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The dark matter profile of the Milky Way inferred from its circular velocity curve

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arxiv 2303.12838 v2 pith:E5HQ4AY5 submitted 2023-03-22 astro-ph.GA

The dark matter profile of the Milky Way inferred from its circular velocity curve

classification astro-ph.GA
keywords profiledarkmattercircularcurvemassvelocitymilky
verification ladder T0 review T1 audit T2 compute T3 formal T4 reserved
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In this paper, we construct the circular velocity curve of the Milky Way out to $\sim 30$ kpc, providing an updated model of the dark matter density profile. We derive precise parallaxes for 120,309 stars with a data-driven model, using APOGEE DR17 spectra combined with Gaia DR3, 2MASS, and WISE photometry. At outer galactic radii up to 30 kpc, we find a significantly faster decline in the circular velocity curve compared to the inner parts. This decline is better fit with a cored Einasto profile with a slope parameter $0.91^{+0.04}_{-0.05}$ than a generalized Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) profile. The virial mass of the best-fit dark matter halo profile is only $1.81^{+0.06}_{-0.05}\times10^{11}$ $M_{\odot}$, significantly lower than what a generalized NFW profile delivers. We present a study of the potential systematics, affecting mainly large radii. Such a low mass for the Galaxy is driven by the functional forms tested, given that it probes beyond our measurements. It is found to be in tension with mass measurements from globular clusters, dwarf satellites, and streams. Our best-fit profile also lowers the expected dark matter annihilation signal flux from the galactic centre by more than an order of magnitude, compared to an NFW profile-fit. In future work, we will explore profiles with more flexible functional forms to more fully leverage the circular velocity curve and observationally constrain the properties of the Milky Way's dark matter halo.

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Cited by 6 Pith papers

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