Diverse dark matter profiles in FIRE dwarfs: black holes, cosmic rays and the cusp-core enigma

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Main Authors: Koudmani, Sophie, Rennehan, Douglas, Somerville, Rachel S., Hayward, Christopher C., Anglés-Alcázar, Daniel, Orr, Matthew E., Sands, Isabel S., Wellons, Sarah
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Koudmani, Sophie
Rennehan, Douglas
Somerville, Rachel S.
Hayward, Christopher C.
Anglés-Alcázar, Daniel
Orr, Matthew E.
Sands, Isabel S.
Wellons, Sarah
author_facet Koudmani, Sophie
Rennehan, Douglas
Somerville, Rachel S.
Hayward, Christopher C.
Anglés-Alcázar, Daniel
Orr, Matthew E.
Sands, Isabel S.
Wellons, Sarah
contents Dwarf galaxies have historically posed challenges to the cold dark matter (CDM) model and, while many of the so-called 'dwarf galaxy problems' have been mitigated by incorporating baryonic processes, the observed diversity of dwarf galaxy rotation curves remains a contentious topic. Meanwhile, the growing observational samples of active galactic nuclei (AGN) in dwarf galaxies have prompted a paradigm shift in our understanding of dwarf galaxy evolution, traditionally thought to be regulated by stellar feedback. In this study, we explore the potential role of AGN feedback in shaping dark matter distributions and increasing the diversity of dwarf galaxy rotation curves, using a new suite of cosmological zoom-in simulations of dwarf galaxies with the FIRE-3 model. Our findings indicate that the presence of active black holes (BHs) in dwarf galaxies can lead to diverse outcomes, ranging from cuspier to more core-like profiles. This variability arises from the dual role of BHs in providing additional feedback and regulating the extent of stellar feedback. Consistent with previous research, we find that AGN feedback is most impactful when cosmic ray (CR) modelling is included, with CRs from any source significantly influencing dark matter profiles. Overall, our results highlight that the interplay between stellar feedback, BHs, and CRs produces a broad spectrum of dark matter density profiles, which align with observed correlations between rotation curve shapes and baryonic dominance. This underscores the importance of including the full range of baryonic processes in dwarf galaxy simulations to address the persistent 'small-scale challenges' to the CDM paradigm.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2409_02172
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Diverse dark matter profiles in FIRE dwarfs: black holes, cosmic rays and the cusp-core enigma
Koudmani, Sophie
Rennehan, Douglas
Somerville, Rachel S.
Hayward, Christopher C.
Anglés-Alcázar, Daniel
Orr, Matthew E.
Sands, Isabel S.
Wellons, Sarah
Astrophysics of Galaxies
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Dwarf galaxies have historically posed challenges to the cold dark matter (CDM) model and, while many of the so-called 'dwarf galaxy problems' have been mitigated by incorporating baryonic processes, the observed diversity of dwarf galaxy rotation curves remains a contentious topic. Meanwhile, the growing observational samples of active galactic nuclei (AGN) in dwarf galaxies have prompted a paradigm shift in our understanding of dwarf galaxy evolution, traditionally thought to be regulated by stellar feedback. In this study, we explore the potential role of AGN feedback in shaping dark matter distributions and increasing the diversity of dwarf galaxy rotation curves, using a new suite of cosmological zoom-in simulations of dwarf galaxies with the FIRE-3 model. Our findings indicate that the presence of active black holes (BHs) in dwarf galaxies can lead to diverse outcomes, ranging from cuspier to more core-like profiles. This variability arises from the dual role of BHs in providing additional feedback and regulating the extent of stellar feedback. Consistent with previous research, we find that AGN feedback is most impactful when cosmic ray (CR) modelling is included, with CRs from any source significantly influencing dark matter profiles. Overall, our results highlight that the interplay between stellar feedback, BHs, and CRs produces a broad spectrum of dark matter density profiles, which align with observed correlations between rotation curve shapes and baryonic dominance. This underscores the importance of including the full range of baryonic processes in dwarf galaxy simulations to address the persistent 'small-scale challenges' to the CDM paradigm.
title Diverse dark matter profiles in FIRE dwarfs: black holes, cosmic rays and the cusp-core enigma
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.02172