• Results from PAMELA, ATIC and FERMI: Pulsars or dark matter?

• # Fulltext

https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/pram/076/01/0001-0022

• # Keywords

Dark matter; cosmic rays; beyond Standard Model.

• # Abstract

It is well known that dark matter dominates the dynamics of galaxies and clusters of galaxies. Its constituents remain a mystery despite an assiduous search for them over the past three decades. Recent results from the satellite-based PAMELA experiment show an excess in the positron fraction at energies between 10 and 100 GeV in the secondary cosmic ray spectrum. Other experiments, namely ATIC, HESS and FERMI, show an excess in the total electron $(e^+ + e^−)$ spectrum for energies greater than 100 GeV. These excesses in the positron fraction as well as the electron spectrum can arise in local astrophysical processes like pulsars, or can be attributed to the annihilation of the dark matter particles. The latter possibility gives clues to the possible candidates for the dark matter in galaxies and other astrophysical systems. In this article, we give a report of these exciting developments.

• # Author Affiliations

1. Centre for High Energy Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560 012, India
2. Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560 012, India

• # Pramana – Journal of Physics

Current Issue
Volume 93 | Issue 6
December 2019

• # Editorial Note on Continuous Article Publication

Posted on July 25, 2019

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