Detecting WIMPs in the microwave sky

The hierarchical clustering observed in cold dark matter simulations results in highly clumped galactic halos. If the dark matter in our halo is made of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPS), their annihilation products should be detectable in high density and nearby clumps. We consider WIMPS to be neutralinos and calculate the synchrotron flux from their annihilation products in the presence of the Galactic magnetic field. We derive a self-consistent emission spectrum including pair annihilation, synchrotron self-absorption, and synchrotron self-Compton reactions. The resulting radiation spans microwave frequencies that can be observed over the anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background. These synchrotron sources should be identifiable as WIMP clumps by their spatial structure and their distinctive radio spectrum. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.