Distribution Of Dark Matter In Galaxies Research Articles

Using artificial intelligence and real galaxy images to constrain parameters in galaxy formation simulations

ABSTRACT Cosmological galaxy formation simulations are still limited by their spatial/mass resolution and cannot model from first principles some of the processes, like star formation, that are key in driving galaxy evolution. As a consequence they still rely on a set of ’effective parameters’ that try to capture the scales and the physical processes that cannot be directly resolved in the simulation. In this study, we show that it is possible to use Machine Learning techniques applied to real and simulated images of galaxies to discriminate between different values of these parameters by making use of the full information content of an astronomical image instead of collapsing it into a limited set of values like size, or stellar/ gas masses. In this work, we apply our method to the NIHAO simulations and the THINGS and VLA-ANGST observations of H i maps in nearby galaxies to test the ability of different values of the star formation density threshold n to reproduce observed H i maps. We show that observations indicate the need for a high value of n ≳ 80 cm−3 (although the numerical value is model-dependent), which has important consequences for the dark matter distribution in galaxies. Our study shows that with innovative methods it is possible to take full advantage of the information content of galaxy images and compare simulations and observations in an interpretable, non-parametric, and quantitative manner.

Possible Effects of the Fractal Distribution of Relic Wormholes

We discuss the possibility that the distribution of relic wormholes may possess fractal properties. Relic wormholes and their fractal distributions are predicted in a natural way by lattice quantum gravity models. This provides a new approach to some long standing problems. That is the nature of dark matter phenomena, the origin of Faber-Jackson and Tully-Fisher relations and the observed deficit of baryons. We derive corrections to the Newton’s potential caused by the presence of relic wormholes and show that the analysis of dark matter distribution in galaxies allows us to fix the parameters of the fractal distribution of wormholes.

Dark matter distribution in the Galactic dwarf spheroidal galaxies

The Galactic dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies are excellent laboratories to shed light on fundamental properties of dark matter. In particular, the dSphs are promising targets for the indirect searches for particle dark matter. In order to set robust constraints on properties of dark matter particles, revealing dark matter distributions in these galaxies is of crucial importance. However, there are various non-negligible systematic uncertainties on the estimate of dark matter distributions in these galaxies. Therefore, it is necessary to address the development of dynamical models considering the effects of these systematic uncertainties. In this talk, we will introduce our constructed dynamical models taking into account these uncertainties and present the inferred dark matter profiles in the classical dSphs using their current kinematic data. In addition, as an intriguing result, we will show that some of dSphs favor cusped dark halo rather than cored one even considering a mass-anisotropy degeneracy. Using these dark matter profiles, we will revisit the core-cusp problem and discuss a possible link between the inner slope of their dark halos and the star formation history.

Tracing the Dynamical Mass in Galaxy Disks Using H i Velocity Dispersion and Its Implications for the Dark Matter Distribution in Galaxies

Abstract We present a method to derive the dynamical mass of face-on galaxy disks using their neutral hydrogen (H i) velocity dispersion (σ H i ). We have applied the method to nearby, gas-rich galaxies that have extended H i gas disks and have low inclinations. The galaxy sample includes four large disk galaxies, NGC 628, NGC 6496, NGC 3184, and NGC 4214, and three dwarf galaxies, DDO 46, DDO 63, and DDO 187. We have used archival H i data from The H i Nearby Galaxy Survey (THINGS) and the LITTLE THINGS survey to derive the H i gas distributions and Spitzer mid-infrared images to determine the stellar disk mass distributions. We examine the disk dynamical and baryonic mass ratios in the extreme outer disks where there is H i gas but no visible stellar disk. We find that for the large galaxies, the disk dynamical and H i gas mass surface densities are comparable in the outer disks. But in the smaller dwarf galaxies, for which the total H i gas mass dominates the baryonic mass, i.e., M(H i) ≥ M(stars), the disk dynamical mass is much larger than the baryonic mass. For these galaxies, there must either be a very low-luminosity stellar disk which provides the vertical support for the H i gas disk or there is halo dark matter associated with their disks, which is possible if the halo has an oblate shape so that the inner part of the dark matter halo is concentrated around the disk. Our results are important for explaining the equilibrium of H i disks in the absence of stellar disks and is especially important for gas-rich, dwarf galaxies that appear to have significant dark matter masses associated with their disks.

