Speaker
Description
The rotation curves of spiral galaxies exhibit a diversity that has
been difficult to understand in the cold dark matter (CDM) paradigm.
In this talk, I will show that the self-interacting dark matter (SIDM)
model provides excellent fits to the rotation curves of a sample of
galaxies with asymptotic velocities in the 25 to 300 km/s range that
exemplify the full range of diversity. We only assume the halo
concentration-mass relation predicted by the CDM model and a fixed
value of the self-interaction cross section. The impact of the baryons
on the SIDM halo profile and the scatter from the assembly history of
halos as encoded in the concentration-mass relation can explain the
diverse rotation curves of spiral galaxies. I will also discuss other
smoking-gun signatures of SIDM in astrophysical observations.
