Published April 1, 2021 | Version v1
Journal article

Dark matter, destroyer of worlds: neutrino, thermal, and existential signatures from black holes in the Sun and Earth

  • 1. The McDonald Institute and Department of Physics, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario (Canada)
  • 2. Theoretical Physics Department, CERN, 1211 Geneva (Switzerland)

Description

Dark matter can be captured by celestial objects and accumulate at their centers, forming a core of dark matter that can collapse to a small black hole, provided that the annihilation rate is small or zero. If the nascent black hole is big enough, it will grow to consume the star or planet. We calculate the rate of dark matter accumulation in the Sun and Earth, and use their continued existence to place novel constraints on high mass asymmetric dark matter interactions. We also identify and detail less destructive signatures: a newly-formed black hole can be small enough to evaporate via Hawking radiation, resulting in an anomalous heat flow emanating from Earth, or in a flux of high-energy neutrinos from the Sun observable at IceCube. The latter signature is entirely new, and we find that it may cover large regions of parameter space that are not probed by any other method. (paper)

Availability note (English)

Available from http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1475-7516/2021/04/026

Additional details

Publishing Information

Journal Title
Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Journal Volume
2021
Journal Issue
04
Journal Page Range
[44 p.]
ISSN
1475-7516

INIS

Country of Publication
United Kingdom
Country of Input or Organization
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
INIS RN
53099837
Subject category
S79: ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY;
Descriptors DEI
BLACK HOLES; HEAT FLUX; ICECUBE NEUTRINO DETECTOR; NEUTRINOS; NONLUMINOUS MATTER; SUN
Descriptors DEC
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES; FERMIONS; LEPTONS; MAIN SEQUENCE STARS; MASSLESS PARTICLES; MATTER; MEASURING INSTRUMENTS; NEUTRINO DETECTORS; RADIATION DETECTORS; STARS