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  • Letter
  • Open Access

Super heavy dark matter origin of the PeV neutrino event: KM3-230213A

Kazunori Kohri1,2,3,*, Partha Kumar Paul4,†, and Narendra Sahu4,‡

  • *Contact author: kazunori.kohri@gmail.com
  • †Contact author: ph22resch11012@iith.ac.in
  • ‡Contact author: nsahu@phy.iith.ac.in
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Phys. Rev. D 112, L031703 – Published 25 August, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/vvqq-1z2t

Abstract

The recent observation of the ultrahigh-energy neutrino event KM3-230213A by the KM3NeT experiment offers a compelling avenue to explore physics beyond the Standard Model (SM). In this paper, we explore a simplest possibility that this event originates from the decay of a super-heavy dark matter (SHDM). We consider a minimal scenario where the SHDM decays to neutrino and SM Higgs. We derive constraints on the DM lifetime as a function of DM mass, ensuring consistency with IceCube, Auger upper limits, and the observed KM3-230213A event, along with the gamma-ray constraints. We find that KM3-230213A gives stringent constraint on the DM mass ranging from 1.5×108  GeV to 5.2×109  GeV with lifetime in the range: 1.42×1030  s to 5.4×1029  s. Remarkably, in our SHDM scenario, the apparent tension between the KM3NeT observation and the nonobservation of this event by IceCube and Auger can be reduced to below 1.2σ. Our results are applicable to any neutrinophilic SHDM models while evading gamma-ray constraints.

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Outline

Information

Phys. Rev. D 112, L031703– Published 25 August, 2025
  • Received 19 March 2025
  • Revised 14 May 2025
  • Accepted 29 July 2025
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