Mirror Magnetic Field and Its Impact on Dark Matter Distribution in Galaxies

We obtain the value of the mirror magnetic field during different stages of cosmological evolution. We consider the magnetic field generation in the radiation-dominated era and the post-recombination epoch. We also estimate its galactic low-scale value in the process of dynamo amplification. We discuss a possible effect of the mirror magnetic field on the mirror matter distribution in a galaxy. The model can be generalized by assuming the existence of kinetic mixing between ordinary and mirror particles.

Bose-Einstein Condensate Dark Matter Halos Confronted with Galactic Rotation Curves

We present a comparative confrontation of both the Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC) and the Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) dark halo models with galactic rotation curves. We employ 6 High Surface Brightness (HSB), 6 Low Surface Brightness (LSB), and 7 dwarf galaxies with rotation curves falling into two classes. In the first class rotational velocities increase with radius over the observed range. The BEC and NFW models give comparable fits for HSB and LSB galaxies of this type, while for dwarf galaxies the fit is significantly better with the BEC model. In the second class the rotational velocity of HSB and LSB galaxies exhibits long flat plateaus, resulting in better fit with the NFW model for HSB galaxies and comparable fits for LSB galaxies. We conclude that due to its central density cusp avoidance the BEC model fits better dwarf galaxy dark matter distribution. Nevertheless it suffers from sharp cutoff in larger galaxies, where the NFW model performs better. The investigated galaxy sample obeys the Tully-Fisher relation, including the particular characteristics exhibited by dwarf galaxies. In both models the fitting enforces a relation between dark matter parameters: the characteristic density and the corresponding characteristic distance scale with an inverse power.

A new model of dark matter distribution in galaxies

In the absence of the physical understanding of the phenomenon, different empirical laws have been used as approximation for distribution of dark matter in galaxies and clusters of galaxies. We suggest a new profile which is not empirical in nature, but motivated with the physical idea that what we call dark matter is essentially the gravitational polarization of the quantum vacuum (containing virtual gravitational dipoles) by the immersed baryonic matter. It is very important to include this new profile in forthcoming studies of dark matter halos and to reveal how well it performs in comparison with empirical profiles. A good agreement of the profile with observational findings would be the first sign of unexpected gravitational properties of the quantum vacuum.

HIGH-RESOLUTION DARK MATTER DENSITY PROFILES OF THINGS DWARF GALAXIES: CORRECTING FOR NONCIRCULAR MOTIONS

We present a new method to remove the impact of random and small-scale noncircular motions from H I velocity fields in (dwarf) galaxies in order to better constrain the dark matter properties for these objects. This method extracts the circularly rotating velocity components from the H I data cube and condenses them into a so-called bulk velocity field. We derive high-resolution (~0.2 kpc) rotation curves of IC 2574 and NGC 2366 based on bulk velocity fields derived from The H I Nearby Galaxy Survey obtained at the Very Large Array. We compare the bulk velocity field rotation curves with those derived from the traditional intensity-weighted mean velocity fields and find significant differences. The bulk velocity field rotation curves are significantly less affected by noncircular motions and constrain the dark matter distribution in our galaxies, allowing us to address the discrepancy between the inferred and predicted dark matter distribution in galaxies (the cusp/core problem). Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey 3.6 μm data, which are largely unaffected by dust in these systems, as well as ancillary optical information, are used to separate the contribution of the baryons from the total matter content. Using stellar population synthesis models, assuming various sets of metallicity and star-formation histories, we compute stellar mass-to-light ratios for the 3.6 μm and 4.5 μm bands. Using our predicted value for the 3.6 μm stellar mass-to-light ratio, we find that the observed dark matter distributions of IC 2574 and NGC 2366 are inconsistent with the cusp-like dark matter halo predicted by Λ Cold Dark Matter models, even after corrections for noncircular motions. This result also holds for other assumptions about the stellar mass-to-light ratio. The distribution of dark matter within our sample galaxies is best described by models with a kpc-sized constant-density core.

