scholarly journals Constraints on the mass–concentration relation of cold dark matter haloes with 11 strong gravitational lenses

2019 ◽  
Vol 492 (1) ◽  
pp. L12-L16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Gilman ◽  
Xiaolong Du ◽  
Andrew Benson ◽  
Simon Birrer ◽  
Anna Nierenberg ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The mass–concentration relation of dark matter haloes reflects the assembly history of objects in hierarchical structure formation scenarios and depends on fundamental quantities in cosmology such as the slope of the primordial matter power spectrum. This relation is unconstrained by observations on sub-galactic scales. We derive the first measurement of the mass–concentration relation using the image positions and flux ratios from 11 quadruple-image strong gravitational lenses (quads) in the mass range $10^{6}\!-\!10^{10} {\, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }}$, assuming cold dark matter. We model both subhaloes and line-of-sight haloes, finite-size background sources, and marginalize over nuisance parameters describing the lens macromodel. We also marginalize over the logarithmic slope and redshift evolution of the mass–concentration relation, using flat priors that encompass the range of theoretical uncertainty in the literature. At z = 0, we constrain the concentration of $10^{8} \, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }$ haloes $c=12_{-5}^{+6}$ at $68 {{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ CI, and $c=12_{-9}^{+15}$ at $95 {{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ CI. For a $10^{7} {\, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }}$ halo, we obtain $68 {{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ ($95 {{\ \rm per\ cent}}$) constraints $c=15_{-8}^{+9}$ ($c=15_{-11}^{+18}$), while for $10^{9} \, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }$ haloes $c=10_{-4}^{+7}$ ($c=10_{-7}^{+14}$). These results are consistent with the theoretical predictions from mass–concentration relations in the literature and establish strong lensing by galaxies as a powerful probe of halo concentrations on sub-galactic scales across cosmological distance.

2019 ◽  
Vol 491 (4) ◽  
pp. 6077-6101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Gilman ◽  
Simon Birrer ◽  
Anna Nierenberg ◽  
Tommaso Treu ◽  
Xiaolong Du ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The free-streaming length of dark matter depends on fundamental dark matter physics, and determines the abundance and concentration of dark matter haloes on sub-galactic scales. Using the image positions and flux ratios from eight quadruply imaged quasars, we constrain the free-streaming length of dark matter and the amplitude of the subhalo mass function (SHMF). We model both main deflector subhaloes and haloes along the line of sight, and account for warm dark matter free-streaming effects on the mass function and mass–concentration relation. By calibrating the scaling of the SHMF with host halo mass and redshift using a suite of simulated haloes, we infer a global normalization for the SHMF. We account for finite-size background sources, and marginalize over the mass profile of the main deflector. Parametrizing dark matter free-streaming through the half-mode mass mhm, we constrain the thermal relic particle mass mDM corresponding to mhm. At $95 \, {\rm per\, cent}$ CI: mhm < 107.8 M⊙ ($m_{\rm {DM}} \gt 5.2 \ \rm {keV}$). We disfavour $m_{\rm {DM}} = 4.0 \,\rm {keV}$ and $m_{\rm {DM}} = 3.0 \,\rm {keV}$ with likelihood ratios of 7:1 and 30:1, respectively, relative to the peak of the posterior distribution. Assuming cold dark matter, we constrain the projected mass in substructure between 106 and 109 M⊙ near lensed images. At $68 \, {\rm per\, cent}$ CI, we infer $2.0{-}6.1 \times 10^{7}\, {{\rm M}_{\odot }}\,\rm {kpc^{-2}}$, corresponding to mean projected mass fraction $\bar{f}_{\rm {sub}} = 0.035_{-0.017}^{+0.021}$. At $95 \, {\rm per\, cent}$ CI, we obtain a lower bound on the projected mass of $0.6 \times 10^{7} \,{{\rm M}_{\odot }}\,\rm {kpc^{-2}}$, corresponding to $\bar{f}_{\rm {sub}} \gt 0.005$. These results agree with the predictions of cold dark matter.


