Exciting dark matter and the INTEGRAL/SPI 511 keV signal

We propose a dark matter candidate with an “excited state” 1–2 MeV above the ground state, which may be collisionally excited and deexcites by $e^{+}{e}^{-}$ pair emission. By converting its kinetic energy into pairs, such a particle could produce a substantial fraction of the 511 keV line observed by the International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory/SPI in the inner Milky Way. Only a small fraction of the dark matter candidates have sufficient energy to excite, and that fraction drops sharply with galactocentric radius, naturally yielding a radial cutoff, as observed. Even if the scattering probability in the inner kpc is $\ll 1\%$ per Hubble time, enough power is available to produce the $\sim 3\times {10}^{42}$ pairs per second observed in the galactic bulge. We specify the parameters of a pseudo-Dirac fermion designed to explain the positron signal, and find that it annihilates chiefly to $e^{+}{e}^{-}$ and freezes out with the correct relic density. We discuss possible observational consequences of this model.