Heavy decaying dark matter and IceCube high energy neutrinos (1805.04500v2)

Abstract: We examine the hypothesis of decaying heavy dark matter (HDM) in the context of the IceCube highest energy neutrino events and recent limits on the diffuse flux of high-energy photons. We consider dark matter (DM) particles $X$ of mass $10^{6}\leq M_X\leq~10^{16}$ GeV decaying on tree level into $X \rightarrow \nu \bar{\nu}$, $X \rightarrow e^+e^-$ and $X \rightarrow q \bar{q}$. The full simulation of hadronic and electroweak decay cascades and the subsequent propagation of the decay products through the interstellar medium allows us to determine the permitted values of $M_X$. We show that for leptonic decay channels it is possible to explain the IceCube highest energy neutrino signal without overproducing high-energy photons for $M_X~\lesssim~5.5 \cdot 10^{7}$ GeV and $1.5 \cdot 10^{8}~\lesssim~M_X~\lesssim~1.5 \cdot 10^{9}$ GeV, while hadronic decays contradict the gamma-ray limits for almost the whole range of $M_X$ values considered. The leptonic hypothesis can be probed by operating and planned gamma-ray observatories. For instance, the currently upgrading Carpet experiment will be capable to test a significant part of the remaining parameter window within one year of observation.