Related papers: Merger of Dark Matter Axion Clumps and Resonant Ph…
(Abridged) We compare recent results from X-ray, strong lensing, weak lensing, and optical observations with numerical simulations of the merging galaxy cluster 1E0657-56. X-ray observations reveal a bullet-like subcluster with a prominent…
Hidden axions may be coupled to the standard model particles through a kinetic or mass mixing with QCD axion. We study a scenario in which a hidden axion constitutes a part of or the whole of dark matter and decays into photons through the…
Supernovae and cooling neutron stars have long been used to constrain the properties of axions, such as their mass and interactions with nucleons and other Standard Model particles. We investigate the prospects of using neutron star mergers…
The fundamental nature of Dark Matter remains one of the major mysteries of modern physics. Some models postulate the existence of a massive gauge boson, a "dark photon" ($A^\prime$), that may allow Dark Matter particles to interact with…
Galaxy mergers play a critical role in galaxy evolution - altering the size, morphology, dynamics and composition of galaxies. So far, galaxy mergers have mostly been identified through visual inspection of their rest-frame optical and NIR…
The role of major mergers in galaxy and black hole formation is not well constrained. To help address this, we develop an automated method to identify late-stage galaxy mergers before coalescence of the galactic cores. The resulting sample…
We present the results of a series of empirical computations regarding the role of major mergers in forming the stellar masses of modern galaxies based on measurements of galaxy merger and star formation histories from z~0.5-3. We…
Axions and axion-like particles (ALPs) are some of the best-motivated dark matter (DM) candidates. Under certain circumstances, large axion fluctuations in the early universe can collapse to form dense configurations called axion clumps.…
We investigate a scenario where the dark matter of the Universe is made from very light hidden photons transforming under a $Z_{2}$-symmetry. In contrast to the usual situation, kinetic mixing is forbidden by the symmetry and the dark…
Near-extremal primordial black holes stable over cosmological timescales may constitute a significant fraction of the dark matter. Due to their charge the coalescence rate of such black holes is enhanced inside clusters and the non-extremal…
Axion is a popular candidate for dark matter particles. Axionic dark matter may form Bose-Einstein condensate and may be gravitationally bound to form axion clumps. Under the presence of electromagnetic waves with frequency…
We report the discovery of a spectroscopically confirmed z = 1.824 minor merger with a mass ratio of ~35:1 in which the secondary (smaller) galaxy hosts a luminous AGN. The system is identified in the 3D-HST survey and exhibits clear tidal…
Astrophysical gamma-ray sources come in a variety of sizes and magnetizations. We deduce general conditions under which gamma-ray spectra from such sources would be significantly affected by axion-photon mixing. We show that, depending on…
In an influential recent paper, Harvey et al (2015) derive an upper limit to the self-interaction cross section of dark matter ($\sigma_{\rm DM} < 0.47$ cm$^2$/g at 95\% confidence) by averaging the dark matter-galaxy offsets in a sample of…
While dark matter self-interactions may solve several problems with structure formation, so far only the effects of two-body scatterings of dark matter particles have been considered. We show that, if a subdominant component of dark matter…
Mergers of neutron stars with black holes have been suggested as candidates for short gamma-ray bursts. They have also been studied for their potential as gravitational wave sources observable with ground-based detectors. For these…
Hidden photons and axion-like particles are candidates for cold dark matter if they were produced non-thermally in the early universe. We conducted a search for both of these bosons using 800 live-days of data from the XMASS detector with…
We estimate collapse rates of axion stars in our galaxy based on the axion minicluster mass function of the Milky Way dark matter halo. We consider axion-like particles with different temperature evolution of the axion mass, including the…
Merging clusters of galaxies are unique in their power to directly probe and place limits on the self-interaction cross-section of dark matter. Detailed observations of several merging clusters have shown the intracluster gas to be…
Axion-like particles (ALPs) and photons inter-convert in the presence of a magnetic field. At keV energies in the environment of galaxy clusters, the conversion probability can become unsuppressed for light ALPs. Conversion of thermal X-ray…