Year: 2010
Type: article
Abstract: We test the luminosity function of Milky Way satellites as a constraint for the nature of dark matter particles. We perform dissipationless high-resolution N-body simulations of the evolution of Galaxy-sized halo in the standard cold dark matter model and in four warm dark matter (WDM) scenarios, with a different choice for the WDM particle mass mw. We then combine the results of the numerical simulations with semi-analytic models for galaxy formation, to infer the properties of the satellite population. Quite surprisingly, we find that even WDM models with relatively low mw values (2–5keV) are able to reproduce the observed abundance of ultra faint (Mv < −9) dwarf galaxies, as well as the observed relation between luminosity and mass within 300pc. Our results suggest a lower limit of 1keV for thermal WDM, in broad agreement with previous results from other astrophysical observations such as Lyman α forest and gravitational lensing.
Authors: Andrea V. Macciò, Fabio Fontanot
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1973550795