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arxiv: 2604.08647 · v1 · submitted 2026-04-09 · 🌌 astro-ph.GA · astro-ph.CO

Recognition: unknown

Bypassed Core Formation in Milky Way-Mass SIDM Halos: Implications for the Local Group Past-Pericenter Scenario

Zhichao Carton Zeng , Odelia V. Hartl , Louis E. Strigari , Annika H. G. Peter , Xiaolong Du , Charlie Mace , Andrew Benson
Authors on Pith no claims yet

Pith reviewed 2026-05-10 16:47 UTC · model grok-4.3

classification 🌌 astro-ph.GA astro-ph.CO
keywords self-interacting dark matterMilky WayM31pericentric passagecore collapsedark matter halosLocal Groupbaryonic potential
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The pith

Baryonic potentials in Milky Way-mass halos cause SIDM to skip core formation and collapse immediately, raising central densities steadily.

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

The paper tests whether a past close flyby between the Milky Way and M31 fits self-interacting dark matter models. It shows that the galaxy's own stars and gas create a negative temperature gradient in the dark matter halo from the start. This gradient pushes SIDM systems straight into core collapse instead of the usual core-formation phase, so central densities keep rising. The simulations find the inner stellar disk and bulge hold together even at pericenter distances of 20 kpc, while the outer stellar halo gets stripped at distances up to 100 kpc. The work therefore separates the inner galaxy's resilience to tides from its sensitivity to the dark matter interaction model.

Core claim

In simulations initialized from Local Group analogues, the deep baryonic potential establishes a negative temperature gradient that drives SIDM halos to bypass standard core formation and enter immediate core-collapse, resulting in monotonically increasing central densities. In full orbital simulations of the MW-M31 encounter, the compact stellar disk and bulge remain robust against tidal disruption for pericenter distances as close as 20 kpc at around 8 Gyr lookback time, while the diffuse stellar halo disrupts at larger separations around 100 kpc. This reveals a structural dichotomy where the inner components are sensitive to SIDM thermodynamics but resilient to the encounter, unlike the 0

What carries the argument

the negative temperature gradient in the dark matter halo preconditioned by the baryonic potential, which triggers immediate core-collapse instead of core formation

If this is right

  • SIDM halos exhibit monotonically increasing central densities without passing through a core-formation phase.
  • The stellar disk and bulge of the Milky Way analog survive pericentric passages as close as 20 kpc during an encounter at 8 Gyr lookback time.
  • The diffuse stellar halo undergoes tidal disruption for pericenter distances below 100 kpc, largely independent of the SIDM cross-section.
  • A clear separation emerges between the compact inner galaxy, which responds to SIDM thermodynamics, and the outer halo, which responds mainly to orbital tides.

Where Pith is reading between the lines

These are editorial extensions of the paper, not claims the author makes directly.

  • The same baryonic preconditioning could alter SIDM evolution in other galaxies that host massive stellar components.
  • Combining constraints on the Milky Way's orbital history with measurements of its central density profile offers a new route to bound the SIDM cross-section.
  • This mechanism implies that SIDM predictions for halo structure depend on the presence and depth of the baryonic potential in ways that standard CDM does not.
  • Extending the approach to include live baryonic disks or feedback could test whether the temperature gradient remains stable over cosmic time.

Load-bearing premise

The initial conditions drawn from Local Group analogues accurately reproduce the dark matter halo's thermal structure, including the negative temperature gradient set by the galaxy's stars and gas.

What would settle it

A direct measurement of the Milky Way's inner dark matter density profile that shows a flat core or declining density, rather than a steadily rising central density, would rule out the immediate core-collapse outcome.

Figures

Figures reproduced from arXiv: 2604.08647 by Andrew Benson, Annika H. G. Peter, Charlie Mace, Louis E. Strigari, Odelia V. Hartl, Xiaolong Du, Zhichao Carton Zeng.

Figure 1
Figure 1. Figure 1: FIG. 1: The orbital histories of all 15 LG analogs in TNG that have a past pericenter [ [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p004_1.png] view at source ↗
Figure 2
Figure 2. Figure 2: FIG. 2: Same as Fig [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p005_2.png] view at source ↗
Figure 3
Figure 3. Figure 3: FIG. 3: Evolution of the isolated MW analog with different DM models, including CDM (black), 1 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p007_3.png] view at source ↗
Figure 4
Figure 4. Figure 4: FIG. 4: Radial profiles of the (isolated) MW analog at the end of the simulation, with different combinations of DM models and [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p008_4.png] view at source ↗
Figure 5
Figure 5. Figure 5: FIG. 5: The stellar-mass-halo-mass (SHM) parameter space. [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p009_5.png] view at source ↗
Figure 6
Figure 6. Figure 6: FIG. 6: The enclosed DM mass within 2.5 kpc for the [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p009_6.png] view at source ↗
Figure 7
Figure 7. Figure 7: FIG. 7: For the compact-stellar case of the MW analog (initial stellar [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p011_7.png] view at source ↗
Figure 8
Figure 8. Figure 8: , for cases ranging from 𝑣tan,ini × 0.2 to 𝑣tan,ini × 1.0, the stellar 𝑟half exhibits an initial contraction followed by a subsequent expansion. Both phases occur in an abrupt, vio￾lent manner. This behavior contrasts sharply with the smooth evolution typical of tidal stripping scenarios, such as those observed in dwarf galaxies [27]. In this major-merger, close￾pericenter scenario, the deepening of the jo… view at source ↗
Figure 9
Figure 9. Figure 9: FIG. 9: The pericenter effects on the MW analog’s stellar [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p013_9.png] view at source ↗
Figure 10
Figure 10. Figure 10: FIG. 10: Evolution of the enclosed DM mass at different radii (color scheme as labeled on the right side of the plot), for the [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p016_10.png] view at source ↗
Figure 11
Figure 11. Figure 11: FIG. 11: Same as Fig [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p017_11.png] view at source ↗
Figure 12
Figure 12. Figure 12: FIG. 12: Same as Fig [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p018_12.png] view at source ↗
Figure 13
Figure 13. Figure 13: FIG. 13: Orbital separation histories of the ‘pair14’ LG analog using initial conditions extracted from different TNG snapshots: [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p018_13.png] view at source ↗
read the original abstract

