Constraints on sterile neutrino dark matter from XMM-Newton observations of M33

Abstract

Using archival XMM-Newton observations of the diffuse and unresolved components' emission in the inner disc of M33, we exclude the possible contribution from narrow line emission in the energy range 0.5-5keV more intense than 10-6-10-5ergs-1. Under the hypothesis that sterile neutrinos constitute the majority of the dark matter in M33, we use this result in order to put constraints on their parameter space in the 1-10keV mass range. © 2012 The Authors Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society © 2012 RAS.