Constraints on WIMP Annihilation from MeerKAT UHF-Band Observations of Reticulum II
We present a search for synchrotron emission from Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) annihilation in the Reticulum II (Ret II) dwarf spheroidal galaxy. Using deep 8-hour observations with the MeerKAT Interferometry in the UHF band, we image the target field and perform source subtraction to create a residual map sensitive to diffuse emission. We model the expected synchrotron signal for WIMP annihilation into $b\bar{b}$, $\tau^+\tau^-$, and $\mu^+\mu^-$ channels. No significant signal is detected. We derive stringent upper limits on the velocity-weighted annihilation cross-section $\langle \sigma v \rangle$ at 95\% confidence level, excluding values above approximately $10^{-26}$ cm$^3$s$^{-1}$ for WIMP masses between 20--100 GeV in the $b\bar{b}$ channel. Our results, a significant improvement over previous ATCA limits, demonstrate MeerKAT's powerful capabilities in indirect dark matter searches and provide a preview of the potential of the upcoming Square Kilometre Array (SKA)
Authors
- Marco Regis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0399-0284)
- G. Bernardi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0916-7443)
- Sphesihle Makhathini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9565-9622)
- Geoff Beck (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4916-4914)
- Shibre Semane
Publication Details
- Published
- 2025-09-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.22323/1.501.0525
- Primary Topic
- Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00