Stellar convective cores as dark matter probes
  The recent detection of a convective core in a main-sequence solar-type star
is used here to test particular models of dark matter (DM) particles, those
with masses and scattering cross sections in the range of interest for the DM
interpretation of the positive results in several DM direct detection
experiments. If DM particles do not effectively self-annihilate after
accumulating inside low-mass stars (e.g. in the asymmetric DM scenario) their
conduction provides an efficient mechanism of energy transport in the stellar
core. For main-sequence stars with masses between 1.1 and 1.3 Msun, this
mechanism may lead to the suppression of the inner convective region expected
to be present in standard stellar evolution theory. The asteroseismic analysis
of the acoustic oscillations of a star can prove the presence/absence of such a
convective core, as it was demonstrated for the first time with the Kepler
field main-sequence solar-like pulsator, KIC 2009505. Studying this star we
found that the asymmetric DM interpretation of the results in the CoGeNT
experiment is incompatible with the confirmed presence of a small convective
core in KIC 2009505.
