Challenges in Binary Pulsar Timing Detection of Dark Matter Subhalos

Abstract

Recently, binary pulsar timing has been proposed as a viable probe of dark matter subhalos with masses of $\sim 10^7{M}_{\odot }$ in the solar neighborhood. We present a comprehensive analytical framework that incorporates the subhalo mass function, projection effects of line-of-sight acceleration, and the spatiotemporal geometric requirements for joint detection by binary systems, enabling a quantitative evaluation of the detectability of nearby subhalos. Applying this framework to the current binary pulsar sample, we find a probability $\le 1.7\times 10^{-4}$ of detecting at least one subhalo within the effective volume. An independent timing residual analysis shows no statistically significant excess in line-of-sight accelerations beyond predictions from data-driven Galactic gravitational potential models. These results place stringent constraints on detecting $<10^8{M}_{\odot }$ dark matter subhalos with existing pulsar timing data, aligning with the theoretical expectation that such subhalos have a low survival probability in the solar neighborhood. A low detection prospect still holds even for future Square Kilometre Array observations.

8 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in ApJL