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The XMM Cluster Survey: New evidence for the 3.5-keV feature in clusters is inconsistent with a dark matter origin

Bhargava, S, Giles, PA, Romer, AK, Jeltema, T, Mayers, J, Bermeo, A, Hilton, M, Wilkinson, R, Vergara, C, Collins, CA, Manolopoulou, M, Rooney, PJ, Rosborough, S, Sabirli, K, Stott, JP, Swann, E and Viana, PTP (2020) The XMM Cluster Survey: New evidence for the 3.5-keV feature in clusters is inconsistent with a dark matter origin. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 497 (1). pp. 656-671. ISSN 0035-8711

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Abstract

There have been several reports of a detection of an unexplained excess of X-ray emission at $\simeq$3.5 keV in astrophysical systems. One interpretation of this excess is the decay of sterile neutrino dark matter. The most influential study to date analysed 73 clusters observed by the XMM-Newton satellite. We explore evidence for a â 3.5-keV excess in the XMM-PN spectra of 117 redMaPPer galaxy clusters (0.1 < z < 0.6). In our analysis of individual spectra, we identify three systems with an excess of flux at $\simeq$3.5 keV. In one case (XCS J0003.3+0204), this excess may result from a discrete emission line. None of these systems are the most dark matter dominated in our sample. We group the remaining 114 clusters into four temperature (TX) bins to search for an increase in â 3.5-keV flux excess with TX-a reliable tracer of halo mass. However, we do not find evidence of a significant excess in flux at â 3.5 keV in any TX bins. To maximize sensitivity to a potentially weak dark matter decay feature at â 3.5 keV, we jointly fit 114 clusters. Again, no significant excess is found at â 3.5 keV. We estimate the upper limit of an undetected emission line at â 3.5 keV to be 2.41 × 10-6 photons cm-2 s-1, corresponding to a mixing angle of sin 2(2θ) = 4.4 × 10-11, lower than previous estimates from cluster studies. We conclude that a flux excess at â 3.5 keV is not a ubiquitous feature in clusters and therefore unlikely to originate from sterile neutrino dark matter decay. © 2020 The Author(s) Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ©: 2020 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.
Uncontrolled Keywords: 0201 Astronomical and Space Sciences
Subjects: Q Science > QB Astronomy
Q Science > QC Physics
Divisions: Astrophysics Research Institute
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Date Deposited: 05 Jan 2021 10:48
Last Modified: 04 Sep 2021 06:12
DOI or ID number: 10.1093/mnras/staa1829
URI: https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/14212
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