The Positron Excess and Supersymmetric Dark Matter∗

Using a new instrument, the HEAT collaboration has confirmed the excess of cosmic ray positrons that they first detected in 1994. We explore the possibility that this excess is due to the annihilation of neutralino dark matter in the galactic halo. We confirm that neutralino annihilation can produce enough positrons to make up the measured excess only if there is an additional enhancement to the signal. We quantify the ‘boost factor’ that is required in the signal for various models in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model parameter space, and find that a boost factor ≥ 30 provides good fits to the HEAT data. Such an enhancement in the signal could arise if we live in a clumpy halo.