Overview
- A single-author paper by Tomonori Totani in JCAP analyzes 15 years of Fermi-LAT observations and identifies a diffuse halo of gamma rays peaking near ~20 GeV around the Galactic center.
- The reported spectrum and spatial profile match predictions for WIMP annihilation with particle masses roughly 500 times that of a proton, according to the study’s interpretation.
- The analysis excludes the bright Galactic plane region to reduce astrophysical backgrounds and presents an intensity map focused on the halo.
- Experts urge caution, noting the absence of comparable signals in dark-matter–rich dwarf galaxies and proposing alternative astrophysical explanations such as past energetic events linked to the Fermi bubbles.
- Researchers call for independent reanalyses, targeted searches in dwarf galaxies, and multi-messenger checks, with confirmation potentially reshaping particle physics and cosmology.