Abstract

Annihilation radiation from neutralino dark matter at the Galactic center (GC) would be greatly enhanced if the dark matter were strongly clustered around the supermassive black hole (SBH). The existence of a dark-matter “spike” is made plausible by the observed, steeply-rising stellar density near the GC SBH. Here the time-dependent equations describing gravitational interaction of the dark matter with the stars are solved. Scattering of dark matter particles by stars would substantially lower the dark matter density near the GC SBH over 10 Gyr, due both to kinetic heating, and to capture of dark matter particles by the SBH. This evolution implies a decrease by several orders of magnitude in the observable flux of annihilation products compared with models that associate a steep dark matter spike with the SBH.

Publication Date

5-21-2004

Comments

This work was supported by NSF grant AST 02-0631 and by NASA grant NAG5-9046. ISSN: 0031-9007

Also archived in: arXiv: astro-ph/0311594 v2 29 Mar 2004

©2004 American Physical Society

Document Type

Article

Department, Program, or Center

School of Physics and Astronomy (COS)

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

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