The Dark Matter Annihilation Signal from Dwarf Galaxies and Subhalos

2009/06/11 by M. Kuhlen, Michael Kuhlen · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena #Baryonic dark matter #Cold dark matter #Cosmology #Dark Matter and Cosmic Phenomena #Dark energy #Dark galaxy #Dark matter #Dark matter halo #Dwarf galaxy #Dwarf galaxy problem #Dwarf spheroidal galaxy #Galactic halo #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Galaxy #Halo #Hot dark matter #Interacting galaxy #Physics #Scalar field dark matter #astro-ph.CO #astro-ph.GA #astro-ph.HE

paper · pdf · doi:10.1155/2010/162083

13 pages, 5 figures, invited review/tutorial paper (including some new results), submitted to Advances in Astronomy for the special edition "Dwarf Galaxy Cosmology", v2: added several references

arxiv created 2009/06/11 · openalex publication_date 2009/11/15 · arxiv updated 2015/05/13 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

Dark Matter annihilation holds great potential for directly probing the clumpiness of the Galactic halo that is one of the key predictions of the Cold Dark Matter paradigm of hierarchical structure formation. Here we review the γ ‐ray signal arising from dark matter annihilation in the centers of Galactic subhalos. We consider both known Galactic dwarf satellite galaxies and dark clumps without a stellar component as potential sources. Utilizing the Via Lactea II numerical simulation, we estimate fluxes for 18 Galactic dwarf spheroidals with published central densities. The most promising source is Segue 1, followed by Ursa Major II, Ursa Minor, Draco, and Carina. We show that if any of the known Galactic satellites can be detected, then at least ten times more subhalos should be visible, with a significant fraction of them being dark clumps.

Citations

• Cosmic abundances of stable particles: Improved analysis
• VARIATION OF THE SUBHALO ABUNDANCE IN DARK MATTER HALOS
• The Field of Streams: Sagittarius and Its Siblings
• Core condensation in heavy halos: a two-stage theory for galaxy formation and clustering
• The Luminosity Function of the Milky Way Satellites
• Can Astrophysical Gamma-Ray Sources Mimic Dark Matter Annihilation in Galactic Satellites?
• Dark Matter Substructure within Galactic Halos
• Revealing dark matter substructure with anisotropies in the diffuse gamma-ray background
• Modeling Tidal Streams in Evolving Dark Matter Halos
• Cats and Dogs, Hair and a Hero: A Quintet of New Milky Way Companions
• Discovery of a Faint Old Stellar System at 150 kpc
• Uncovering cold dark matter halo substructure with tidal streams
• A New Milky Way Companion: Unusual Globular Cluster or Extreme Dwarf Satellite?
• A common mass scale for satellite galaxies of the Milky Way
• An anomalous positron abundance in cosmic rays with energies 1.5–100 GeV
• Hundreds of Milky Way Satellites? Luminosity Bias in the Satellite Luminosity Function
• Particle dark matter: evidence, candidates and constraints
• A theory of dark matter
• Particle models and the small-scale structure of dark matter
• The Aquarius Project: the subhaloes of galactic haloes
• FIVE-YEAR WILKINSON MICROWAVE ANISOTROPY PROBE OBSERVATIONS: DATA PROCESSING, SKY MAPS, AND BASIC RESULTS
• The Kinematics of the Ultra‐faint Milky Way Satellites: Solving the Missing Satellite Problem
• Precise constraints on the dark matter content of Milky Way dwarf galaxies for gamma-ray experiments

Cited by

• FERMI-LAT SENSITIVITY TO DARK MATTER ANNIHILATION IN VIA LACTEA II SUBSTRUCTURE