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Dario Nunez

Publications and source records attributed to Dario Nunez.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Flat Central Density Profiles from Scalar Field Dark Matter Halo

The scalar field endowed with a cosh scalar field potential, behaves exactly in the same way as cold dark matter (CDM) in the region where the scalar field oscillates around its minimum. Also, in the linear regime, the scalar field dark matter (SFDM) hypothesis predicts the same structure formation as the cold dark matter one. This means that CDM and SFDM are equivalent from the cosmological point of view. The free parameters of the SFDM model can be fixed using cosmological observations. In a previous work, we showed by solving the Einstein Klein Gordon equations, that if we use such parameters, the scalar field collapses forming stable objects with a mass around $10^{12}M_{\odot}$. In the present work we use analytical solutions of the flat and weak field limit of the Einstein- Klein-Gordon equations. With this solutions we show that its scalar field density profile corresponds to a halo with an almost flat central density and that this halo coincides with the CDM model in a large outer region. Such a result could solve the problem of the cusp DM halo in galaxies without extra hypothesis, adding to the viability of the SFDM model. Thus, the SFDM model can be seen as an alternative model to the CDM one, with a self interacting WIMP.

astro-ph↗

Regularization of spherical and axisymmetric evolution codes in numerical relativity

Several interesting astrophysical phenomena are symmetric with respect to the rotation axis, like the head-on collision of compact bodies, the collapse and/or accretion of fields with a large variety of geometries, or some forms of gravitational waves. Most current numerical relativity codes, however, can not take advantage of these symmetries due to the fact that singularities in the adapted coordinates, either at the origin or at the axis of symmetry, rapidly cause the simulation to crash. Because of this regularity problem it has become common practice to use full-blown Cartesian three-dimensional codes to simulate axi-symmetric systems. In this work we follow a recent idea idea of Rinne and Stewart and present a simple procedure to regularize the equations both in spherical and axi-symmetric spaces. We explicitly show the regularity of the evolution equations, describe the corresponding numerical code, and present several examples clearly showing the regularity of our evolutions.

gr-qc↗

Flat rotation curves using scalar-tensor theories

We computed flat rotation curves from scalar-tensor theories in their weak field limit. Our model, by construction, fits a flat rotation profile for velocities of stars. As a result, the form of the scalar field potential and DM distribution in a galaxy are determined. By taking into account the constraints for the fundamental parameters of the theory $(λ, α)$, it is possible to obtain analytical results for the density profiles. For positive and negative values of $α$, the DM matter profile is as cuspy as NFW's.

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Stellar polytropes and Navarro-Frenk-White halo models: comparison with observations

Motivated by the possible conflict between the Navarro-Frenk-White(NFW) model predictions for the dark matter contents of galactic systems and its correlation with baryonic surface density, we will explore an alternative paradigm for the description of dark matter halos. Such an alternative emerges from Tsallis' non-extensive thermodynamics applied to self-gravitating systems and leads to the so-called ``stellar polytrope'' (SP) model. We consider that this could be a better approach to real structures rather than the isothermal model, given the fact that the first one takes into account the non-extensivity of energy and entropy present in these type of systems characterized by long-range interactions. We compare a halo based on the Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) and one which follows the SP description. Analyzing the dark matter contents estimated by means of global physical parameters of galactic disks, obtained from a sample of actual galaxies, with the ones of the unobserved dark matter halos, we conclude that the SP model is favored over the NFW model in such a comparison.

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Rotating Scalar Field Wormhole

We derive an exact solution to the Einstein's equations with a stress-energy tensor corresponding to an opposite-sign scalar field, and show that such a solution describes the internal region of a rotating wormhole. We also derive an static wormhole asymptotically flat solution and match them on both regions, thus obtaining an analytic solution for the complete space-time. We explore some of the features of these solutions.

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Empirical testing of Tsallis' Thermodynamics as a model for dark matter halos

We study a dark matter halo model from two points of view: the ``stellar polytrope'' (SP) model coming from Tsallis' thermodynamics, and the one coming from the Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) paradigm. We make an appropriate comparison between both halo models and analyzing the relations between the global physical parameters of observed galactic disks, coming from a sample of actual galaxies, with the ones of the unobserved dark matter halos, we conclude that the SP model is favored over the NFW model in such a comparison.

