Francesca Calore, Marco Cirelli, Laurent Derome, Yoann Genolini, David Maurin, Pierre Salati, Pasquale D. Serpico
SciPost Phys. 12, 163 (2022) ·
published 18 May 2022
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Based on 4 yr AMS-02 antiproton data, we present bounds on the dark matter
(DM) annihilation cross section vs. mass for some representative final state
channels. We use recent cosmic-ray propagation models, a realistic treatment of
experimental and theoretical errors, and an updated calculation of input
antiproton spectra based on a recent release of the PYTHIA code. We find that
reported hints of a DM signal are statistically insignificant; an adequate
treatment of errors is crucial for credible conclusions. Antiproton bounds on
DM annihilation are among the most stringent ones, probing thermal DM up to the
TeV scale. The dependence of the bounds upon propagation models and the DM halo
profile is also quantified. A preliminary estimate reaches similar conclusions
when applied to the 7 years AMS-02 dataset, but also suggests extra caution as
for possible future claims of DM excesses.
