tkachenko, O., Tobiska, P., Peixoto, C. J. Todero, Tomé, B., Torrès, Z., Travaini, A., Travnicek, P., Trimarelli, C., Tueros, M., Ulrich, R., Unger, M., Vaclavek, L., Vacula, M., Galicia, J. F. Valdés, Valore, L., Varela, E., Vásquez-Ramírez, A., Veberič, D., Ventura, C., Quispe, I. D. Vergara, Verzi, V., Vicha, J., Vink, J., Vorobiov, S., Wahlberg, H., Watanabe, C., Watson, A. A., Weindl, A., Wiencke, L., Wilczyński, H., Wittkowski, D., Wundheiler, B., Yushkov, A., Zapparrata, O., Zas, E., Zavrtanik, D., Zavrtanik, M., Zehrer, L., and Aloisio, R.
- Subjects
Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena ,Astrophysics - Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics ,High Energy Physics - Phenomenology - Abstract
Using the data of the Pierre Auger Observatory, we report on a search for signatures that would be suggestive of super-heavy particles decaying in the Galactic halo. From the lack of signal, we present upper limits for different energy thresholds above ${\gtrsim}10^8$\,GeV on the secondary by-product fluxes expected from the decay of the particles. Assuming that the energy density of these super-heavy particles matches that of dark matter observed today, we translate the upper bounds on the particle fluxes into tight constraints on the couplings governing the decay process as a function of the particle mass. Instantons, which are non-perturbative solutions to Yang-Mills equations, can give rise to decay channels otherwise forbidden and transform stable particles into meta-stable ones. Assuming such instanton-induced decay processes, we derive a bound on the reduced coupling constant of gauge interactions in the dark sector: $\alpha_X \lesssim 0.09$, for $10^{9} \lesssim M_X/\text{GeV} < 10^{19}$. Conversely, we obtain that, for instance, a reduced coupling constant $\alpha_X = 0.09$ excludes masses $M_X \gtrsim 3\times 10^{13}~$GeV. In the context of dark matter production from gravitational interactions alone during the reheating epoch, we derive constraints on the parameter space that involves, in addition to $M_X$ and $\alpha_X$, the Hubble rate at the end of inflation, the reheating efficiency, and the non-minimal coupling of the Higgs with curvature., Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures, Accompanying paper of arXiv:2203.08854, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. D
- Published
- 2022