Dark Matter Annihilation and the Observed Positron Excess

The composition of dark matter remains an unsolved mystery in astroparticle physics and cosmology. State of the art experiments are searching for dark matter using two different methods: direct detection, in which a WIMP-like particle interacts with a detector in the laboratory, and indirect detection, in which products of dark matter annihilations such as neutrinos, gamma rays, and antimatter are detected. Recent results from two indirect detection experiments, PAMELA and Fermi, show a flux of positrons above the expected background signal; this positron excess may point toward a primary source of positrons that could be explained by dark matter annihilations. Utilizing DarkSUSY to generate supersymmetric models in which the neutralino is the dark matter, we find that no models generated in this study match the excess as seen by PAMELA and Fermi.

Grantor dc:publisher

Creighton University

Year dc:date.issued

2011

Author dc:creator

• Garrett, Katherine

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Duda, Gintaras K.

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright is retained by the Author. A non-exclusive distribution right is granted to Creighton University and to ProQuest following the publishing model selected above.

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10504/21295

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:cdr.creighton.edu:10504/21295