Constraining the Nature of Dark Matter from Tidal Radii of Cluster Galaxy Subhalos

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Chiang, Barry T., Dutra, Isaque, Natarajan, Priyamvada
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Chiang, Barry T.
Dutra, Isaque
Natarajan, Priyamvada
author_facet Chiang, Barry T.
Dutra, Isaque
Natarajan, Priyamvada
contents Gravitational lensing by galaxy clusters provides a powerful probe of the spatial distribution of dark matter and its microphysical properties. Strong and weak lensing constraints on the density profiles of subhalos and their truncation radii offer key diagnostics for distinguishing between collisionless cold dark matter (CDM) and self-interacting dark matter (SIDM). Notably, in the strongly collisional SIDM regime, subhalo core collapse and enhanced mass loss from ram-pressure stripping predict steeper central density slopes and more compact truncation radii--features that are directly testable with current lensing data. We analyze subhalo truncation in eight lensing clusters (Abell 2218, 383, 963, 209, 2390, and MACS J0416.1, J1206.2, J1149.6) that span the redshift range <$z_\text{spec}$>$ \simeq 0.17$-$0.54$ with virial masses $M_{200} \simeq0.41$-$2.2\times 10^{15}$ M$_\odot$ to constrain SIDM versus CDM. Our results indicate that the outer spatial extents of subhalos are statistically consistent with CDM, corroborated by redshift- and mass-matched analogs from the Illustris-TNG simulations. We conclude that the tidal radii of cluster galaxy subhalos serve as an important and complementary diagnostic of the nature of dark matter in these violent, dense environments.
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id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_14726
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Constraining the Nature of Dark Matter from Tidal Radii of Cluster Galaxy Subhalos
Chiang, Barry T.
Dutra, Isaque
Natarajan, Priyamvada
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Astrophysics of Galaxies
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
Gravitational lensing by galaxy clusters provides a powerful probe of the spatial distribution of dark matter and its microphysical properties. Strong and weak lensing constraints on the density profiles of subhalos and their truncation radii offer key diagnostics for distinguishing between collisionless cold dark matter (CDM) and self-interacting dark matter (SIDM). Notably, in the strongly collisional SIDM regime, subhalo core collapse and enhanced mass loss from ram-pressure stripping predict steeper central density slopes and more compact truncation radii--features that are directly testable with current lensing data. We analyze subhalo truncation in eight lensing clusters (Abell 2218, 383, 963, 209, 2390, and MACS J0416.1, J1206.2, J1149.6) that span the redshift range <$z_\text{spec}$>$ \simeq 0.17$-$0.54$ with virial masses $M_{200} \simeq0.41$-$2.2\times 10^{15}$ M$_\odot$ to constrain SIDM versus CDM. Our results indicate that the outer spatial extents of subhalos are statistically consistent with CDM, corroborated by redshift- and mass-matched analogs from the Illustris-TNG simulations. We conclude that the tidal radii of cluster galaxy subhalos serve as an important and complementary diagnostic of the nature of dark matter in these violent, dense environments.
title Constraining the Nature of Dark Matter from Tidal Radii of Cluster Galaxy Subhalos
topic Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Astrophysics of Galaxies
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.14726