Dark Halos: The Flattening of the Density Cusp by Dynamical Friction

N-body simulations and analytical calculations of the gravitational collapse in an expanding universe predict that halos should form with a diverging inner density profile, the cusp. There are some observational indications that the dark matter distribution in galaxies might be characterized by a finite core. This `core catastrophe' has prompted a search for alternatives to the CDM cosmogony. It is shown here that the discrepancy between theory and observations can be very naturally resolved within the standard CDM model, provided that gas is not initially smoothly distributed in the dark matter halo, but rather is concentrated in clumps of mass $\geq 0.01 %$ the total mass of the system. Dynamical friction acting on these lumps moving in the background of the dark matter particles, dissipates the clumps orbital energy and deposits it in the dark matter. Using Monte-Carlo simulations, it is shown that the dynamical friction provides a strong enough drag, and that with realistic baryonic mass fractions, the available orbital energy of the clumps is sufficient to heat the halo and turn the primordial cusp into a finite, non-diverging core --- overcoming the competing effect of adiabatic contraction due to gravitational influence of the shrinking baryonic component. Depending on the initial conditions, the total density distribution may either become more or less centrally concentrated. Possible consequences of the proposed mechanism for other problems in the CDM model and for the formation and early evolution of the baryonic component of galaxies are also briefly discussed.

Testing the Dark Matter Hypothesis with Low Surface Brightness Galaxies and Other Evidence

The severity of the mass discrepancy in spiral galaxies is strongly correlated with the central surface brightness of the disk. Progressively lower surface brightness galaxies have ever larger mass discrepancies. No other parameter (luminosity, size, velocity, morphology) is so well correlated with the magnitude of the mass deficit. The rotation curves of low surface brightness disks thus provide a unique data set with which to probe the dark matter distribution in galaxies. The mass discrepancy is apparent from $R = 0$ giving a nearly direct map of the halo mass distribution. The luminous mass is insignificant. Interpreting the data in terms of dark matter leads to troublesome fine-tuning problems. Different observations require contradictory amounts of dark matter. Structure formation theories are as yet far from able to explain the observations.

Firm bounds on the neutrino mass from the distribution of dark matter in galaxies

view Abstract Citations (37) References (18) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Firm bounds on the neutrino mass from the distribution of dark matterin galaxies. Madsen, J. ; Epstein, R. I. Abstract The authors explore the possibility that the dark or missing matter in galaxies is due to massive neutrinos. Two approaches are described which give lower mass limits for a single neutrino type in terms of the observable properties of galaxies. In the first, the distribution of dark matter is compared to that of the most compact mass distribution which is possible for relic neutrinos. In the second, the deduced pressure for the dark matter in galaxies is compared with the equation of state for relic neutrinos. From the well studied galaxies M87 and M31 it is found that the neutrino mass must exceed 8 eV. The preliminary reports of dark matter in dwarf galaxies, if confirmed, would imply that the neutrino mass exceeds 125 eV. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: July 1984 DOI: 10.1086/162171 Bibcode: 1984ApJ...282...11M Keywords: Big Bang Cosmology; Dark Matter; Galaxies; Mass Distribution; Matter (Physics); Neutrinos; Andromeda Galaxy; Baryons; Dwarf Galaxies; Relic Radiation; Astrophysics full text sources ADS | data products NED (3) SIMBAD (2)