SKA sensitivity to sub-GeV dark matter decay: Synchrotron radio emissions in white dwarf magnetospheres

We investigate the potential of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) in detecting synchrotron radiation emitted from the decay of sub-GeV dark matter (dark matter with masses below the GeV scale) in the presence of strong magnetic fields. As a concrete setup, we consider scenarios where the magnetosphere of a magnetic white dwarf overlaps with dense dark matter environments, such as those surrounding a primordial black hole. Our study reveals that the encounters of compact objects such as white dwarfs and black holes offer a promising avenue for upcoming radio telescopes to probe the properties of light dark matter, which has been less explored compared with more conventional heavier (masses above the GeV scale) dark matter. Published by the American Physical Society 2024