Particle Models and the Small-Scale Structure of Dark Matter

Details Particle Models and the Small-Scale Structure of Dark Matter Particle Models and the Small-Scale Structure of Dark Matter

2009-03-01

arxiv.org/abs/0903.0189v2

New J. Phys. 11 (2009) 105027.

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics

19 pages, 7 figures. Extended discussion, improved figures and corrected typos. Matches the published version (invited contrib

Scientific paper

The kinetic decoupling of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) in the early universe sets a scale that can directly be translated into a small-scale cutoff in the spectrum of matter density fluctuations. The formalism presented here allows a precise description of the decoupling process and thus the determination of this scale to a high accuracy from the details of the underlying WIMP microphysics. With decoupling temperatures of several MeV to a few GeV, the smallest protohalos to be formed range between 10^{-11} and almost 10^{-3} solar masses -- a somewhat smaller range than what was found earlier using order-of-magnitude estimates for the decoupling temperature; for a given WIMP model, the actual cutoff mass is typically about a factor of 10 greater than derived in that way, though in some cases the difference may be as large as a factor of several 100. Observational consequences and prospects to probe this small-scale cutoff, which would provide a fascinating new window into the particle nature of dark matter, are discussed

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Particle Models and the Small-Scale Structure of Dark Matter does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Particle Models and the Small-Scale Structure of Dark Matter, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Particle Models and the Small-Scale Structure of Dark Matter will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-77457