Dark Matter (S)pins the Planet

Abstract

Dark matter heating in planets has been proposed as a potential probe for dark matter detection. Assuming near-equilibrium conditions, we find that the energy input from dark matter raises planetary temperatures and accelerates rotation. The distribution of energy between heating and rotational acceleration depends on both planetary properties and external inputs, suggesting that previous studies may have overestimated the heating contribution. At high dark matter densities, planetary rotation stabilizes earlier and becomes primarily governed by dark matter effects.

15 pages, 4 figures, Accepted by the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics