JWST lensed quasar dark matter survey IV: Stringent warm dark matter constraints from the joint reconstruction of extended lensed arcs and quasar flux ratios

TL;DR

This paper uses JWST observations of strong gravitational lenses to place tight constraints on warm dark matter properties by jointly analyzing extended lensed arcs and quasar flux ratios, improving previous bounds significantly.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive modeling framework that combines arc reconstruction with flux ratios to better constrain dark matter free-streaming length and subhalo abundance.

Findings

Inferred half-mode mass m_hm < 10^{7.4} M_sun, improving previous limits.

Projected subhalo mass density consistent with some models but mildly tensioned with recent simulations.

Set among the strongest bounds on warm dark matter to date.

Abstract

We present a measurement of the free-streaming length of dark matter (DM) and subhalo abundance around 28 quadruple image strong lenses using observations from JWST MIRI presented in Paper III of this series. We improve on previous inferences on DM properties from lensed quasars by simultaneously reconstructing extended lensed arcs with image positions and relative magnifications (flux ratios). Our forward modeling framework generates full populations of subhalos, line-of-sight halos, and globular clusters, uses an accurate model for subhalo tidal evolution, and accounts for free-streaming effects on halo abundance and concentration. Modeling lensed arcs leads to more-precise model-predicted flux ratios, breaking covariance between subhalo abundance and the free-streaming scale parameterized by the half-mode mass $m_{\rm{hm}}$. Assuming subhalo abundance predicted by the semi-analytic model {\tt{galacticus}} ($N$-body simulations), we infer (Bayes factor of 10:1) $m_{\rm{hm}} < 10^{7.4} \mathrm{M}_{\odot}$ ($m_{\rm{hm}} < 10^{7.2} \mathrm{M}_{\odot}$), a 0.4 dex improvement relative to omitting lensed arcs. These bounds correspond to lower limits on thermal relic DM particle masses of $7.4$ and $8.4$ keV, respectively. Conversely, assuming DM is cold, we infer a projected mass in subhalos ($10^6 < m/M_{\odot}<10^{10.7}$) of $1.7_{-1.2}^{+2.6} \times 10^7 \ \mathrm{M}_{\odot} \ \rm{kpc^{-2}}$ at $95 \%$ confidence. This is consistent with {\tt{galacticus}} predictions ($0.9 \times 10^7 \mathrm{M}_{\odot} \ \rm{kpc^{-2}}$), but in mild tension with recent $N$-body simulations ($0.6 \times 10^7 \mathrm{M}_{\odot} \ \rm{kpc^{-2}}$). Our results are among the strongest bounds on WDM, and the most precise measurement of subhalo abundance around strong lenses. Further improvements will follow from the large sample of lenses to be discovered by Euclid, Rubin, and Roman.