Search for dark matter annihilation in Draco with the Solar Tower Atmospheric Cherenkov Effect Experiment
Abstract
For some time, the Draco dwarf spheroidal galaxy has garnered interest as a possible source for the indirect detection of dark matter. Its large mass-to-light ratio and relative proximity to the Earth provide favorable conditions for the production of a detectable flux of gamma rays from dark matter self-annihilation in its core. The Solar Tower Atmospheric Cherenkov Effect Experiment (STACEE) is an atmospheric Cherenkov telescope located in Albuquerque, NM capable of detecting gamma rays at energies above 100 GeV. We present the results of the STACEE observations of Draco during the 2005–2006 observing season totaling 10.2 hours of live time after cuts. We do not detect a significant gamma-ray signal from Draco, and place an upper limit on a power-law spectrum of Assuming a smooth Navarro-Frenk-White profile for the dark-matter halo and an annihilation spectrum, we also derive upper limits for the cross-section-velocity product (⟨σv⟩) for weakly interacting massive particles self-annihilation.
