A search for dark matter in Triangulum II with the MAGIC telescopes
Journal
Phys. Dark Universe 20, 100529, May 2020
External url: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dark.2020.100529
Abstract:
We present the first results from very-high-energy observations of the dwarf spheroidal satellite candidate Triangulum II with the MAGIC telescopes from 62.4 hours of good-quality data taken between August 2016 and August 2017. We find no gamma-ray excess in the direction of Triangulum II, and upper limits on both the differential and integral gamma-ray flux are presented. Currently, the kinematics of Triangulum II are affected by large uncertainties leading to a bias in the determination of the properties of its dark matter halo. Using a scaling relation between the annihilation J-factor and heliocentric distance of well-known dwarf spheroidal galaxies, we estimate an annihilation J-factor for Triangulum II for WIMP dark matter of log[Jann(0.5∘)/ GeV2 cm−5]=19.35±0.37. We also derive a dark matter density profile for the object relying on results from resolved simulations of Milky Way sized dark matter halos. We obtain 95% confidence-level limits on the thermally averaged annihilation cross section for WIMP annihilation into various Standard Model channels. The most stringent limits are obtained in the τ+τ− final state, where a cross section for annihilation down to ⟨σannv⟩=3.05×10−24 cm3 s−1 is excluded.