Mirabal, N.2020-09-022020-09-022019-04-05Nestor Mirabal, Annihilating dark matter or noise?: A statistical examination of the Fermi GeV excess around the Galactic Centre, https://arxiv.org/abs/1411.7410http://hdl.handle.net/11603/19561Excess Fermi GeV emission around the Galactic Centre has been interpreted as a possible signature of annihilating dark matter. Here we analyse three aspects of this claim: its spectral cutoff, the correlation between the spectral shape of the purported signal and known noise components, and its brightness profile. Experimentally, the correlations that exist between the GeV excess and known sources of noise make it difficult to conclude that a dark matter signal claim can be made without independent direct detection confirmation. As a possible way forward, we introduce three criteria that could potentially help to validate a dark matter annihilation signal in gamma rays.4 pagesen-USThis item is likely protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. Unless on a Creative Commons license, for uses protected by Copyright Law, contact the copyright holder or the author.Public Domain Mark 1.0This work was written as part of one of the author's official duties as an Employee of the United States Government and is therefore a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under U.S. LawText