Related papers: Dark matter concentrations in galactic nuclei acco…
Self-interacting dark matter has been proposed as a hypothesis to explain the shallow central slopes of the density profiles of dark matter halos in galaxies. In order to be consistent with observational studies at scales of galaxy…
We present an improved semi-analytical model to predict density profiles of self-interacting dark matter (SIDM) halos and apply it to constrain the self-scattering cross section using SPARC galaxy rotation curves. Building on the isothermal…
We present a comparison of halo properties in cosmological simulations of collisionless cold dark matter (CDM) and self-interacting dark matter (SIDM) for a range of dark matter cross sections. We find, in agreement with various authors,…
Merging galaxy clusters have been touted as one of the best probes for constraining self-interacting dark matter, but few simulations exist to back up this claim. We simulate equal mass mergers of 10$^{15}$ M$_\odot$ halos, like the El…
According to the now strongly supported concordance $\Lambda$CDM model, galaxies may be grossly described as a luminous component embedded in a dark matter halo. The density profile of these mass dominating haloes may be determined by N -…
It has been shown that a self-gravitating system of massive keV fermions in thermodynamic equilibrium correctly describes the dark matter (DM) distribution in galactic halos and predicts a denser quantum core towards the center of the…
Dense concentrations of dark matter (DM) surrounding black holes provide a compelling opportunity to probe the nature of DM. In the classic Gondolo-Silk model, the adiabatic growth of a massive black hole (MBH) in a DM cusp produces a steep…
Self-interacting dark matter (SIDM) is a simple and well-motivated scenario that could explain long-standing puzzles in structure formation on small scales. If the required self-interaction arises through a light mediator (with mass $\sim…
While collisionless cold dark matter models have been largely successful in explaining a wide range of observational data, some tensions still exist, and it remains possible that dark matter possesses a non-negligible level of self…
The fact that dark matter (DM), thus far, has revealed itself only on scales of galaxies and larger, again thrusts onto astrophysics the opportunity and the responsibility to confront the age old mystery "What is the nature of matter?" By…
We show that density spikes begin to form from dark matter particles around primordial black holes immediately after their formation at the radiation-dominated cosmological stage. This follows from the fact that in the thermal velocity…
In the thermal dark matter (DM) paradigm, primordial interactions between DM and Standard Model particles are responsible for the observed DM relic density. In Boehm et al. (2014), we showed that weak-strength interactions between DM and…
Current images of the supermassive black hole (SMBH) candidates at the center of our Galaxy and M87 have opened an unprecedented era for studying strong gravity and the nature of relativistic sources. Very-long-baseline interferometry…
We study the evolution of an isolated, spherical halo of self-interacting dark matter (SIDM) in the gravothermal fluid formalism. We show that the thermal relaxation time, $t_r$, of a SIDM halo with a central density and velocity dispersion…
We analyse the mass density distribution in the centres of galaxies across five orders of magnitude in mass range. Using high-quality spiral galaxy rotation curves and infrared photometry from SPARC, we conduct a systematic study of their…
Observations on galactic scales seem to be in contradiction with recent high resolution N-body simulations. This so-called cold dark matter (CDM) crisis has been addressed in several ways, ranging from a change in fundamental physics by…
Primordial black holes may have been produced in the early stages of the thermal history of the Universe after cosmic inflation. If so, dark matter in the form of elementary particles can be subsequently accreted around these objects, in…
The properties of satellite halos provide a promising probe for dark matter (DM) physics. Observations have motivated current efforts to explain surprisingly compact DM halos. If DM is not collisionless, but has strong self-interactions,…
The identity of dark matter is one of the key outstanding problems in both particle and astrophysics. In this thesis, I describe a number of complementary searches for particle dark matter. I discuss how the impact of dark matter on stars…
Observations of ultra-diffuse galaxies NGC 1052-DF2 and -DF4 show they may contain little dark matter, challenging our understanding of galaxy formation. Using controlled N-body simulations, we explore the possibility that their properties…