Abstract
It was recently demonstrated that asymmetric dark matter can ignite supernovae by collecting and collapsing inside lone sub-Chandrasekhar mass white dwarfs, and that this may be the cause of Type Ia supernovae. A ball of asymmetric dark matter accumulated inside a white dwarf and collapsing under its own weight, sheds enough gravitational potential energy through scattering with nuclei, to spark the fusion reactions that precede a Type Ia supernova explosion. In this article we elaborate on this mechanism and use it to place new bounds on interactions between nucleons and asymmetric dark matter for masses $m_{X} = 10^{6}-10^{16}$ GeV. Interestingly, we find that for dark matter more massive than $10^{11}$ GeV, Type Ia supernova ignition can proceed through the Hawking evaporation of a small black hole formed by the collapsed dark matter. We also identify how a cold white dwarf's Coulomb crystal structure substantially suppresses dark matter-nuclear scattering at low momentum transfers, which is crucial for calculating the time it takes dark matter to form a black hole. Higgs and vector portal dark matter models that ignite Type Ia supernovae are explored.
Highlights
While dark matter has been identified through its gravitational interactions in galaxies and the early universe, dark matter’s mass, cosmological history, and nongravitational interactions remain a mystery
Using dark matter ignition of Type Ia supernovae, we set new bounds on the dark matter–nucleon cross section for heavy dark matter. These bounds depend on four relevant physical quantities: (1) the time it takes to accumulate a critical mass of dark matter in the center of the white dwarf, (2) the time it takes for the accreted dark matter to reach thermal equilibrium and settle to the center of the white dwarf, (3) the time it takes the dark matter sphere to collapse, and (4) the energy transferred during dark matter collapse through scattering against stellar constituents
Besides igniting Type Ia supernovae during collapse, we find that for a dark matter sphere which collapses without igniting the white dwarf, the black hole formed from the collapsed dark matter may itself ignite the white dwarf via Hawking radiation
Summary
While dark matter has been identified through its gravitational interactions in galaxies and the early universe, dark matter’s mass, cosmological history, and nongravitational interactions remain a mystery. Once such a dark matter sphere acquires a critical mass necessary for selfgravitation, its subsequent gravitational collapse releases enough energy through nuclear elastic scattering to dramatically heat the core of white dwarf stars. Using dark matter ignition of Type Ia supernovae, we set new bounds on the dark matter–nucleon cross section for heavy dark matter These bounds depend on four relevant physical quantities: (1) the time it takes to accumulate a critical mass of dark matter in the center of the white dwarf, (2) the time it takes for the accreted dark matter to reach thermal equilibrium and settle to the center of the white dwarf, (3) the time it takes the dark matter sphere to collapse, and (4) the energy transferred during dark matter collapse through scattering against stellar constituents. Throughout this paper, we work in natural units where ħ 1⁄4 c 1⁄4 kb 1⁄4 1 and G 1⁄4 1=M2pl where Mpl ≈ 1.2 × 1019 GeV is the nonreduced Planck mass
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
