Gravothermal Pile-Up of Collisional Dark Matter Around Compact Objects

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that a subdominant, highly collisional dark matter species can accumulate and dominate in the deep gravitational wells of compact objects like white dwarfs and neutron stars.

Contribution

It reveals a mechanism for dark matter pile-up in strong gravitational fields, highlighting the importance of collisional interactions in dense astrophysical environments.

Findings

Subdominant dark matter species can become dominant in compact objects.

Collisional interactions facilitate dark matter accumulation in gravitational wells.

Potential implications for dark matter detection and astrophysics.

Abstract

The dark matter may consist of multiple species that interact differently. We show that a species that is cosmologically subdominant but highly collisional can pile up and become dominant in deep gravitational wells, such as those of white dwarfs and neutron stars.