Tidal evolution of cored and cuspy dark matter halos

Abstract

The internal structure and abundance of dark matter halos and subhalos are powerful probes of the nature of dark matter. In order to compare observations with dark matter models, accurate theoretical predictions of these quantities are needed. We present a fast and accurate method to describe the tidal evolution of subhalos within their parent halo, based on a semianalytic approach. We first consider idealized 𝑁-body simulations of subhalos within their host halo, using a generalized mass density profile that describes their properties in a variety of dark matter models at infall, including popular warm, cold, and self-interacting ones. Using these simulations we construct tidal “tracks” for the evolution of subhalos based on their conditions at infall. Second, we use the results of these simulations to build semianalytic models for tidal effects, including stripping and heating and implement them within the code galacticus. Our semianalytic models can accurately predict the tidal evolution of both cored and cuspy subhalos, including the bound mass and density profiles, providing a powerful and efficient tool for studying the postinfall properties of subhalos in different dark matter models.

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