Evaporation barrier for dark matter in celestial bodies

Acevedo, Javier F, Leane, Rebecca K and Smirnov, Juri ORCID: 0000-0002-3082-0929 (2024) Evaporation barrier for dark matter in celestial bodies JOURNAL OF COSMOLOGY AND ASTROPARTICLE PHYSICS, 2024 (4). 038-. ISSN 1475-7516, 1475-7516

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Abstract

The minimum testable dark matter (DM) mass for almost all DM signatures in celestial bodies is determined by the rate at which DM evaporates. DM evaporation has previously been calculated assuming a competition between the gravitational potential of the object, and thermal kicks from the celestial-body matter. We point out a new effect, where mediators with a range larger than the interparticle spacing induce a force proportional to the density gradient of celestial objects, forming an evaporation barrier for the DM. This effect can be so significant that evaporation does not occur even for sub-MeV DM, in stark contrast to previous calculations. This opens up a wide range of new light DM searches, many orders of magnitude in DM mass below the sensitivity of direct detection.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	dark matter theory, stars, white and brown dwarfs
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	08 Aug 2024 13:29
Last Modified:	16 Jun 2026 19:54
DOI:	10.1088/1475-7516/2024/04/038
Open Access URL:	https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.01516
Related Websites:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3183463
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