Probing dark matter using precision measurements of stellar accelerations. (arXiv:1812.07578v1 [astro-ph.GA])
<a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Ravi_A/0/1/0/all/0/1">Aakash Ravi</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Langellier_N/0/1/0/all/0/1">Nicholas Langellier</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Phillips_D/0/1/0/all/0/1">David F. Phillips</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Buschmann_M/0/1/0/all/0/1">Malte Buschmann</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Safdi_B/0/1/0/all/0/1">Benjamin R. Safdi</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Walsworth_R/0/1/0/all/0/1">Ronald L. Walsworth</a>
Dark matter comprises the bulk of the matter in the universe but its particle
nature and cosmological origin remain mysterious. Knowledge of the dark matter
density distribution in the Milky Way Galaxy is crucial to both our
understanding of the standard cosmological model and for grounding direct and
indirect searches for the particles comprising dark matter. Current
measurements of Galactic dark matter content rely on model assumptions to infer
the forces acting upon stars from the distribution of observed velocities.
Here, we propose to apply the precision radial velocity method, optimized in
recent years for exoplanet astronomy, to measure the change in the velocity of
stars over time, thereby providing a direct probe of the local gravitational
potential in the Galaxy. Using numerical simulations, we develop a realistic
strategy to observe the differential accelerations of stars in the solar
neighborhood with next-generation telescopes, at the level of $10^{-8}$
cm/s$^{2}$. The measured stellar accelerations may then be used to extract the
local dark matter density and morphological parameters of the density profile.
Dark matter comprises the bulk of the matter in the universe but its particle
nature and cosmological origin remain mysterious. Knowledge of the dark matter
density distribution in the Milky Way Galaxy is crucial to both our
understanding of the standard cosmological model and for grounding direct and
indirect searches for the particles comprising dark matter. Current
measurements of Galactic dark matter content rely on model assumptions to infer
the forces acting upon stars from the distribution of observed velocities.
Here, we propose to apply the precision radial velocity method, optimized in
recent years for exoplanet astronomy, to measure the change in the velocity of
stars over time, thereby providing a direct probe of the local gravitational
potential in the Galaxy. Using numerical simulations, we develop a realistic
strategy to observe the differential accelerations of stars in the solar
neighborhood with next-generation telescopes, at the level of $10^{-8}$
cm/s$^{2}$. The measured stellar accelerations may then be used to extract the
local dark matter density and morphological parameters of the density profile.
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