Dark matter searches by the planned gamma-ray telescope GAMMA-400
Abstract
Our paper reviews the planned space-based gamma-ray telescope GAMMA-400 and evaluates in details its opportunities in the field of dark matter (DM) indirect searches. We estimated GAMMA-400 mean sensitivity to the diphoton DM annihilation cross section in the Galactic center for DM particle masses in the range of 1-500 GeV. We obtained the sensitivity gain at least by 1.2-1.5 times (depending on DM particle mass) with respect to the expected constraints from 12 years of observations by Fermi-LAT for the case of Einasto DM density profile. The joint analysis of the data from both telescopes may yield the gain up to 1.8-2.3 times. Thus the sensitivity reaches the level of annihilation cross section σ v γγ(m=100~GeV)≈ 10-28 cm3/s. This will allow us to test the hypothesized narrow lines predicted by specific DM models, particularly the recently proposed pseudo-Goldstone boson DM model. We also considered the decaying DM - in this case the joint analysis may yield the sensitivity gain up to 1.1-2.0 times reaching the level of DM lifetime τγ(m=100~GeV) ≈ 2· 1029 s. We estimated the GAMMA-400 sensitivity to axion-like particle (ALP) parameters by a potential observation of the supernova explosion in the Local Group. This is very sensitive probe of ALPs reaching the level of ALP-photon coupling constant gaγ 10-13~GeV-1 for ALP masses ma 1 neV. We also calculated the sensitivity to ALPs by constraining the modulations in the spectra of the Galactic gamma-ray pulsars due to possible ALP-photon conversion. GAMMA-400 is expected to be more sensitive than the CAST helioscope for ALP masses ma ≈ (1-10) neV reaching gaγmin ≈ 2· 10-11~GeV-1. Other potentially interesting targets and candidates are briefly considered too.