SEARCH FOR DARK MATTER WITH AMANDA AND ICECUBE DETECTORS

Abstract

If non-baryonic dark matter exists in the form of neutralinos, a neutrino flux is expected from the decay of neutralino pair annihilation products inside heavy celestial bodies. Data taken with the AMANDA (Antarctica Muon and Neutrino Detector Array) neutrino telescope located at the South Pole have been used in a search for this indirect dark matter signal. We present result from searches for neutralinos accumulated in the Sun and in the centre of the Earth, using the data taken up to 2003. The IceCube neutrino detector is being deployed at the South Pole since 2006. This cubic kilometer observatory with 80 strings of 60 photomultipliers will be completed in 2011. The data taken in 2007 with 22 strings have been used in the search for neutrino signal from neutralinos in the Sun. Preliminary results of this analysis will be shown. The planned IceCube detector will be complemented with a dense inner core, Deep Core, to improve the sensitivity in the GeV-TeV energy domain. We will also discuss the expected performance of the combined IceCube Deep Core detector in relation to dark matter searches.