• sdu/sdu.astr/sdu.astr.ga
  
• sdu/sdu.astr/sdu.astr.co
  
• sdu/sdu.astr/sdu.astr.he
  
• phys/phys.hphe
  

Gamma-ray observations have long been used to constrain the properties of dark matter (DM), with a strong focus on weakly interacting massive particles annihilating through velocity-independent processes. However, in the absence of clear-cut observational evidence for the simplest candidates, the interest of the community in more complex DM scenarios involving a velocity-dependent cross-section has been growing steadily over the past few years. We present the first systematic study of velocity-dependent DM annihilation (in particular $p$-wave annihilation and Sommerfeld enhancement) in a variety of astrophysical objects, not only including the well-studied Milky Way dwarf satellite galaxies, but nearby dwarf irregular galaxies and local galaxy clusters as well. Particular attention is given to the interplay between velocity dependence and DM halo substructure. Uncertainties related to halo mass, phase-space and substructure modelling are also discussed in this velocity-dependent context. We show that, for $s$-wave annihilation, extremely large subhalo boost factors are to be expected, up to $10^{11}$ in clusters and up to $10^6-10^7$ in dwarf galaxies where subhalos are usually assumed not to play an important role. Boost factors for $p$-wave annihilation are smaller but can still reach $10^3$ in clusters. The angular extension of the DM signal is also significantly impacted, with e.g. the cluster typical emission radius increasing by a factor of order 10 in the $s$-wave case. We also compute the signal contrast of the objects in our sample with respect to annihilation happening in the Milky Way halo. Overall, we find that the hierarchy between the brightest considered targets depends on the specific details of the assumed particle-physics model.

Primordial black holes may have been produced in the early stages of the thermal history of the Universe after cosmic inflation. If so, dark matter in the form of elementary particles can be subsequently accreted around these objects, in particular when it gets non-relativistic and further streams freely in the primordial plasma. A dark matter mini-spike builds up gradually around each black hole, with density orders of magnitude larger than the cosmological one. We improve upon previous work by carefully inspecting the computation of the mini-spike radial profile as a function of black hole mass, dark matter particle mass and temperature of kinetic decoupling. We identify a phase-space contribution that has been overlooked and that leads to changes in the final results. We also derive complementary analytical formulae using convenient asymptotic regimes, which allows us to bring out peculiar power-law behaviors for which we provide tentative physical explanations.

Reducing theoretical uncertainties in Galactic dark matter (DM) searches is an important challenge as several experiments are now delving into the parameter space relevant to popular (particle or not) candidates. Since many DM signal predictions rely on the knowledge of the DM velocity distribution---direct searches, capture by stars, $p$-wave-suppressed or Sommerfeld-enhanced annihilation rate, microlensing of primordial black holes, \etc---it is necessary to assess the accuracy of our current theoretical handle. Beyond Maxwellian approximations or ad-hoc extrapolations of fits on cosmological simulations, approaches have been proposed to self-consistently derive the DM phase-space distribution only from the detailed mass content of the Galaxy and some symmetry assumptions (\eg~the Eddington inversion and its anisotropic extensions). Although theoretically sound, these methods are still based on simplifying assumptions and their relevance to real galaxies can be questioned. In this paper, we use zoomed-in cosmological simulations to quantify the associated uncertainties. Assuming isotropy, we predict the speed distribution and its moments from the DM and baryonic content measured in simulations, and compare them with the true ones. We reach a predictivity down to $\sim 10$\% for some observables, significantly better than some Maxwellian models. This moderate theoretical error is particularly encouraging at a time when stellar surveys like the \textit{Gaia} mission should allow us to improve constraints on Galactic mass models.