Galactic halo cusp-core: tidal compression in mergers

Abstract

We explain in simple terms how the buildup of dark haloes by merging compact satellites, as in the CDM cosmology, inevitably leads to an inner cusp of density profile $ρ\propto r^{-α}$ with $α\gsim 1$, as seen in cosmological N-body simulations. A flatter halo core with $α<1$ exerts on the satellites tidal compression in all directions, which prevents deposit of stripped satellite material in the core region. This makes the satellite orbits decay from the radius where $α\sim 1$ to the halo centre with no local tidal mass transfer and thus causes a rapid steepening of the inner profile to $α>1$. These tidal effects, the resultant steepening of the profile to a cusp, and the stability of this cusp to tandem mergers with compact satellites, are demonstrated using N-body simulations. The transition at $α\sim 1$ is then addressed using toy models in the limiting cases of impulse and adiabatic approximations and using tidal radii for satellites on radial and circular orbits. In an associated paper we address the subsequent slow convergence from either side to an asymptotic stable cusp with $α\gsim 1$. Our analysis thus implies that an inner cusp is enforced when small haloes are typically more compact than larger haloes, as in the CDM scenario, such that enough satellite material makes it intact into the inner halo and is deposited there. We conclude that a necessary condition for maintaining a flat core, as indicated by observations, is that the inner regions of the CDM satellite haloes be puffed up by about 50% such that when they merge into a bigger halo they would be disrupted outside the halo core. This puffing up could be due to baryonic feedback processes in small haloes, which may be stimulated by the tidal compression in the halo cores.