Challenges in Binary Pulsar Timing Detection of Dark Matter Subhalos
Zheng-Long Wang, Zi-Qing Xia, Yue-Lin Sming Tsai, Yi-Zhong Fan
arXiv:2603.26196v2 Announce Type: replace
Abstract: Recently, binary pulsar timing has been proposed as a viable probe of dark matter subhalos with masses of $sim 10^7,M_{odot}$ in the solar neighborhood. We present a comprehensive analytical framework that incorporates the subhalo mass function, projection effects of line-of-sight acceleration, and the spatiotemporal geometric requirements for joint detection by binary systems, enabling a quantitative evaluation of the detectability of nearby subhalos. Applying this framework to the current binary pulsar sample, we find a probability $leq 1.7 times 10^{-4}$ of detecting at least one subhalo within the effective volume. An independent timing residual analysis shows no statistically significant excess in line-of-sight accelerations beyond predictions from data-driven Galactic gravitational potential models. These results place stringent constraints on detecting $arXiv:2603.26196v2 Announce Type: replace
Abstract: Recently, binary pulsar timing has been proposed as a viable probe of dark matter subhalos with masses of $sim 10^7,M_{odot}$ in the solar neighborhood. We present a comprehensive analytical framework that incorporates the subhalo mass function, projection effects of line-of-sight acceleration, and the spatiotemporal geometric requirements for joint detection by binary systems, enabling a quantitative evaluation of the detectability of nearby subhalos. Applying this framework to the current binary pulsar sample, we find a probability $leq 1.7 times 10^{-4}$ of detecting at least one subhalo within the effective volume. An independent timing residual analysis shows no statistically significant excess in line-of-sight accelerations beyond predictions from data-driven Galactic gravitational potential models. These results place stringent constraints on detecting $

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