Limits to the muon flux from neutralino annihilations in the Sun with the AMANDA detector
The AMANDA collaboration, M. Ackermann
TL;DR
This study tackles the search for muon-neutrinos from neutralino annihilations in the Sun, a potential dark matter signal. It employs the AMANDA-II detector and a 143.7-day data set from 2001, with DarkSUSY-based signal modeling for masses between 100 and 5000 GeV and two representative annihilation channels, and comprehensive background simulations with Lipari atmospheric neutrinos and CORSIKA muons. No excess above the expected atmospheric background is observed, leading to a 90% CL upper limit on the neutralino annihilation rate in the Sun and the corresponding muon flux at Earth as a function of neutralino mass. The results constrain MSSM parameter space for heavy neutralinos and demonstrate the capability and limitations of solar-neutralino searches with a deep-ice Cherenkov detector.
Abstract
A search for an excess of muon-neutrinos from neutralino annihilations in the Sun has been performed with the AMANDA-II neutrino detector using data collected in 143.7 days of live-time in 2001. No excess over the expected atmospheric neutrino background has been observed. An upper limit at 90% confidence level has been obtained on the annihilation rate of captured neutralinos in the Sun, as well as the corresponding muon flux limit at the Earth, both as functions of the neutralino mass in the range 100 GeV-5000 GeV.