Detecting sterile neutrino dark matter at MeV gamma-ray observatories
Subaru Fujisawa (Kavli IPMU (WPI), UTIAS, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, 277-8583, Japan)
; Tatsuya Hayashi (Kavli IPMU (WPI), UTIAS, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, 277-8583, Japan)
; Shigeki Matsumoto (Kavli IPMU (WPI), UTIAS, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, 277-8583, Japan)
; Yuki Watanabe (Kavli IPMU (WPI), UTIAS, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, 277-8583, Japan)
We explore the indirect detection of sterile neutrino dark matter within the gauged U(1) extension of the Standard Model, in which three right-handed neutrinos account for neutrino masses, the baryon asymmetry, and dark matter. Focusing on the MeV mass range, we investigate two decay channels: the radiative decay $\textit{N}$ → $\textit{νγ}$, which produces a monochromatic photon, and the three-body decay $\textit{N}$ → $\textit{e}$ $\textit{e}$ $\textit{ν}$, which leads to a 511 keV photon signal from positronium decay. Taking the upcoming COSI mission as a case study, we show that both signals are experimentally accessible and complementary, with the 511 keV channel extending the sensitivity reach up to $$\mathcal{O}(100)$$ MeV. We propose a novel analysis strategy in Compton data space to isolate the diffuse 511 keV emission. Furthermore, we incorporate, for the first time, the Sommerfeld enhancement in the decay width of $\textit{N}$ → $\textit{e}$ $\textit{e}$ $\textit{ν}$, enabling more accurate predictions of the signal near the kinematic threshold. The combined observation of both channels would provide a distinctive and testable signature of the sterile neutrino dark matter hypothesis.