Gamma-Ray Emission from Galaxy Clusters : DARK MATTER AND COSMIC-RAYS

• Main Author: Pinzke, Anders
• Format: Doctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Stockholms universitet, Fysikum 2010
• Subjects: Galaxy clusters; gamma-rays; cosmic-rays; dark matter; High energy astrophysics; Högenergiastrofysik
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-42453; http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:isbn:978-91-7447-141-0

The quest for the first detection of a galaxy cluster in the high energy gamma-ray regime is ongoing, and even though clusters are observed in several other wave-bands, there is still no firm detection in gamma-rays. To complement the observational efforts we estimate the gamma-ray contributions from both annihilating dark matter and cosmic-ray (CR) proton as well as CR electron induced emission. Using high-resolution simulations of galaxy clusters, we find a universal concave shaped CR proton spectrum independent of the simulated galaxy cluster. Specifically, the gamma-ray spectra from decaying neutral pions, which are produced by CR protons, dominate the cluster emission. Furthermore, based on our derived flux and luminosity functions, we identify the galaxy clusters with the brightest galaxy clusters in gamma-rays. While this emission is challenging to detect using the Fermi satellite, major observations with Cherenkov telescopes in the near future may put important constraints on the CR physics in clusters. To extend these predictions, we use a dark matter model that fits the recent electron and positron data from Fermi, PAMELA, and H.E.S.S. with remarkable precision, and make predictions about the expected gamma-ray flux from nearby clusters. In order to remain consistent with the EGRET upper limit on the gamma-ray emission from Virgo, we constrain the minimum mass of substructures for cold dark matter halos. In addition, we find comparable levels of gamma-ray emission from CR interactions and dark matter annihilations without Sommerfeld enhancement. === At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Accepted.