Dark matter decay in the Milky Way halo

Abstract

Dark matter may be detected in X-ray decay, including from the decay of the dark matter particles that make up the Milky Way (MW) halo. We use a range of density profiles to compute X-ray line intensity profiles, with a focus on the resonantly produced sterile neutrino dark matter candidate. Compared to the Navarro--Frenk--White density profile, we show that using an adiabatically contracted halo profile suppresses the line intensity in the halo outskirts and enhances it in the Galactic Centre (GC), although this enhancement is eliminated by the likely presence of a core within 3~kpc. Comparing our results to MW halo observations, other X-ray observations, and structure formation constraints implies a sterile neutrino mixing angle parameter $s_{11}\equiv\sin^{2}(2\theta)\times10^{11}\sim[3,4]$ (particle lifetime $\tau_{28}\equiv\tau/(10^{28}\mathrm{sec})\sim[1.0,1.3]$), which is nevertheless is strong tension with some reported non-detections. We make predictions for the likely decay flux that the XRISM satellite would measure in the GC, plus the Virgo and Perseus clusters, and outline further steps to determine whether the dark matter is indeed resonantly produced sterile neutrinos as detected in X-ray decay.