Searches for Dark Matter Annihilations in the Sun with IceCube and DeepCore in the 79-string configuration

摘要

Dark matter could be indirectly detected through the observation of neutrinos produced as part of itsself-annihilation process. Possible signatures are an excess neutrino flux from the Sun, where dark matter could begravitationally trapped. The recent commissioning of the full DeepCore sub-array, a low-energy extension of theIceCube neutrino observatory, offers exciting opportunities for neutrino physics in the energy region of 10 GeV to 1 TeV.DeepCore's improved energy reach will, in particular, provide sensitivity to neutrinos from attractive WIMP candidates,like the neutralino or the lightest Kaluza-Klein particle (LKP), down to WIMP masses in the region of about 50 GeV.This will lead to stringent upper limits on the flux of muons from dark matter annihilations in the Sun and constraints onWIMP-proton cross-sections. We report on the search for dark matter annihilations in the Sun with the IceCube neutrinodetector in the 79-string configuration, which includes the full DeepCore sub-array. Furthermore, we review the impactsof IceCube observations of the Sun upon supersymmetric (SUSY) dark matter models.