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Einasto profiles and the dark matter power spectrum

Ludlow, Aaron D.; Angulo, Raúl E.

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Authors

Aaron D. Ludlow

Raúl E. Angulo



Abstract

We study the mass accretion histories (MAHs) and density profiles of dark matter haloes using N-body simulations of self-similar gravitational clustering from scale-free power spectra, P(k) ∝ kn. We pay particular attention to the density profile curvature, which we characterize using the shape parameter, α, of an Einasto profile. In agreement with previous findings, our results suggest that, despite vast differences in their MAHs, the density profiles of virialized haloes are remarkably alike. Nonetheless, clear departures from self-similarity are evident: For a given spectral index, α increases slightly but systematically with ‘peak height’, ν ≡ δsc/σ(M, z), regardless of mass or redshift. More importantly, however, the ‘α–ν’ relation depends on n: The steeper the initial power spectrum, the more gradual the curvature of both the mean MAHs and mean density profiles. These results are consistent with previous findings connecting the shapes of halo mass profiles and MAHs, and imply that dark matter haloes are not structurally self-similar but, through the merger history, retain a memory of the linear density field from which they form.

Citation

Ludlow, A. D., & Angulo, R. E. (2017). Einasto profiles and the dark matter power spectrum. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters, 465(1), L84-L88. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnrasl/slw216

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Oct 17, 2016
Online Publication Date Oct 19, 2016
Publication Date Oct 19, 2017
Deposit Date Jul 5, 2017
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Electronic ISSN 1745-3933
Publisher Oxford University Press
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 465
Issue 1
Pages L84-L88
DOI https://doi.org/10.1093/mnrasl/slw216

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Copyright Statement
© 2016 The Authors. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society




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