Distinguishing among dark matter annihilation channels with neutrino telescopes

Understand

We investigate the prospects for distinguishing dark matter annihilation channels using the neutrino flux from gravitationally captured dark matter particles annihilating inside the sun.

• We show that, even with experimental error in energy reconstruction taken into account, the spectrum of contained muon tracks may be used to discriminate neutrino final states from the gauge boson/charged lepton final states and to determine their corresponding branching ratios.
• We also discuss the effect of $\nu_\tau$ regeneration inside the sun as a novel method to distinguish the flavor of final state neutrinos.
• This effect as evidenced in the muon spectrum becomes important for dark matter masses above 300 GeV.