Dark matter silences Cepheids in the Galactic Center
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arXiv
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| Autori principali: | , , |
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| Natura: | Preprint |
| Pubblicazione: |
2025
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| _version_ | 1866914399124455424 |
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| author | Croon, Djuna Linden, Tim Sakstein, Jeremy |
| author_facet | Croon, Djuna Linden, Tim Sakstein, Jeremy |
| contents | Upcoming near-infrared facilities (e.g. JWST/NIRCam, ELT/MICADO) will dramatically increase the detectability of galactic center Cepheids despite extreme extinction at optical wavelengths. In this work, we study the impact of dark matter (DM) annihilation on Cepheid stars in the inner parsec of the Milky Way. We show that at captured densities $ρ\sim10^5\,$GeV cm$^{-3}$, blue loop evolution can be suppressed, preventing the formation of low-mass ($3$-$6~{\rm M}_\odot$) short-period ($1$-$6$ days) Cepheids. For even slightly higher DM densities, Cepheids are suppressed across their entire mass range. A dearth of such variables could provide indirect evidence for DM heating. Notably, this effect occurs at lower DM densities than required to impact main-sequence stars. Future surveys will thus offer a novel, complementary probe of DM properties in galactic nuclei. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_02641 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Dark matter silences Cepheids in the Galactic Center Croon, Djuna Linden, Tim Sakstein, Jeremy High Energy Physics - Phenomenology Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics Astrophysics of Galaxies Solar and Stellar Astrophysics High Energy Physics - Theory Upcoming near-infrared facilities (e.g. JWST/NIRCam, ELT/MICADO) will dramatically increase the detectability of galactic center Cepheids despite extreme extinction at optical wavelengths. In this work, we study the impact of dark matter (DM) annihilation on Cepheid stars in the inner parsec of the Milky Way. We show that at captured densities $ρ\sim10^5\,$GeV cm$^{-3}$, blue loop evolution can be suppressed, preventing the formation of low-mass ($3$-$6~{\rm M}_\odot$) short-period ($1$-$6$ days) Cepheids. For even slightly higher DM densities, Cepheids are suppressed across their entire mass range. A dearth of such variables could provide indirect evidence for DM heating. Notably, this effect occurs at lower DM densities than required to impact main-sequence stars. Future surveys will thus offer a novel, complementary probe of DM properties in galactic nuclei. |
| title | Dark matter silences Cepheids in the Galactic Center |
| topic | High Energy Physics - Phenomenology Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics Astrophysics of Galaxies Solar and Stellar Astrophysics High Energy Physics - Theory |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.02641 |