Evaluating WIMP Dark Matter Candidacy using Distant Astrophysical Phenomena

Dark matter is an integral factor in the distribution of macro-scale galactic superstructures, as well as galaxy formation and evolution, though the properties of this matter remain largely unknown. Theoretical Majorana weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) serve as a primary candidate for dark matter. This study utilizes the proposed production of high-energy photons (-rays) resulting from the annihilation of two WIMPs, to predict the properties of WIMP dark matter within distant galactic sources. These sources serve as a lightly explored class of objects for dark matter surveys, compared to local galaxies, which have been the focus of previous research within the field. Photon event data between 500 MeV and 500 GeV collected over fourteen years by the Fermi Large Array Telescope from twelve galactic sources further than 15 MLY from Earth was analyzed using the FermiPy package and probed for dark matter content. Using a combined Bayesian likelihood analysis, the 95% confidence level upper limit of the thermally averaged WIMP annihilation cross section was calculated for dark matter masses between 10 GeV and 5 TeV. The influence of static nominal J-Factor distributions on WIMP cross section upper limits were compared to those of dynamically derived J-Factors fitted to the specified source. No statistically significant dark matter signal was detected within the WIMP annihilation channels surveyed. Constraints on the 95% confidence interval upper limit of the annihilation cross section of these particles were created to limit the considered WIMP dark matter. The extrapolated cross section of the static J-Factor survey was below that of previous dark matter constraints for five of the six annihilation channels, and below the relic cross section for the bb̅, t⁺t^-, and uu̅ channels. The upper limit of the dynamic J-Factor survey cross section upper limit was several orders of magnitude above preexisting constraints, indicating that their observation distance limits their current potential for dark matter surveys. The significant constraints offered by the static J-Factor survey indicate the potential of these candidate regions at establishing dark matter constraints when harnessing future technological advancements. Future studies into the distant galactic sources must ensure the robustness of the constraints placed on WIMP dark matter.