Constraints on dark matter annihilation in dwarf spheroidal galaxies from low frequency radio observations

Abstract

We present the first observational limits on the predicted synchrotron signals from particle dark matter annihilation models in dwarf spheroidal galaxies at radio frequencies below 1 GHz. We use a combination of survey data from the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) and the Giant Metre-wave Radio Telescope to search for diffuse radio emission from 14 dwarf spheroidal galaxies. For in situ magnetic fields of 1 μ G and any plausible value for the diffusion coefficient, our limits do not constrain any dark matter models. However, for stronger magnetic fields our data might provide constraints comparable to existing limits from gamma-ray and cosmic-ray observations. Predictions for the sensitivity of the upgraded MWA show that models with dark matter particle mass up to ∼ 1.6 TeV (1 TeV) may be constrained for a magnetic field of 2 μ G ( 1 μ G ). While much deeper limits from the future low frequency Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will challenge the LHC in searches for dark matter particles, the MWA provides a valuable first step toward the SKA at low frequencies.