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  • Open Access

Constraining superheavy dark matter with the KM3-230213A neutrino event

Roberto Aloisio, Antonio Ambrosone*, and Carmelo Evoli

  • *Contact author: antonio.ambrosone@gssi.it
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Phys. Rev. D 113, 043024 – Published 12 February, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/rc2p-53yg

Abstract

Recently, the KM3NeT collaboration detected an astrophysical neutrino event, KM3-230213A, with an energy of approximately 220 PeV, providing unprecedented insights into the ultra-high-energy Universe. In this study, we introduce a novel likelihood framework designed to leverage this event to constrain the properties of superheavy dark matter (SHDM) decay. Our approach systematically integrates multimessenger constraints from galactic and extragalactic neutrino flux measurements by IceCube, the absence of comparable neutrino events at IceCube and Auger observatories, and the latest gamma-ray experiment upper limits. Our findings impose the most stringent constraints to date, placing a lower bound on the SHDM lifetime at ≳5×1029–1030  s. Importantly, we identify, for the first time, the significant potential of galactic neutrino flux measurements in advancing dark matter research. Future investigations targeting astrophysical neutrinos originating from the Galactic Center at energies above 10 PeV will be crucial, not only for understanding the origin of the cosmic-ray knee but also for exploring the possible contributions of superheavy dark matter to our Universe.

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Phys. Rev. D 113, 043024– Published 12 February, 2026
  • Received 1 September 2025
  • Accepted 23 January 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

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