Evolution of resonant self-interacting dark matter halos

Abstract

Recent analysis on the stellar kinematics of ultrafaint dwarf (UFD) galaxies has put a stringent upper limit on the self-scattering cross section of dark matter, i.e., σ/m<O(0.1) cm2/g at the scattering velocity of O(10) km/s. Resonant self-interacting dark matter (rSIDM) is one possibility that can be consistent with the UFDs and explain the low central densities of rotation-supported galaxies; the cross section is resonantly enhanced to be σ/m=O(1) cm2/g around the scattering velocity of O(100) km/s while being suppressed at lower velocities. To further assess this possibility, since the inferred dark matter distribution of halos from astrophysical observations is usually compared to that in constant-cross section SIDM (cSIDM), whether the structures of rSIDM halos can be approximated by the cSIDM halo profiles needs to be clarified. In this work, we employ the gravothermal fluid method to investigate the structural evolution of rSIDM halos in a wide mass range. We find that except for halos in a specific mass range, the present structures of rSIDM halos are virtually indistinguishable from those of the cSIDM halos. For halos in the specific mass range, the resonant self-scattering renders a break in their density profile. We demonstrate how such a density-profile break appears in astrophysical observations, e.g., rotation curves and line-of-sight velocity dispersion profiles. We show that for halos above the specific mass range, the density-profile break disappears through the thermalization before the present. We infer that such distinctive thermalization dynamics might leave imprints on the orbital classes of stars with similar ages and metallicities. © 2024 American Physical Society.