Self-annihilating dark matter and the CMB: reionizing the Universe and constraining cross sections

Abstract

I summarize the recent advances in determining the effects of self-annihilating WIMP dark matter on the modification of the recombination history, at times earlier than the formation of astrophysical objects. Depending on mass and self-annihilation cross section, WIMP DM can reproduce sizable amounts of the total free electron abundance at z > 6; as known, this affects the CMB temperature and polarization correlation spectra, and can be used to place stringent bounds in the particle mass vs cross-section plane. WMAP5 data already strongly disfavor the region capable to explain the recent cosmic positron and electrons anomalies in terms of DM annihilation, whereas in principle the Planck mission has the potential to see a signal produced by a candidate laying in that region, or from WIMPs with thermal annihilation cross-sections <sv>=3e-26 cm3/s and masses below 50 GeV.