2,777 research outputs found
Can Supersymmetry Naturally Explain the Positron Excess?
It has often been suggested that the cosmic positron excess observed by the
HEAT experiment could be the consequence of supersymmetric dark matter
annihilating in the galactic halo. Although it is well known that evenly
distributed dark matter cannot account for the observed excess, if substantial
amounts of local dark matter substructure are present, the positron flux would
be enhanced, perhaps to the observed magnitude. In this paper, we attempt to
identify the nature of the substructure required to match the HEAT data,
including the location, size and density of any local dark matter clump(s).
Additionally, we attempt to assess the probability of such substructure being
present. We find that if the current density of neutralino dark matter is the
result of thermal production, very unlikely ( or less) conditions
must be present in local substructure to account for the observed excess.Comment: Version accepted by Physical Review
The Clumpiness of Cold Dark Matter: Implications for the Annihilation Signal
We examine the expected signal from annihilation events in realistic cold
dark matter halos. If the WIMP is a neutralino, with an annihilation
cross-section predicted in minimal SUSY models for the lightest stable relic
particle, the central cusps and dense substructure seen in simulated halos may
produce a substantial flux of energetic gamma rays. We derive expressions for
the relative flux from such events in simple halos with various density
profiles, and use these to calculate the relative flux produced within a large
volume as a function of redshift. This flux peaks when the first halos
collapse, but then declines as small halos merge into larger systems of lower
density. Simulations show that halos contain a substantial amount of dense
substructure, left over from the incomplete disruption of smaller halos as they
merge together. We calculate the contribution to the flux due to this
substructure, and show that it can increase the annihilation signal
substantially. Overall, the present-day flux from annihilation events may be an
order of magnitude larger than predicted by previous calculations. We discuss
the implications of these results for current and future gamma-ray experiments.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures; submitted to MNRA
Collision-induced galaxy formation: semi-analytical model and multi-wavelength predictions
A semi-analytic model is proposed that couples the Press-Schechter formalism
for the number of galaxies with a prescription for galaxy-galaxy interactions
that enables to follow the evolution of galaxy morphologies along the Hubble
sequence. Within this framework, we calculate the chemo-spectrophotometric
evolution of galaxies to obtain spectral energy distributions. We find that
such an approach is very successful in reproducing the statistical properties
of galaxies as well as their time evolution. We are able to make predictions as
a function of galaxy type: for clarity, we restrict ourselves to two categories
of galaxies: early and late types that are identified with ellipticals and
disks. In our model, irregulars are simply an early stage of galaxy formation.
In particular, we obtain good matches for the galaxy counts and redshift
distributions of sources from UV to submm wavelengths. We also reproduce the
observed cosmic star formation history and the diffuse background radiation,
and make predictions as to the epoch and wavelength at which the dust-shrouded
star formation of spheroids begins to dominate over the star formation that
occurs more quiescently in disks. A new prediction of our model is a rise in
the FIR luminosity density with increasing redshift, peaking at about , and with a ratio to the local luminosity density about 10 times higher than that in the blue
(B-band) which peaks near .Comment: Minor changes, replaced to match accepted MNRAS versio
Constraints on primordial magnetic fields from CMB distortions in the axiverse
Measuring spectral distortions of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) is
attracting considerable attention as a probe of high energy particle physics in
the cosmological context, since PIXIE and PRISM have recently been proposed. In
this paper, CMB distortions due to resonant conversions between CMB photons and
light axion like particles (ALPs) are investigated, motivated by the string
axiverse scenario which suggests the presence of a plenitude of light axion
particles. Since these resonant conversions depend on the strength of
primordial magnetic fields, constraints on CMB distortions can provide an upper
limit on the product of the photon-ALP coupling constant g and the comoving
strength of primordial magnetic fields B. Potentially feasible constraints from
PIXIE/PRISM can set a limit g B < 10^{-16} GeV^{-1} nG for ALP mass, m_\phi <
10^{-14} eV. Although this result is not a direct constraint on g and B, it is
