New constraints on the dark matter-neutrino and dark matter-photon scattering cross sections from TXS 0506+056

Understand

The flux of high energy neutrinos and photons produced in a blazar could get attenuated when they propagate through the dark matter spike around the central black hole and the halo of the host galaxy.

• Using the observation by IceCube of a few high-energy neutrino events from TXS 0506+056, and their coincident gamma ray events, we obtain new constraints on the dark matter-neutrino and dark matter-photon scattering cross sections.
• Our constraints are orders of magnitude more stringent than those derived from considering the attenuation through the intergalactic medium and the Milky Way dark matter halo.
• When the cross-section increases with energy, our constraints are also stronger than those derived from the CMB and large-scale structure.