The effect of a single supernova explosion on the cuspy density profile of a small-mass dark matter halo

Some observations of galaxies, and in particular dwarf galaxies, indicate a presence of cored density profiles in apparent contradiction with cusp profiles predicted by dark matter N-body simulations. We constructed an analytical model, using particle distribution functions (DFs), to show how a supe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 2011-08, Vol.415 (3), p.2969-2973
Main Authors: de Souza, R. S., Rodrigues, L. F. S., Ishida, E. E. O., Opher, R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astronomy
Astrophysics
Dark matter
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Explosions
galaxies: haloes
Stars & galaxies
Supernovae
supernovae: general
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Summary:Some observations of galaxies, and in particular dwarf galaxies, indicate a presence of cored density profiles in apparent contradiction with cusp profiles predicted by dark matter N-body simulations. We constructed an analytical model, using particle distribution functions (DFs), to show how a supernova (SN) explosion can transform a cusp density profile in a small-mass dark matter halo into a cored one. Considering the fact that an SN efficiently removes matter from the centre of the first haloes, we study the effect of mass removal through an SN perturbation in the DFs. We find that the transformation from a cusp into a cored profile occurs even for changes as small as 0.5 per cent of the total energy of the halo, which can be produced by the expulsion of matter caused by a single SN explosion.
ISSN:0035-8711
1365-2966
DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.18916.x