Toward the full test of the nuMSM sterile neutrino dark matter model with Athena

Abstract

We discuss the potential of Athena X-ray telescope, in particular of its X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU), for detection of the signal from the light-weight decaying dark matter with mass in the keV range. We show that high energy resolution and large collection area of X-IFU will provide an improvement of sensitivity which will be sufficient for the full test of the neutrino Minimal extension of the Standard Model (nuMSM). Search for the narrow spectral line produced by the decay of the dark matter sterile neutrino in the spectra of dwarf spheroidal galaxies with X-IFU will explore the whole allowed range masses and mixing angles of the nuMSM lightest sterile neutrino and in this way either to find the dark matter signal or rule out the nuMSM model.