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Strong Lensing of Gamma Ray Bursts as a Probe of Compact Dark Matter
- Source :
- Phys. Rev. D 98, 123523 (2018)
- Publication Year :
- 2018
-
Abstract
- Compact dark matter has been efficiently constrained in the M <~ 10 M_sun mass range by null searches for microlensing of stars in nearby galaxies. Here we propose to probe the mass range M >~ 10 M_sun by seeking echoes in gamma-ray-burst light curves induced by strong lensing. We show that strong gravitational lensing of gamma ray bursts (GRBs) by massive compact halo objects (MACHOs) generates superimposed GRB images with a characteristic time delay of >~ 1 ms for M >~ 10 M_sun. Using dedicated simulations to capture the relevant phenomenology of the GRB prompt emission, we calculate the signal-to-noise ratio required to detect GRB lensing events as a function of the flux ratio and time delay between the lensed images. We then analyze existing data from the Fermi/GBM and Swift/BAT instruments to assess their constraining power on the compact dark matter fraction f_DM. We find that this data is noise limited, and therefore localization-based masking of background photons is a key ingredient. Future observatories with better sensitivity will be able to probe down to the f_ DM >~ 1% level across the 10 M_sun <~ M <~ 1000 M_sun mass range.<br />Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures; important references added
Details
- Database :
- arXiv
- Journal :
- Phys. Rev. D 98, 123523 (2018)
- Publication Type :
- Report
- Accession number :
- edsarx.1809.09627
- Document Type :
- Working Paper
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.98.123523