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Main Authors: Zhang, Xingyu, Yu, Hai-Bo, Yang, Daneng, An, Haipeng
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.04985
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author Zhang, Xingyu
Yu, Hai-Bo
Yang, Daneng
An, Haipeng
author_facet Zhang, Xingyu
Yu, Hai-Bo
Yang, Daneng
An, Haipeng
contents The satellite galaxy Crater II of the Milky Way is extremely cold and exceptionally diffuse. These unusual properties are challenging to understand in the standard model of cold dark matter. We investigate the formation of Crater II in self-interacting dark matter (SIDM), where dark matter particles can scatter and thermalize. We conduct a series of controlled N-body simulations to model the tidal evolution of Crater II, varying the self-interacting cross section, orbit parameters, and initial stellar distribution. Dark matter self-interactions lead to halo core formation and the distribution of stars expands accordingly. A cored SIDM halo also boosts tidal mass loss, allowing for a high orbit. Our simulations show that SIDM halos with a $1~{\rm kpc}$ core can simultaneously explain the low stellar velocity dispersion and the large half-light radius of Crater II, remaining robust to the initial distribution of stars. For the orbit motivated by the measurements from Gaia Early Data Release 3, the favored self-interacting cross section is approximately $60~{\rm cm^2/g}$ on the mass scale of Crater II.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2401_04985
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Self-interacting dark matter interpretation of Crater II
Zhang, Xingyu
Yu, Hai-Bo
Yang, Daneng
An, Haipeng
Astrophysics of Galaxies
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
The satellite galaxy Crater II of the Milky Way is extremely cold and exceptionally diffuse. These unusual properties are challenging to understand in the standard model of cold dark matter. We investigate the formation of Crater II in self-interacting dark matter (SIDM), where dark matter particles can scatter and thermalize. We conduct a series of controlled N-body simulations to model the tidal evolution of Crater II, varying the self-interacting cross section, orbit parameters, and initial stellar distribution. Dark matter self-interactions lead to halo core formation and the distribution of stars expands accordingly. A cored SIDM halo also boosts tidal mass loss, allowing for a high orbit. Our simulations show that SIDM halos with a $1~{\rm kpc}$ core can simultaneously explain the low stellar velocity dispersion and the large half-light radius of Crater II, remaining robust to the initial distribution of stars. For the orbit motivated by the measurements from Gaia Early Data Release 3, the favored self-interacting cross section is approximately $60~{\rm cm^2/g}$ on the mass scale of Crater II.
title Self-interacting dark matter interpretation of Crater II
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.04985