significantly tighter than the product of the current upper limits on g and B.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure
A compressed cloud in the Vela supernova remnant
To elucidate the nature of the interstellar medium in the vicinity of the Vela supernova remnants (SNR) an extensive study with the International Ultraviolet Explorer of interstellar absorption lines toward 35 stars in the vicinity of the Vela SNR was undertaken. Observations of interstellar absorption, in particular of CI, towards one of these stars, HD 72350 (type B4 III), is of particular interest
Galaxy Mergers at z>1 in the HUDF: Evidence for a Peak in the Major Merger Rate of Massive Galaxies
We present a measurement of the galaxy merger fraction and number density
from observations in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field for 0.5<z<2.5. We fit the
combination of broadband data and slitless spectroscopy of 1308 galaxies with
stellar population synthesis models to select merging systems based on a
stellar mass of >10^10 M_sol. When correcting for mass incompleteness, the
major merger fraction is not simply proportional to (1+z)^m, but appears to
peak at z_frac~=1.3+-0.4. From this merger fraction, we infer that ~42% of
massive galaxies have undergone a major merger since z~1. We show that the
major merger number density peaks at z_dens~1.2, which marks the epoch where
major merging of massive galaxies is most prevalent. This critical redshift is
comparable to the peak of the cosmic star formation rate density, and occurs
roughly 2.6 Gyr earlier in cosmic time than the peak in the number density of
X-ray selected active galactic nuclei. These observations support an indirect
evolutionary link between merging, starburst, and active galaxies.Comment: Accepted to ApJ. 7 pages, 6 figures, 1 table. Uses and includes
emulateapj.cls. In the initial submission, Figures 1 and 2 where switche
Reionization Constraints on the Contribution of Primordial Compact Objects to Dark Matter
Many lines of evidence suggest that nonbaryonic dark matter constitutes
roughly 30% of the critical closure density, but the composition of this dark
matter is unknown. One class of candidates for the dark matter is compact
objects formed in the early universe, with typical masses M between 0.1 and 1
solar masses to correspond to the mass scale of objects found with microlensing
observing projects. Specific candidates of this type include black holes formed
at the epoch of the QCD phase transition, quark stars, and boson stars. Here we
show that accretion onto these objects produces substantial ionization in the
early universe, with an optical depth to Thomson scattering out to z=1100 of
approximately tau=2-4 [f_CO\epsilon_{-1}(M/Msun)]^{1/2} (H_0/65)^{-1}, where
\epsilon_{-1} is the accretion efficiency \epsilon\equiv L/{\dot M}c^2 divided
by 0.1 and f_CO is the fraction of matter in the compact objects. The current
upper limit to the scattering optical depth, based on the anisotropy of the
microwave background, is approximately 0.4. Therefore, if accretion onto these
objects is relatively efficient, they cannot be the main component of
nonbaryonic dark matter.Comment: 12 pages including one figure, uses aaspp4, submitted to Ap
Galaxy UV-luminosity function and reionization constraints on axion dark matter
If the dark matter (DM) were composed of axions, then structure formation in
the Universe would be suppressed below the axion Jeans scale. Using an analytic
model for the halo mass function of a mixed DM model with axions and cold dark
matter, combined with the abundance-matching technique, we construct the
UV-luminosity function. Axions suppress high- galaxy formation and the
UV-luminosity function is truncated at a faintest limiting magnitude. From the
UV-luminosity function, we predict the reionization history of the universe and
find that axion DM causes reionization to occur at lower redshift. We search
for evidence of axions using the Hubble Ultra Deep Field UV-luminosity function
in the redshift range -, and the optical depth to reionization,
, as measured from cosmic microwave background polarization. All probes
we consider consistently exclude from
contributing more than half of the DM, with our strongest constraint ruling
this model out at more than significance. In conservative models of
reionization a dominant component of DM with is in
tension with the measured value of , putting pressure on an
axion solution to the cusp-core problem. Tension is reduced to for
the axion contributing only half of the DM. A future measurement of the
UV-luminosity function in the range - by JWST would provide further
evidence for or against . Probing still higher masses
of will be possible using future measurements of the
kinetic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect by Advanced ACTPol to constrain the time and
duration of reionization.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables. v2: Minor Changes. References added.
Published in MNRA
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