Figure rotation of dark haloes in cold dark matter simulations

We investigate the figure rotation of dark matter haloes identified in Λ cold dark matter (CDM) simulations. We find that when strict criteria are used to select suitable haloes for study, five of the 222 haloes identified in our   z = 0  simulation output undergo coherent figure rotation over a  5 h ⁻¹ Gyr  period. We discuss the effects of varying the selection criteria and find that pattern speeds for a much larger fraction of the haloes can be measured when the criteria are relaxed. Pattern speeds measured over a  1 h ⁻¹ Gyr  period follow a lognormal distribution, centred at  Ω_p= 0.2 h rad Gyr⁻¹  with a maximum value of 0.94 h rad Gyr⁻¹. Over a  5 h ⁻¹ Gyr  period, the average pattern speed of a halo is about  0.1 h rad Gyr⁻¹  and the largest pattern speed found is  0.24 h rad Gyr⁻¹  . Less than half of the selected haloes showed alignment between their figure rotation axis and minor axis, the exact fraction being somewhat dependent on how one defines a halo. While the pattern speeds observed are lower than those generally thought capable of causing spiral structure, we note that coherent figure rotation is found over very long periods and argue that further simulations would be required before strong conclusions about spiral structure in all galaxies could be drawn. We find no correlation between halo properties such as total mass and the pattern speed.     

Extremal charged black holes,dark matter and dark energy

Formation of black holes may be constrained by intrinsic parameters characterizing them such as electric charge. Here we discuss the effects of a relatively minute excess of charge on extremal black hole formation and the horizon. We extend the implications of this argument to the formation of primordial black holes (PBH) in the early universe which gives a possible reason for the lack of detection of Hawking radiation. These charge limits also apply to dark matter (DM) particles that may form PHBs in the early universe. The constraint thus obtained on the electric charge of DM particles could also account for the required magnitude of the repulsive dark energy (DE) currently causing an accelerated universe which provides a possible unified picture of DM and DE.     

Interacting dark matter and holographic dark energy in an anisotropic universe

In this paper we have studied the anisotropic and homogeneous Bianchi type-I universe filled with interacting Dark matter and Holographic dark energy. Here we discussed two models, in first model the solutions of the field equations are obtained for constant value of deceleration parameter where as in the second model the solutions of the field equations are obtained for special form of deceleration parameter. It is shown that for suitable choice of interaction between dark matter and holographic dark energy there is no coincidence problem (unlike ΛCDM). Also, in all the resulting models the anisotropy of expansion dies out very quickly and attains isotropy after some finite time. The Statefinder diagnostic is applied to both the models in order to distinguish between our dark energy models with other existing dark energy models. The physical and geometrical aspects of the models are also discussed.     

Dieterici gas as a unified model for dark matter and dark energy

The dominance of dark energy in the universe has necessitated the introduction of a repulsive gravity source to make q₀ negative. The models for dark energy range from a simple Λ term to quintessence, Chaplygin gas, etc. We look at the possibility of how change of behaviour of missing energy density, from DM to DE, may be determined by the change in the equation of state of a background fluid instead of a form of potential. The question of cosmic acceleration can be discussed within the framework of theories which do not necessarily include scalar fields.     

Coupling between cold dark matter and dark energy from neutrino mass experiments

We consider cosmological models with dynamical dark energy (dDE) coupled to cold dark matter (CDM), while simultaneously allowing neutrinos to be massive. Using a MCMC approach, we compare these models with a wide range of cosmological data sets. We find a strong correlation between this coupling strength and the neutrino mass. This correlation persists when BAO data are included in the analysis. We add then priors on $\nu$ mass from particle experiments. The claimed detection of $\nu$ mass from the Heidelberg–Moscow neutrinoless double-$\beta$ decay experiment would imply a 7–$8\sigma$ detection of CDM–DE coupling. Similarly, the detection of $\nu$ mass from coming KATRIN tritium $\beta$ decay experiment will imply a safe detection of a coupling in the dark sector. Previous attempts to accommodate cosmic phenomenology with such possible $\nu$ mass data made recourse to a $w<-1$ eoS. We compare such an option with the coupling option and find that the latter allows a drastic improvement.     

Tachyonic teleparallel dark energy

Teleparallel gravity is an equivalent formulation of general relativity in which instead of the Ricci scalar R, one uses the torsion scalar T for the Lagrangian density. Recently teleparallel dark energy has been proposed by Geng et al. (in Phys. Lett. B 704, 384, 2011). They have added quintessence scalar field, allowing also a non-minimal coupling with gravity in the Lagrangian of teleparallel gravity and found that such a non-minimally coupled quintessence theory has a richer structure than the same one in the frame work of general relativity. In the present work we are interested in tachyonic teleparallel dark energy in which scalar field is responsible for dark energy in the frame work of torsion gravity. We find that such a non-minimally coupled tachyon gravity can realize the crossing of the phantom divide line for the effective equation of state. Using the numerical calculations we display such a behavior of the model explicitly.     

Anisotropic dark energy stars

A model of compact object coupled to inhomogeneous anisotropic dark energy is studied. It is assumed a variable dark energy that suffers a phase transition at a critical density. The anisotropic Λ-Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equations are integrated to know the structure of these objects. The anisotropy is concentrated on a thin shell where the phase transition takes place, while the rest of the star remains isotropic. The family of solutions obtained depends on the coupling parameter between the dark energy and the fermionic matter. The solutions share several features in common with the gravastar model. There is a critical coupling parameter that gives non-singular black hole solutions. The mass-radius relations are studied as well as the internal structure of the compact objects. The hydrodynamic stability of the models is analyzed using a standard test from the mass-radius relation. For each permissible value of the coupling parameter there is a maximum mass, so the existence of black holes is unavoidable within this model.     

