Investigating dark matter substructure with pulsar timing - I. Constraints on ultracompact minihaloes
File(s)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Clark, HA
Lewis, GF
Scott, P
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Small-scale dark matter structure within the Milky Way is expected to affect pulsar timing. The change in gravitational potential induced by a dark matter halo passing near the line of sight to a pulsar would produce a varying delay in the light travel time of photons from the pulsar. Individual transits produce an effect that would either be too rare or too weak to be detected in 30-yr pulsar observations. However, a population of dark matter subhaloes would be expected to produce a detectable effect on the measured properties of pulsars if the subhaloes constitute a significant fraction of the total halo mass. The effect is to increase the dispersion of measured period derivatives across the pulsar population. By statistical analysis of the ATNF pulsar catalogue, we place an upper limit on this dispersion of
logσP˙≤−17.05
logσP˙≤−17.05
. We use this to place strong upper limits on the number density of ultracompact minihaloes within the Milky Way. These limits are completely independent of the particle nature of dark matter.
logσP˙≤−17.05
logσP˙≤−17.05
. We use this to place strong upper limits on the number density of ultracompact minihaloes within the Milky Way. These limits are completely independent of the particle nature of dark matter.
Date Issued
2015-12-22
Date Acceptance
2015-11-18
Citation
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2015, 456 (2), pp.1394-1401
ISSN
0035-8711
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Start Page
1394
End Page
1401
Journal / Book Title
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume
456
Issue
2
Copyright Statement
© 2015 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society
Subjects
Science & Technology
Physical Sciences
Astronomy & Astrophysics
gravitation
pulsars: general
Galaxy: halo
dark matter
early Universe
PRIMORDIAL BLACK-HOLES
MAGELLANIC CLOUDS
GALACTIC HALO
OGLE VIEW
UNIVERSE
ACCRETION
EVOLUTION
EFFICIENT
MACHOS
PROBE
Publication Status
Published