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New Limits to the Infrared Background: Bounds on Radiative Neutrino Decay and on Contributions of Very Massive Objects to the Dark Matter Problem

S. D. Biller, J. Buckley, A. Burdett, J. Bussons Gordo, D. A. Carter-Lewis, D. J. Fegan, J. Finley, J. A. Gaidos, A. M. Hillas, F. Krennrich, R. C. Lamb, R. Lessard, J. E. McEnery, G. Mohanty, J. Quinn, A. J. Rodgers, H. J. Rose, F. Samuelson, G. Sembroski, P. Skelton, T. C. Weekes, and J. Zweerink
Phys. Rev. Lett. 80, 2992 – Published 6 April 1998
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Abstract

From considering the effect of γ- γ interactions on recently observed TeV gamma-ray spectra, improved limits are set to the density of extragalactic infrared photons which are robust and essentially model independent. The resulting limits are more than an order of magnitude more restrictive than direct observations in the 0.025–0.3 eV regime. These limits are used to improve constraints on radiative neutrino decay in the mass range above 0.05 eV and to rule out very massive objects as providing the dark matter needed to explain galaxy rotation curves. Lower bounds on the maximum distance which TeV gamma rays may probe are also derived.

  • Received 19 September 1997

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.80.2992

©1998 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

S. D. Biller1, J. Buckley2, A. Burdett3, J. Bussons Gordo4, D. A. Carter-Lewis5, D. J. Fegan4, J. Finley6, J. A. Gaidos6, A. M. Hillas3, F. Krennrich5, R. C. Lamb7, R. Lessard6, J. E. McEnery4, G. Mohanty5, J. Quinn4, A. J. Rodgers3, H. J. Rose3, F. Samuelson5, G. Sembroski6, P. Skelton3, T. C. Weekes8, and J. Zweerink5

  • 1Oxford University, Oxford, United Kingdom
  • 2Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130
  • 3University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
  • 4University College, Dublin, Ireland
  • 5Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011
  • 6Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907
  • 7California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125
  • 8Whipple Observatory, Amado, Arizona 85645

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Issue

Vol. 80, Iss. 14 — 6 April 1998

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