Dark Matter-Heated Neutron Stars in the Galactic Center Remain Below Current Detection Thresholds
A new theoretical study models how dark matter capture and annihilation would heat neutron stars in the Galactic Center, predicting equilibrium surface temperatures between 10,000 and 1 million Kelvin. The analysis accounts for various dark matter density profiles and the effects of interstellar extinction on observable radiation. The predicted thermal signatures are too faint for current instruments to detect, though nearby systems with less dust obscuration may offer better detection prospects.
Researchers used theoretical modeling to investigate how dark matter particles captured by neutron stars in the Galactic Center would affect their thermal properties through annihilation and kinetic energy deposition. For neutron stars older than approximately 10 million years, the models predict surface temperatures reaching equilibrium values between 10,000 and 1 million Kelvin, with the exact temperature depending on the star's location and local dark matter density. The study examined multiple dark matter density profiles, from cored to cuspy distributions, and found that density spikes would shift thermal emission toward ultraviolet and soft X-ray wavelengths. However, interstellar extinction and high hydrogen column densities significantly reduce observable flux from individual neutron stars to below 0.1 nanojansky, with integrated infrared surface brightness from the entire neutron star population remaining below detection limits of current instruments. The authors suggest that nearby systems with lower extinction may provide more promising targets for future observational searches.
What's missing
The study does not discuss potential observational strategies or future instruments that might achieve the sensitivity needed for detection, nor does it compare predictions with any existing observational data from the Galactic Center. The limitations of the dark matter annihilation cross-section assumptions and uncertainties in neutron star age distributions in the Galactic Center are not explicitly addressed.
What different sources said
- arXiv astro-phCenter
Thermal emission from dark matter-heated neutron stars in the Galactic Center
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