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Entropy considerations in constraining the mSUGRA parameter space

We explore the use of two criteria to constraint the allowed parameter space in mSUGRA models. Both criteria are based in the calculation of the present density of neutralinos as dark matter in the Universe. The first one is the usual ``abundance'' criterion which is used to calculate the relic density after the ``freeze-out'' era. To compute the relic density we used the numerical public code micrOMEGAs. The second criterion applies the microcanonical definition of entropy to a weakly interacting and self-gravitating gas evaluating then the change in the entropy per particle of this gas between the ``freeze-out'' era and present day virialized structures. An ``entropy-consistency'' criterion emerges by comparing theoretical and empirical estimates of this entropy. The main objective of our work is to determine for which regions of the parameter space in the mSUGRA model are both criteria consistent with the 2$σ$ bounds according to WMAP for the relic density: $0.0945<Ω_{CDM}h^2<0.1287$. As a first result, we found that for $A_0=0$, sgn$μ=+$, small values of tan$β$ are not favored; only for tan$β\simeq50$ are both criteria significantly consistent.

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Pioneer anomaly? Gravitational pull due to the Kuiper belt

In this work we study the gravitational influence of the material extending from Uranus orbit to the Kuiper belt and beyond on objects moving within these regions. We conclude that a density distribution given by $ρ(r)=\frac{1}{r}$ (for $r\geq 20 UA$) generates a constant acceleration towards the Sun on those objects, which, with the proper amount of mass, accounts for the blue shift detected on the Pioneers space crafts. We also discuss the effect of this gravitational pull on Neptune, and comment on the possible origin of such a matter distribution.

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A general relativistic approach to the Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) galactic halos

In order to study their interplay with large scale cosmic evolution and with relativistic effects, such as gravitational lenses, quintessence sources or gravitational waves, we construct a post-Newtonian fluid framework for the "Navarro-Frenk-White'' (NFW) models of galactic halos that follow from N-body numerical simulations. Since these simulations are unable to resolve regions very near the halo center, the extrapolation of the fitting formula leads to a spherically averaged "universal'' density profile that diverges at the origin. We remove this inconvenient feature by replacing a small central region of the NFW halo with an interior Schwarzschild solution with constant density, continuously matched to the remaining NFW spacetime. A model of a single halo, as an isolated object with finite mass, follows by smoothly matching the NFW spacetime to a Schwarzschild vacuum exterior along the virial radius, the physical "cut-off'' customarily imposed, as the mass associated with NFW profiles diverges asymptotically. Numerical simulations assume weakly interacting collisionless particles, hence we suggest that NFW halos approximately satisfy an "ideal gas'' type of equation of state, where mass-density is the dominant rest--mass contribution to matter--energy, with the internal energy contribution associated with an anisotropic kinetic pressure. We show that, outside the central core, this pressure and the mass density roughly satisfy a polytropic relation. Since stellar polytropes are the equilibrium configurations in Tsallis' non-extensive formalism of Statistical Mechanics, we argue that NFW halos might provide a rough empirical estimate of the free parameter $q$ of Tsallis' formalism.

astro-ph↗

The spacetime associated with galactic dark matter halos

We show how an adequate post--Newtonian generalization can be obtained for Newtonian dark matter halos associated with an empiric density profile. Applying this approach to halos that follow from the well known numerical simulations of Navarro, Frenk and White (NFW), we derive all dynamical variables and show that NFW halos approximatelly follow an ideal gas type of equation of state which fits very well to a polytropic relation in the region outside the core. This fact suggests that ``outer'' regions of NFW halos might be related to equilibrium states in the non--extensive Statistical Mechanics formalism proposed by Tsallis.

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A hyperbolic slicing condition adapted to Killing fields and densitized lapses

We study the properties of a modified version of the Bona-Masso family of hyperbolic slicing conditions. This modified slicing condition has two very important features: In the first place, it guarantees that if a spacetime is static or stationary, and one starts the evolution in a coordinate system in which the metric coefficients are already time independent, then they will remain time independent during the subsequent evolution, {\em i.e.} the lapse will not evolve and will therefore not drive the time lines away from the Killing direction. Second, the modified condition is naturally adapted to the use of a densitized lapse as a fundamental variable, which in turn makes it a good candidate for a dynamic slicing condition that can be used in conjunction with some recently proposed hyperbolic reformulations of the Einstein evolution equations.

gr-qc↗

The general relativistic geometry of the Navarro-Frenk-White model

We derive the space time geometry associated with the Navarro Frenk White dark matter galactic halo model. We discuss several properties of such a spacetime, with particular attention to the corresponding Newtonian limit, stressing the qualitative and quantitative nature of the differences between the relativistic and the Newtonian description. We also discuss on the characteristics of the possible stress energy tensors which could produce such a geometry, via the Einstein's equations.

