No Arabic abstract
A massive black hole is present at the centre of our galaxy and inevitably accretes dark matter particles, creating a region of very high particle density. The annihilation rate is enhanced with a large number of e+e- pairs produced either directly or by successive decays of mesons. We evaluate the synchrotron emission (and self-absorption) associated with the propagation of these particles through the galactic magnetic field and give constraints on the values of mass and cross section of the dark matter particles.
The diffused gamma halo around our Galaxy recently discovered by EGRET could be produced by annihilations of relic neutrinos N (of fourth generation), whose mass is within a narrow range (Mz /2 < M < Mz). Neutrino annihilations in the halo may lead to either ultrarelativistic electron pairs whose inverse Compton Scattering on infrared or optical galactic photons could be the source of the observed GeV gamma rays, or to prompt 100 MeV- 1 GeV photons (due to neutral pion secondaries) born by N - anti N --> Z--> quark pairs reactions. The consequent gamma flux (10 ^(-7)- 10^(-6) cm ^(-2) s^(-1) sr^(-1)) is well comparable to the EGRET observed one and it is also compatible with the narrow window of neutrino mass : 45 GeV < M < 50 GeV recently required to explain the underground DAMA signals. The presence of heavy neutrinos of fourth generation do not contribute much to solve the dark matter problem of the Universe, but it may be easily detectable by outcoming LEP II data.
We provide an updated assessment of the power of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) to search for thermally produced dark matter at the TeV scale, via the associated gamma-ray signal from pair-annihilating dark matter particles in the region around the Galactic centre. We find that CTA will open a new window of discovery potential, significantly extending the range of robustly testable models given a standard cuspy profile of the dark matter density distribution. Importantly, even for a cored profile, the projected sensitivity of CTA will be sufficient to probe various well-motivated models of thermally produced dark matter at the TeV scale. This is due to CTAs unprecedented sensitivity, angular and energy resolutions, and the planned observational strategy. The survey of the inner Galaxy will cover a much larger region than corresponding previous observational campaigns with imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. CTA will map with unprecedented precision the large-scale diffuse emission in high-energy gamma rays, constituting a background for dark matter searches for which we adopt state-of-the-art models based on current data. Throughout our analysis, we use up-to-date event reconstruction Monte Carlo tools developed by the CTA consortium, and pay special attention to quantifying the level of instrumental systematic uncertainties, as well as background template systematic errors, required to probe thermally produced dark matter at these energies. Full likelihood tables complementing our analysis are provided here [ https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4057987 ]
Evidence has increasingly mounted in recent decades that outflows of matter and energy from the central parsecs of our Galaxy have shaped the observed structure of the Milky Way on a variety of larger scales. On scales of ~15 pc, the Galactic centre has bipolar lobes that can be seen in both X-rays and radio, indicating broadly collimated outflows from the centre, directed perpendicular to the Galactic plane. On far larger scales approaching the size of the Galaxy itself, gamma-ray observations have identified the so-called Fermi Bubble features, implying that our Galactic centre has, or has recently had, a period of active energy release leading to a production of relativistic particles that now populate huge cavities on both sides of the Galactic plane. The X-ray maps from the ROSAT all-sky survey show that the edges of these cavities close to the Galactic plane are bright in X-rays. At intermediate scales (~150 pc), radio astronomers have found the Galactic Centre Lobe, an apparent bubble of emission seen only at positive Galactic latitudes, but again indicative of energy injection from near the Galactic centre. Here we report the discovery of prominent X-ray structures on these intermediate (hundred-parsec) scales above and below the plane, which appear to connect the Galactic centre region to the Fermi bubbles. We propose that these newly-discovered structures, which we term the Galactic Centre Chimneys, constitute a channel through which energy and mass, injected by a quasi-continuous train of episodic events at the Galactic centre, are transported from the central parsecs to the base of the Fermi bubbles.
We have observed the central 45 region of the Galaxy at 620 MHz band of the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) in radio continuum, and measured the polarisation properties of 64 small diameter background extragalactic sources seen through the -6 deg < l < 6 deg, -2 deg < b < 2 deg region with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) and the Very Large Array (VLA). Our 620 MHz observations show that Sgr A* is located behind the HII region Sgr A West. Using the ATCA and the VLA observations, we measured the Faraday rotation measure (RM) of the polarised sources. The measured RMs are mostly positive, and show no reversal of sign across the rotation axis of the Galaxy. This rules out any circularly symmetric model of magnetic field in the region. We estimate the magnetic field strength in the region to be ~10 microGauss, which raises doubts against an all pervasive milliGauss field in the central few hundred pc of the Galaxy.
During the last decades, increasingly precise astronomical observations of the Galactic Centre (GC) region at radio, infrared, and X-ray wavelengths laid the foundations to a detailed understanding of the high energy astroparticle physics of this most remarkable location in the Galaxy. Recently, observations of this region in high energy (HE, 10 MeV - 100GeV) and very high energy (VHE, > 100 GeV) gamma rays added important insights to the emerging picture of the Galactic nucleus as a most violent and active region where acceleration of particles to very high energies -- possibly up to a PeV -- and their transport can be studied in great detail. Moreover, the inner Galaxy is believed to host large concentrations of dark matter (DM), and is therefore one of the prime targets for the indirect search for gamma rays from annihilating or decaying dark matter particles. In this article, the current understanding of the gamma-ray emission emanating from the GC is summarised and the results of recent DM searches in HE and VHE gamma rays are reviewed.