Abstract
Narrow stellar streams in the Milky Way halo are uniquely sensitive to dark-matter subhalos, but many of these subhalos may be tidally disrupted. I calculate the interaction between stellar and dark-matter streams using analytical and -body calculations, showing that disrupting objects can be detected as low-concentration subhalos. Through this effect, we can constrain the lumpiness of the halo as well as the orbit and present position of individual dark-matter streams. This will have profound implications for the formation of halos and for direct- and indirect-detection dark-matter searches.
- Received 29 November 2015
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.121301
© 2016 American Physical Society
Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)
Synopsis
Spotting Dark Matter Clumps
Published 22 March 2016
Streaming threads of stars orbiting galaxies could be used to detect clumps of dark matter predicted to make up dark matter halos.
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