Neutron stars as dark matter probes

2010/04/05 by Arnaud de Lavallaz, Malcolm Fairbairn · 13 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Baryonic dark matter #Cosmology #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Dark Matter and Cosmic Phenomena #Dark energy #Dark galaxy #Dark matter #Dark matter halo #Galaxy #Galaxy merger #Hot dark matter #Light dark matter #Mixed dark matter #Neutron star #Physics #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #Scalar field dark matter #Star formation #astro-ph.GA #hep-ph

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevd.81.123521

published as Phys.Rev.D81:123521,2010 · 8 pages, 7 figures

arxiv created 2010/04/05 · openalex publication_date 2010/06/18 · arxiv updated 2015/03/13 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

We examine whether the accretion of dark matter onto neutron stars could ever have any visible external effects. Captured dark matter which subsequently annihilates will heat the neutron stars, although it seems the effect will be too small to heat close neutron stars at an observable rate while those at the galactic center are obscured by dust. Nonannihilating dark matter would accumulate at the center of the neutron star. In a very dense region of dark matter such as that which may be found at the center of the galaxy, a neutron star might accrete enough to cause it to collapse within a period of time less than the age of the Universe. We calculate what value of the stable dark matter-nucleon cross section would cause this to occur for a large range of masses.

Citations

• Dark matter annihilations in Population III stars
• Capture of inelastic Dark Matter in the sun
• Baryonic pinching of galactic dark matter halos
• Dark Matter Annihilation at the Galactic Center
• Time-dependent models for dark matter at the galactic center
• First results from DAMA/LIBRA and the combined results with DAMA/NaI
• Results from the first science run of the ZEPLIN-III dark matter search experiment

Cited by

• Too massive neutron stars: The role of dark matter?
• General-relativistic structure of two-component quantum dark fermion stars
• OLD NEUTRON STARS AS PROBES OF ISOSPIN-VIOLATING DARK MATTER
• Internal heating of old neutron stars: contrasting different mechanisms
• Constraining decaying dark matter with neutron stars
• On the change of old neutron star masses with galactocentric distance
• Double dark matter admixed neutron star
• Effect of scalar boson on fermionic dark stars
• Dark matter, destroyer of worlds: neutrino, thermal, and existential signatures from black holes in the Sun and Earth
• Equilibrium structure and radial oscillations of dark matter admixed neutron stars
• Dark kinetic heating of neutron stars from contact interactions with relativistic targets
• Quark stars admixed with dark matter
• Solar gamma ray constraints on dark matter annihilation to secluded mediators

Related

• Consequences of neutron decay inside neutron stars
• Can Neutron stars constrain Dark Matter?
• Detecting Dark Matter with Neutron Stars
• Neutron star as laboratories for Cosmology
• Hawking heating of neutron stars by dark matter