An estimate of the DM profile in the Galactic bulge region

Abstract

We present an analysis of the mass distribution in the region of the Galactic bulge, which leads to constraints on the total amount and distribution of Dark Matter (DM) therein. Our results -based on the dynamical measurement of the BRAVA collaboration- are quantitatively compatible with those of a recent analysis, and generalised to a vaste sample of observationally inferred morphologies of the stellar components in the region of the Galactic bulge. By fitting the inferred DM mass to a generalised NFW profile, we find that cores (index gamma smaller than 0.6) are forbidden only for very light configurations of the bulge, and that cusps (index gamma bigger than 1.2) are allowed, but not necessarily preferred. Interestingly, we find that the results for the bulge region are compatible with those obtained with dynamical methods (based on the rotation curve) applied to outer regions of the Milky Way, for all morphologies adopted. We find that the uncertainty on the shape of the stellar morphology heavily affects the determination of the DM distribution in the bulge region, which is gravitationally dominated by baryons, adding up to the uncertainty on its normalization. The combination of the two hinders the actual possibility to infer sound conclusions about the distribution of DM in the region of the Galactic bulge, and only future observations of the stellar census and dynamics in this region will bring us closer to a quantitatively more definite answer.

References in corpus (12)

• The Local Dark Matter Density
• Forged in FIRE: cusps, cores, and baryons in low-mass dwarf galaxies
• NIHAO IV: Core creation and destruction in dark matter density profiles across cosmic time
• Spatial distribution of interstellar gas in the innermost 3 kpc of our Galaxy
• Evidence for dark matter in the inner Milky Way
• Made-to-Measure models of the Galactic Box/Peanut bulge: stellar and total mass in the bulge region
• Dynamical constraints on the dark matter distribution in the Milky Way
• The Bulge Radial Velocity Assay (BRAVA): I. Sample Selection and a Rotation Curve
• Simulated Milky Way analogues: implications for dark matter indirect searches
• The incorrect rotation curve of the Milky Way
• Dark matter annihilation radiation in hydrodynamic simulations of Milky Way haloes
• The dark matter profile of the Milky Way: a non-parametric reconstruction

Cited by in corpus (18)

• Handling the Uncertainties in the Galactic Dark Matter Distribution for Particle Dark Matter Searches
• The inert doublet model in the light of Fermi-LAT gamma-ray data: a global fit analysis
• Uncertainties in the Galactic dark matter distribution: an update
• A robust estimate of the Milky Way mass from rotation curve data
• Bayesian reconstruction of the Milky Way dark matter distribution
• Particle Dark Matter Constraints: the Effect of Galactic Uncertainties
• Sensitivity of the Cherenkov Telescope Array to the detection of a dark matter signal in comparison to direct detection and collider experiments
• Search for gamma-ray emission from $p$-wave dark matter annihilation in the Galactic Center
• Search for Gamma-ray Spectral Lines from Dark Matter Annihilation up to 100 TeV towards the Galactic Center with MAGIC
• Dark matter substructure cannot explain properties of the Fermi Galactic Centre excess
• What the Milky Way's Dwarfs tell us about the Galactic Center extended excess
• Multi-TeV dark matter density in the inner Milky Way halo: spectral and dynamical constraints
• Testing gravity with the Milky Way: Yukawa potential
• Present and Future constraints on Secluded Dark Matter in the Galactic Halo with TeV Gamma-ray Observatories
• Molecular ionization rates and ultracompact dark matter minihalos
• How do the dynamics of the Milky Way -- Large Magellanic Cloud system affect gamma-ray constraints on particle dark matter?
• Bayesian WIMP detection with the Cherenkov Telescope Array
• Dark Matter profiles of "in silico" galaxies: deep learning inference