Speaker
Description
Astrophysical jets from powerful active galactic nuclei (AGN) have recently been proposed as promising probes of dark matter (DM) in the sub-GeV mass range. AGN launch relativistic jets that accelerate cosmic rays (CRs) to very high energies, which can then interact with their surroundings and produce multiwavelength (MW) emission spanning from radio frequencies to TeV $\gamma$-rays. If DM consists of light particles, their interactions with CRs could lead to an additional cooling mechanism that modifies the expected MW emission.
In this talk, I will analyse the MW spectrum of Markarian 421, a well-studied AGN, using a multizone leptonic jet model that includes the interactions between CR electrons and DM particles. In particular, I will describe the previously neglected uncertainties in the astrophysical jet dynamics, which are crucial for deriving robust constraints on DM-CR interactions. Hence, I will use the MW data from Markarian 421 to place constraints on the DM-induced CR cooling through a simultaneous fit of the jet parameters and the DM-electron interactions.