Conformally coupled dark matter

Dark matter is obtained from a scalar field coupled conformally to gravitation, the scalar being a relict of Dirac's gauge function. This conformally coupled dark matter includes a gas of very light (m 2.25 × 10^–34 eV) neutral bosons having spin 0, as well as a time-dependent global scalar field, both pervading all of the cosmic space. The time-development of this dark matter in the expanding F-R-W universe is investigated, and an acceptable cosmological behaviour is obtained.     

Shine the dark ages

Recent WMAP results indicate quite early reionization of the universe. Here we discuss possible implications on CMB anisotropies and CMB polarization of the early reionization.     

An excursion set model for the distribution of dark matter and dark matter haloes

A model of the gravitationally evolved dark matter distribution, in the Eulerian space, is developed. It is a simple extension of the excursion set model that is commonly used to estimate the mass function of collapsed dark matter haloes. In addition to describing the evolution of the Eulerian space distribution of the haloes, the model allows one to describe the evolution of the dark matter itself. It can also be used to describe density profiles, on scales larger than the virial radius of these haloes, and to quantify the way in which matter flows in and out of Eulerian cells. When the initial Lagrangian space distribution is white noise Gaussian, the model suggests that the Inverse Gaussian distribution should provide a reasonably good approximation to the evolved Eulerian density field, in agreement with numerical simulations. Application of this model to clustering from more general Gaussian initial conditions is discussed at the end.     

G-corrected holographic dark energy model

Here we investigate the holographic dark energy model in the framework of FRW cosmology where the Newtonian gravitational constant, G, is varying with cosmic time. Using the complementary astronomical data which support the time dependency of G, the evolutionary treatment of EoS parameter and energy density of dark energy model are calculated in the presence of time variation of G. It has been shown that in this case, the phantom regime can be achieved at the present time. We also calculate the evolution of G-corrected deceleration parameter for holographic dark energy model and show that the dependency of G on the comic time can influence on the transition epoch from decelerated expansion to the accelerated phase. Finally we perform the statefinder analysis for G-corrected holographic model and show that this model has a shorter distance from the observational point in s–r plane compare with original holographic dark energy model.     

Quantum vacuum and dark matter

Recently, the gravitational polarization of the quantum vacuum was proposed as alternative to the dark matter paradigm. In the present paper we consider four benchmark measurements: the universality of the central surface density of galaxy dark matter haloes, the cored dark matter haloes in dwarf spheroidal galaxies, the non-existence of dark disks in spiral galaxies and distribution of dark matter after collision of clusters of galaxies (the Bullet cluster is a famous example). Only some of these phenomena (but not all of them) can (in principle) be explained by the dark matter and the theories of modified gravity. However, we argue that the framework of the gravitational polarization of the quantum vacuum allows the understanding of the totality of these phenomena.     

A viable dark fluid model

We consider a cosmological model based on a generalization of the equation of state proposed by Nojiri and Odintsov (2004) and ?tefan?i? (2005, 2006). We argue that this model works as a dark fluid model which can interpolate between dust equation of state and the dark energy equation of state. We show how the asymptotic behavior of the equation of state constrained the parameters of the model. The causality condition for the model is also studied to constrain the parameters and the fixed points are tested to determine different solution classes. Observations of Hubble diagram of SNe Ia supernovae are used to further constrain the model. We present an exact solution of the model and calculate the luminosity distance and the energy density evolution. We also calculate the deceleration parameter to test the state of the universe expansion.     

Microlensing in dark matter haloes

Using eight dark matter haloes extracted from fully self-consistent cosmological N -body simulations, we perform microlensing experiments. A hypothetical observer is placed at a distance of 8.5 kpc from the centre of the halo measuring optical depths, event durations and event rates towards the direction of the Large Magellanic Cloud. We simulate 1600 microlensing experiments for each halo. Assuming that the whole halo consists of massive astronomical compact halo objects (MACHOs),   f = 1.0  , and a single MACHO mass is   m _M= 1.0 M_⊙  , the simulations yield mean values of  τ= 4.7^+5.0_−2.2× 10⁻⁷  and  Γ= 1.6^+1.3_−0.6× 10⁻⁶  events star⁻¹ yr⁻¹. We find that triaxiality and substructure can have major effects on the measured values so that τ and Γ values of up to three times the mean can be found. If we fit our values of τ and Γ to the MACHO collaboration observations, we find   f = 0.23^+0.15_−0.13  and   m _M= 0.44^+0.24_−0.16  . Five out of the eight haloes under investigation produce f and m _M values mainly concentrated within these bounds.     

Collisional baryonic dark matter haloes

If dark haloes are composed of dense gas clouds, as has recently been inferred, then collisions between clouds lead to galaxy evolution. Collisions introduce a core in an initially singular dark matter distribution, and can thus help to reconcile scale-free initial conditions – such as are found in simulations – with observed haloes, which have cores. A pseudo-Tully–Fisher relation, between halo circular speed and visible mass (not luminosity), emerges naturally from the model: M _vis∝ V ^7/2.
Published data conform astonishingly well to this theoretical prediction. For our sample of galaxies, the mass–velocity relationship has much less scatter than the Tully–Fisher relation, and holds as well for dwarf galaxies (where diffuse gas makes a sizeable contribution to the total visible mass) as it does for giants. It seems very likely that this visible-mass/velocity relationship is the underlying physical basis for the Tully–Fisher relation, and this discovery in turn suggests that the dark matter is both baryonic and collisional.