astro-ph↗

Numerical studies of Phi^2-Oscillatons

We present an exhaustive analysis of the numerical evolution of the Einstein-Klein-Gordon equations for the case of a real scalar field endowed with a quadratic self-interaction potential. The self-gravitating equilibrium configurations are called oscillatons and are close relatives of boson stars, their complex counterparts. Unlike boson stars, for which the oscillations of the two components of the complex scalar field are such that the spacetime geometry remains static, oscillatons give rise to a geometry that is time-dependent and oscillatory in nature. However, they can still be classified into stable (S-branch) and unstable (U-branch) cases. We have found that S-oscillatons are indeed stable configurations under small perturbations and typically migrate to other S-profiles when perturbed strongly. On the other hand, U-oscillatons are intrinsically unstable: they migrate to the S-branch if their mass is decreased and collapse to black holes if their mass is increased even by a small amount. The S-oscillatons can also be made to collapse to black holes if enough mass is added to them, but such collapse can be efficiently prevented by the gravitational cooling mechanism in the case of diluted oscillatons.

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Kerr-Schild type initial data for black holes with angular momenta

Generalizing previous work we propose how to superpose spinning black holes in a Kerr-Schild initial slice. This superposition satisfies several physically meaningful limits, including the close and the far ones. Further we consider the close limit of two black holes with opposite angular momenta and explicitly solve the constraint equations in this case. Evolving the resulting initial data with a linear code, we compute the radiated energy as a function of the masses and the angular momenta of the black holes.

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Hydrodynamical description of Galactic Dark Matter

We consider simple hydrodynamical models of galactic dark matter in which the galactic halo is a self-gravitating and self-interacting gas that dominates the dynamics of the galaxy. Modeling this halo as a sphericaly symmetric and static perfect fluid satisfying the field equations of General Relativity, visible barionic matter can be treated as ``test particles'' in the geometry of this field. We show that the assumption of an empirical ``universal rotation curve'' that fits a wide variety of galaxies is compatible, under suitable approximations, with state variables characteristic of a non-relativistic Maxwell-Boltzmann gas that becomes an isothermal sphere in the Newtonian limit. Consistency criteria lead to a minimal bound for particle masses in the range $30 \hbox{eV} \alt m \alt 60 \hbox{eV}$ and to a constraint between the central temperature and the particles mass. The allowed mass range includes popular supersymmetric particle candidates, such as the neutralino, axino and gravitino, as well as lighter particles ($m\sim$ keV) proposed by numerical N-body simulations associated with self-interactive ``cold'' and ``warm'' dark matter structure formation theories.

hep-ph↗

Geometric Conditions on the Type of Matter Determining the Flat Behavior of the Rotational Curves in Galaxies

In an arbitrary axisymmetric stationary spacetime, we determine the expression for the tangential velocity of test objects following a circular stable geodesic motion in the equatorial plane, as function of the metric coefficients. Next, we impose the condition, observed in large samples of disks galaxies, that the magnitude of such tangential velocity be radii independent, obtaining a constraint equation among the metric coefficients, and thus arriving to an iff condition: The tangential velocity of test particles is radii independent iff the metric coefficients satisfied the mentioned constraint equation. Furthermore, for the static case, the constraint equation can be easily integrated, leaving the spacetime at the equatorial plane essentially with only one independent metric coefficient. With the geometry thus fixed, we compute the Einstein tensor and equate it to and arbitrary stress energy tensor, in order to determined the type of energy-matter which could produce such a geometry. Within an approximation, we deduce a constraint equation among the components of the stress energy tensor. We test in that constraint equation several well known types of matter, which have been proposed as dark matter candidates and are able to point for possible right ones. Finally, we also present the spherically symmetric static case and apply the mentioned procedure to perfect fluid stress energy tensor, recovering the Newtonian result as well as the one obtained in the axisymmetric case. We also present arguments on the need to use GR to study non dust types of matter.

astro-ph↗

Scalar Field Dark Matter and Galaxy Formation

We present a general description of the scalar field dark matter (SFDM) hypothesis in the cosmological context. The scenario of structure formation under such a hypothesis is based on Jeans instabilities of fluctuations of the scalar field. It is shown that it is possible to form stable long lived objects consisting of a wide range of typical galactic masses around $10^{12}M_{\odot}$ once the parameters of the effective theory are fixed with the cosmological constraints. The energy density at the origin of such an object is smooth as it should.

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