SciPost Submission Page
Improved Treatment of Dark Matter Capture in Compact Stars
by Sandra Robles
This Submission thread is now published as
Submission summary
| Authors (as registered SciPost users): | Sandra Robles |
| Submission information | |
|---|---|
| Preprint Link: | scipost_202209_00012v1 (pdf) |
| Date accepted: | 2023-04-24 |
| Date submitted: | 2022-09-06 20:58 |
| Submitted by: | Robles, Sandra |
| Submitted to: | SciPost Physics Proceedings |
| Proceedings issue: | 14th International Conference on Identification of Dark Matter (IDM2022) |
| Ontological classification | |
|---|---|
| Academic field: | Physics |
| Specialties: |
|
| Approach: | Phenomenological |
Abstract
Compact stellar objects are promising cosmic laboratories to test the nature of dark matter (DM). DM captured by the strong gravitational field of these stellar remnants transfers kinetic energy to the star during the collision. This can have various effects such as anomalous heating of old compact stars. The proper calculation of the DM capture rate is key to derive bounds on DM interactions in any scenario involving DM accretion in a star. We improve former calculations, which rely on approximations, for both white dwarfs (WDs) and neutron stars (NSs). We account for the stellar structure, gravitational focusing, relativistic kinematics, Pauli blocking, realistic form factors, and strong interactions (NSs). Considering DM capture by scattering off either ions or degenerate electrons in WDs, we show that old WDs in DM-rich environments could probe the elusive sub-GeV mass regime for both DM-nucleon and DM-electron scattering. In NSs, DM can be captured via collisions with strongly interacting baryons or relativistic leptons. We project the NS sensitivity to DM-nucleon and DM-lepton scattering cross sections which greatly exceeds that of direct detection experiments, especially for low mass DM.
Published as SciPost Phys. Proc. 12, 057 (2023)
Reports on this Submission
Report #1 by Anonymous (Referee 1) on 2022-10-21 (Invited Report)
- Cite as: Anonymous, Report on arXiv:scipost_202209_00012v1, delivered 2022-10-21, doi: 10.21468/SciPost.Report.5951
Strengths
1. This manuscript provides a nice summary of their work to improve the calculation of dark matter capture in compact stars, taking little approximations.
2. Such improvements are important, in estimating the sensitivities that stellar observables can reach for dark matter direct detection cross sections.
Weaknesses
1. The actual dark matter density in stellar environments is difficult to decide, and the relevant uncertainty is large.
Report
This manuscript is well written, showing clearly the calculations, as well as the conclusions. It definitely transcends the criteria of SciPost Physics Proceedings, and can be published without change.
Requested changes
None.