2004 ◽  
Vol 220 ◽  
pp. 85-90
Author(s):  
Shude Mao

The Cold Dark Matter (CDM) hierarchical structure formation theory predicts substructures in dark matter halos. the number of predicted subhalos seems to exceed the observed number of luminous satellite galaxies. Gravitational lenses can be used to probe luminous or dark substructures. Image positions and flux ratios in broad-band (including radio and optical) and emission lines can all be used to probe substructures on different mass scales. the observed gravitational lenses appear to require a few percent of the mass surface density in substructures within the mass range of 104M⊙ − 109M⊙. Numerical simulations predict roughly the same mass fraction in substructures within the virialised region. But at typical image positions (a few percent of the virial radius), the predicted surface mass density in substructures appears to be lower than required. Both observations and numerical simulations are somewhat uncertain at present so it is not yet clear whether the discrepancy is severe.


2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (S254) ◽  
pp. 179-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosemary F. G. Wyse

AbstractI discuss how the chemical abundance distributions, kinematics and age distributions of stars in the thin and thick disks of the Galaxy can be used to decipher the merger history of the Milky Way, a typical large galaxy. The observational evidence points to a rather quiescent past merging history, unusual in the context of the ‘consensus’ cold-dark-matter cosmology favoured from observations of structure on scales larger than individual galaxies.


2019 ◽  
Vol 485 (4) ◽  
pp. 5474-5489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark R Lovell ◽  
Jesús Zavala ◽  
Mark Vogelsberger

Abstract A cut-off in the linear matter power spectrum at dwarf galaxy scales has been shown to affect the abundance, formation mechanism and age of dwarf haloes, and their galaxies at high and low redshifts. We use hydrodynamical simulations of galaxy formation within the ETHOS framework in a benchmark model that has such a cut-off and that has been shown to be an alternative to the cold dark matter (CDM) model that alleviates its dwarf-scale challenges. We show how galaxies in this model form differently to CDM, on a halo-by-halo basis, at redshifts z ≥ 6. We show that when CDM haloes with masses around the ETHOS half-mode mass scale are resimulated with the ETHOS matter power spectrum, they form with 50 per cent less mass than their CDM counterparts due to their later formation times, yet they retain more of their gas reservoir due to the different behaviour of gas and dark matter during the monolithic collapse of the first haloes in models with a galactic-scale cut-off. As a result, galaxies in ETHOS haloes near the cut-off scale grow rapidly between z = 10 and 6 and by z = 6 end up having very similar stellar masses, higher gas fractions and higher star formation rates relative to their CDM counterparts. We highlight these differences by making predictions for how the number of galaxies with old stellar populations is suppressed in ETHOS for both z = 6 galaxies and for gas-poor Local Group fossil galaxies. Interestingly, we find an age gradient in ETHOS between galaxies that form in high- and low-density environments.


2019 ◽  
Vol 486 (4) ◽  
pp. 4545-4568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine E Fielder ◽  
Yao-Yuan Mao ◽  
Jeffrey A Newman ◽  
Andrew R Zentner ◽  
Timothy C Licquia

ABSTRACT On small scales there have been a number of claims of discrepancies between the standard cold dark matter (CDM) model and observations. The ‘missing satellites problem’ infamously describes the overabundance of subhaloes from CDM simulations compared to the number of satellites observed in the Milky Way. A variety of solutions to this discrepancy have been proposed; however, the impact of the specific properties of the Milky Way halo relative to the typical halo of its mass has yet to be explored. Motivated by recent studies that identified ways in which the Milky Way is atypical, we investigate how the properties of dark matter haloes with mass comparable to our Galaxy’s – including concentration, spin, shape, and scale factor of the last major merger – correlate with the subhalo abundance. Using zoom-in simulations of Milky Way-like haloes, we build two models of subhalo abundance as functions of host halo properties. From these models we conclude that the Milky Way most likely has fewer subhaloes than the average halo of the same mass. We expect up to 30 per cent fewer subhaloes with low maximum rotation velocities ($V_{\rm max}^{\rm sat} \sim 10$ km s−1) at the 68 per cent confidence level and up to 52 per cent fewer than average subhaloes with high rotation velocities ($V_{\rm max}^{\rm sat} \gtrsim 30$ km s−1, comparable to the Magellanic Clouds) than would be expected for a typical halo of the Milky Way’s mass. Concentration is the most informative single parameter for predicting subhalo abundance. Our results imply that models tuned to explain the missing satellites problem assuming typical subhalo abundances for our Galaxy may be overcorrecting.


