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    First Galaxy Ultraviolet Luminosity Function Limits on Dark Matter–Proton Scattering

    Hovav Lazare1,*, Ely D. Kovetz1,2, Kimberly K. Boddy2, and Julian B. Muñoz3,4

    • *Contact author: hovavl@post.bgu.ac.il

    Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 011001 – Published 30 June, 2026

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/crcq-spv4

    Abstract

    Scattering between dark matter (DM) and protons leads to suppressed small-scale fluctuations, with implications for a variety of cosmological observables. In this Letter, we search for evidence of DM-proton scattering with an interaction cross section σ=σ0(v/c)n for n=0, 2 and 4, corresponding, e.g., to velocity-independent contact interactions from heavy mediators, velocity-dependent pseudoscalar-mediated scattering, and higher-order dipole interactions, respectively, using high-redshift (z∼4–10) ultraviolet galaxy luminosity functions (UVLFs) observed by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). We employ an adjusted implementation of gallumi combined with the modified Boltzmann solver class dmeff that accounts for interacting DM, and incorporate UVLF data from both blank and lensed HST fields, alongside Planck CMB data and the Pantheon supernova catalog in a Bayesian analysis framework to set constraints on σ0. Our results show that including lensed UVLF data, which probe fainter galaxies than the blank HST fields and thus smaller scales, leads to a substantial improvement in the constraints on σ0 for n>0, surpassing existing bounds from Milky Way (MW) satellite abundance and CMB anisotropies. For mχ=1  MeV, for example, we set the upper bounds at 1.1×10−25  cm2 for n=2 and 2.1×10−22  cm2 for n=4. For n=0, our bound is within an order of magnitude of those from the Lyman-α forest and MW satellites.

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    See Also

    Dark Secrets of Baryons: Illuminating Dark Matter–Baryon Interactions with JWST

    Souradeep Das, Ranjini Mondol, Abhijeet Singh, and Ranjan Laha
    Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 011002 (2026)

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