Halo Formation in Warm Dark Matter Models

Halo Formation in Warm Dark Matter Models

29 May 2001 | Paul Bode and Jeremiah P. Ostriker and Neil Turok
The paper investigates the nonlinear gravitational clustering of warm dark matter (WDM) using a high-resolution N-body code. WDM is a modification of cold dark matter (CDM) where dark matter particles have initial velocities due to their thermal relic nature or non-equilibrium decay. The authors find that compared to CDM, WDM leads to lower halo concentrations and core densities, increased core radii, and fewer low-mass satellites. Small halos are suppressed, and their formation is dominated by 'top-down' fragmentation of caustics within a cosmic web connecting massive halos. The number and spatial distribution of small halos, identified as dwarf galaxies, are better aligned with observations in WDM models than in CDM models. The study also discusses the constraints on WDM particle masses from early structure formation and reionization, and the phase space density constraint. Numerical simulations show that WDM suppresses small-scale structure and affects the clustering pattern on large scales, with a distinct web-like structure for small halos. The findings suggest that WDM could provide a solution to the satellite and core density problems in CDM models.The paper investigates the nonlinear gravitational clustering of warm dark matter (WDM) using a high-resolution N-body code. WDM is a modification of cold dark matter (CDM) where dark matter particles have initial velocities due to their thermal relic nature or non-equilibrium decay. The authors find that compared to CDM, WDM leads to lower halo concentrations and core densities, increased core radii, and fewer low-mass satellites. Small halos are suppressed, and their formation is dominated by 'top-down' fragmentation of caustics within a cosmic web connecting massive halos. The number and spatial distribution of small halos, identified as dwarf galaxies, are better aligned with observations in WDM models than in CDM models. The study also discusses the constraints on WDM particle masses from early structure formation and reionization, and the phase space density constraint. Numerical simulations show that WDM suppresses small-scale structure and affects the clustering pattern on large scales, with a distinct web-like structure for small halos. The findings suggest that WDM could provide a solution to the satellite and core density problems in CDM models.
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