Constraints on WIMP Annihilation from MeerKAT UHF-Band Observations of Reticulum II
S. Semane*,
G. Beck,
S. Makhathini,
M. Regis and
G. Bernardi*: corresponding author
Pre-published on:
September 24, 2025
Published on:
—
Abstract
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)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22323/1.501.0525
How to cite
Metadata are provided both in
article format (very
similar to INSPIRE)
as this helps creating very compact bibliographies which
can be beneficial to authors and readers, and in
proceeding format which
is more detailed and complete.