2019 ◽  
Vol 488 (1) ◽  
pp. 1111-1126 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E Taylor ◽  
Jihye Shin ◽  
Nathalie N-Q Ouellette ◽  
Stéphane Courteau

ABSTRACT Kinematic studies have produced accurate measurements of the total dark matter mass and mean dark matter density within the optical extent of galaxies for large samples of objects. Here we consider theoretical predictions for the latter quantity, $\bar{\rho }_{\rm dm}$, measured within the isophotal radius R23.5, for isolated haloes with universal density profiles. Through a combination of empirical scaling relations, we show that $\bar{\rho }_{\rm dm}$ is expected to depend weakly on halo mass and strongly on redshift. When galaxy haloes fall into larger groups or clusters, they become tidally stripped, reducing their total dark matter mass, but this process is expected to preserve central density until an object is close to disruption. We confirm this with collisonless simulations of cluster formation, finding that subhaloes have values of $\bar{\rho }_{\rm dm}$ close to the analytic predictions. This suggests that $\bar{\rho }_{\rm dm}$ may be a useful indicator of infall redshift on to the cluster. We test this hypothesis with data from the SHIVir survey, which covers a reasonable fraction of the Virgo cluster. We find that galaxies with high $\bar{\rho }_{\rm dm}$ do indeed trace the densest regions of the cluster, with a few notable exceptions. Samples selected by environment have higher densities at a significance of 3.5–4σ, while samples selected by density are more clustered at 3–3.5σ significance. We conclude that halo density can be a powerful tracer of the assembly history of clusters and their member galaxies.


2003 ◽  
Vol 208 ◽  
pp. 431-432
Author(s):  
N. Nakasato

In the current most plausible Cold Dark Matter (CDM) cosmology, larger halos increase their mass by the progressive mergers of smaller clumps. Due to these progressive merger events, galaxies have formed and evolved. Such merger events could trigger star bursts depending on mass of a merging object. In other words, star formation history reflects the strength of the interaction between a galaxy and merging objects. Also, a several merger events strongly affect the development of the morphology of galaxies as assumed in semi-analytic models. In the most advanced semi-analytic models, N-body simulations of dark matter particles are used to obtain the merging history of halos. By combining the description of radiative cooling, hydrodynamics and star formation with the obtained merging history, such models successfully have explained the various qualitative predictions. Here, we show the results of similar approach but using a fullly numerical model. In contrast to the semi-analytic models, we use our high resolution Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) models. With our SPH code, we try to tackle the problem of the galaxy morphology. We have done a several handful high-resolution SPH simulations and analyzed the merging history of such models. Accordingly, we can see the relation between the obtained morphology and the merging history or other physical properties of the model.


2018 ◽  
Vol 168 ◽  
pp. 06005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jae-Weon Lee

This is a review on the brief history of the scalar field dark matter model also known as fuzzy dark matter, BEC dark matter, wave dark matter, or ultra-light axion. In this model ultra-light scalar dark matter particles with mass m = O(10-22)eV condense in a single Bose-Einstein condensate state and behave collectively like a classical wave. Galactic dark matter halos can be described as a self-gravitating coherent scalar field configuration called boson stars. At the scale larger than galaxies the dark matter acts like cold dark matter, while below the scale quantum pressure from the uncertainty principle suppresses the smaller structure formation so that it can resolve the small scale crisis of the conventional cold dark matter model.


2007 ◽  
Vol 22 (25n28) ◽  
pp. 2113-2120
Author(s):  
HANG BAE KIM

Light dark matter aims at explaining the 511 keV γ-ray line emission from the galactic bulge as well as cold dark matter in our universe. The former is achieved via the annihilations or decays of light dark matter particles, which implies interesting observational consequences in addition to 511 keV γ-rays. We consider the axino in the 1 ~ 10 MeV mass range as the light dark matter particle and discuss the particle physics models for it, its cosmological production, and its decay arising from R-parity violation. For additional observational signals, we consider the connection to the neutrino data made by bilinear R-parity violations and the continuum γ-ray emission from light dark matter particles.


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