In the Wake of Dark Giants: New Signatures of Dark Matter Self Interactions in Equal Mass Mergers of Galaxy Clusters

Abstract

Merging galaxy clusters have been touted as one of the best probes for constraining self-interacting dark matter, but few simulations exist to back up this claim. We simulate equal mass mergers of 10${}^{15}$ M${}_{\odot }$ halos, like the El Gordo and Sausage clusters, with cosmologically-motivated halo and merger parameters, and with velocity-independent dark-matter self-interactions. Although the standard lore for merging clusters is that self-interactions lead to large separations between the galaxy and dark-matter distributions, we find that maximal galaxy-dark matter offsets of $\lesssim 20$~kpc form for a self-interaction cross section of ${\sigma }_{\text{SI}}/m_{\chi }$ = 1 cm${}^2$/g. This is an order of magnitude smaller than those measured in observed equal mass and near equal mass mergers, and is likely to be even smaller for lower-mass systems. While competitive cross-section constraints are thus unlikely to emerge from offsets, we find other signatures of self-interactions which are more promising. Intriguingly, we find that after dark matter halos coalesce, the collisionless galaxies (and especially the Brightest Cluster Galaxy [BGC]) oscillate around the center of the merger remnant on stable orbits of 100 kpc for ${\sigma }_{\text{SI}}/m_{\chi }=1$~cm${}^2$/g for at least several Gyr, well after the clusters have relaxed. If BCG miscentering in relaxed clusters remains a robust prediction of SIDM under the addition of gas physics, substructure, merger mass ratios (e.g., 10:1 like the Bullet Cluster), and complex cosmological merger histories, the observed BCG offsets may constrain ${\sigma }_{\text{SI}}/m_{\chi }\lesssim$ 0.1 cm${}^2$/g---the tightest constraint yet.

arXiv comment30 pages, 18 figures, and 2 tables; key results are summarized in Figures 12 and 13. Submitted to MNRAS. For a brief video describing the main results of this paper, please see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVxY3QMa38Y. Comments welcome!

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