Cosmic particle colliders: simulations of self-interacting dark matter with anisotropic scattering

Abstract

We investigate how self-interacting dark matter (SIDM) with anisotropic scattering affects the evolution of isolated dark matter haloes as well as systems with two colliding haloes. For isolated haloes, we find that the evolution can be adequately captured by treating the scattering as isotropic, as long as the isotropic cross-section is appropriately matched to the underlying anisotropic model. We find that this matching should not be done using the momentum transfer cross-section, as has been done previously. Matching should instead be performed via a modified momentum transfer cross-section that takes into account that dark matter particles can be relabelled after they scatter, without altering the dynamics. However, using cross-sections that are matched to give the same behaviour in isolated haloes, we find that treating dark matter scattering as isotropic under-predicts the effects of anisotropic dark matter scattering when haloes collide. In particular, the DM-galaxy offset induced by SIDM in colliding galaxy clusters is larger when we simulate the underlying particle model, than if we use a matched isotropic model. On the other hand, well motivated particle models with anisotropic scattering typically have cross-sections with a strong velocity dependence, and we discover a previously unrecognised effect that suppresses DM-galaxy offsets in colliding clusters making it hard for these systems to provide competitive constraints on such particle models.

12 pages, 8 figures, v2 matches accepted MNRAS version

References in corpus (8)

• Constraints on the Self-Interaction Cross-Section of Dark Matter from Numerical Simulations of the Merging Galaxy Cluster 1E 0657-5
• The non-gravitational interactions of dark matter in colliding galaxy clusters
• Dark Matter and Dark Radiation
• Cores in Dwarf Galaxies from Dark Matter with a Yukawa Potential
• Dwarf galaxies in CDM and SIDM with baryons: observational probes of the nature of dark matter
• The behaviour of dark matter associated with 4 bright cluster galaxies in the 10kpc core of Abell 3827
• Galaxies in X-ray Groups. II. A Weak Lensing Study of Halo Centering
• Hidden Sector Hydrogen as Dark Matter: Small-scale Structure Formation Predictions and the Importance of Hyperfine Interactions

Cited by in corpus (29)

• The Dawn of FIMP Dark Matter: A Review of Models and Constraints
• Hydrodynamical simulations of the galaxy population: enduring successes and outstanding challenges
• Core-collapse, evaporation and tidal effects: the life story of a self-interacting dark matter subhalo
• Constraints on dark matter self-interaction from the internal density profiles of X-COP galaxy clusters
• Gravothermal evolution of dark matter halos with differential elastic scattering
• Universal gravothermal evolution of isolated self-interacting dark matter halos for velocity-dependent cross sections
• TangoSIDM: Tantalizing models of Self-Interacting Dark Matter
• The impact of baryonic potentials on the gravothermal evolution of self-interacting dark matter haloes
• A Parametric Model for Self-Interacting Dark Matter Halos
• Dark Matter in Galaxy Clusters: a Parametric Strong Lensing Approach
• Cosmological and idealized simulations of dark matter haloes with velocity-dependent, rare and frequent self-interactions
• Astrophysical Tests of Dark Matter Self-Interactions
• Numerical Challenges in Modeling Gravothermal Collapse in Self-Interacting Dark Matter Halos
• Astrophysical probes of inelastic dark matter with a light mediator
• The role of baryons in self-interacting dark matter mergers
• Fitting a Self-Interacting Dark Matter Model to Data Ranging From Satellite Galaxies to Galaxy Clusters
• Simulations of galaxy cluster mergers with velocity-dependent, rare and frequent self-interactions
• Constraints on dark matter self-interaction from galactic core size
• Joint HST, VLT/MUSE and XMM-Newton observations to constrain the mass distribution of the two strong lensing galaxy clusters: MACS J0242.5-2132 & MACS J0949.8+1708
• Testing the Collisionless Nature of Dark Matter with the Radial Acceleration Relation in Galaxy Clusters
• Collisionless shocks in self-interacting dark matter
• A Universal Analytic Model for Gravitational Lensing by Self-Interacting Dark Matter Halos
• Exploring sub-GeV Dark Matter Physics with Cosmic Ray and Future Telescopes
• Simulating realistic self-interacting dark matter models including small and large-angle scattering
• Investigating the relation between environment and internal structure of massive elliptical galaxies using strong lensing
• Cosmological simulations with rare and frequent dark matter self-interactions
• Cross Section Calculations in Theories of Self-Interacting Dark Matter
• Unequal-mass mergers of dark matter haloes with rare and frequent self-interactions
• The effects of self-interacting dark matter on the stripping of galaxies that fall into clusters