The quest for dark matter in dwarf spheroidal galaxies with the Cherenkov Telescope Array

Abstract

Dwarf spheroidal galaxies are among the best environments that can be studied with Cherenkov telescopes for indirect searches of γ-ray signals coming from dark matter self-interaction (annihilation or decay), due to their proximity and negligible background emission. We present new determinations of the dark-matter amount – i.e. the astrophysical factors J and D – in dwarf-galaxy halos obtained through the MCMC Jeans analysis of their brightness and kinematic data. Such factors are of great importance to test the performances of the next-generation γ-ray instruments such as the Cherenkov Telescope Array in detecting dark-matter signals from astronomical environments, or constraining the limits to dark-matter physics parameters (particle mass and lifetime, annihilation cross section).