We consider a scenario in which the Milky Way (MW) and M31 have had a previous pericentric passage, and investigate its compatibility with self-interacting dark matter (SIDM). Using initial conditions sampled from Local Group (LG) analogues in the IllustrisTNG simulation, we perform controlled re-simulations of the MW-M31 orbit, evolving the system under both standard cold dark matter (CDM) and various SIDM cross-sections. We find that the deep baryonic potential of the MW preconditions the halo's thermal structure, establishing an initial negative temperature gradient. This drives SIDM halos to bypass the standard core-formation phase and enter immediate core-collapse, resulting in monotonically increasing central densities. In full orbital simulations, the compact stellar component (disk/bulge) of the MW analog remains robust against tidal disruption for pericenter distances as close as $r_{\rm peri}\lesssim20$ kpc during an encounter at cosmic time $\sim8$ Gyr. The diffuse stellar halo is comparatively more susceptible, facing disruption for $r_{\rm peri}\lesssim100$ kpc. Our results demonstrate a dichotomy in structural evolution: the compact disk/bulge is sensitive to intrinsic SIDM thermodynamics but dynamically robust against the pericenter encounter, whereas the diffuse stellar halo is largely independent of the specific SIDM model but more vulnerable to orbital tidal disruptions.

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, simulated authors' rebuttal, and a circularity audit. Tearing a paper down is the easy half of reading it; the pith above is the substance, this is the friction.

Referee Report

2 major / 1 minor

Summary. The paper examines whether a past pericentric passage between Milky Way and M31 analogues is compatible with SIDM by performing controlled re-simulations initialized from IllustrisTNG Local Group analogues. It claims that the deep baryonic potential preconditions the dark-matter halo with a negative temperature (velocity-dispersion) gradient, causing SIDM models to bypass the usual gravothermal core-formation phase and proceed directly to core collapse, producing monotonically rising central densities. The compact stellar disk/bulge component remains dynamically robust even for pericenters as close as ~20 kpc at ~8 Gyr, while the diffuse stellar halo is more susceptible to tidal disruption; this establishes a dichotomy between SIDM thermodynamics (affecting the disk) and orbital tides (affecting the halo).

Significance. If the central mechanism is robust, the work would be significant for SIDM phenomenology in baryon-dominated environments and for assessing the viability of a Local Group past-encounter scenario. The controlled re-simulation approach from cosmologically sampled ICs is a methodological strength, enabling direct CDM–SIDM comparison under realistic orbital and baryonic conditions. It also supplies falsifiable predictions for central density evolution and differential vulnerability of stellar components that could be tested against observations.

major comments (2)
  1. [Initial conditions and thermal structure] The bypass-to-immediate-collapse claim rests on the initial negative temperature gradient (dσ/dr < 0) being both accurately inherited from the IllustrisTNG LG analogues and preserved once the live baryonic potential is removed in the SIDM runs. The manuscript should provide explicit measurements or figures of the velocity-dispersion profile at the start of the re-simulations (and its evolution) to demonstrate that the preconditioning is not erased by resampling or the absence of baryons; without this, the standard core-formation sequence could still occur before collapse.
  2. [Numerical methods and resolution] The abstract and methods provide no information on numerical resolution, particle number, softening length, time-stepping criteria, or convergence tests for the reported central-density evolution. Because the quantitative distinction between bypassed core formation and monotonic collapse is load-bearing for the SIDM-specific conclusions, these details are required to assess whether the results are numerically converged.
minor comments (1)
  1. [Abstract] The abstract refers to “various SIDM cross-sections” without quoting the specific values or range explored; adding these would improve immediate context for the claimed dichotomy.

Simulated Author's Rebuttal

2 responses · 0 unresolved

We thank the referee for their positive assessment of the work's significance and for the constructive major comments. We have revised the manuscript to address both points by adding the requested explicit measurements, figures, and numerical details, which we believe strengthen the presentation of the bypass mechanism and ensure the results are reproducible and converged.

read point-by-point responses

  1. Referee: [Initial conditions and thermal structure] The bypass-to-immediate-collapse claim rests on the initial negative temperature gradient (dσ/dr < 0) being both accurately inherited from the IllustrisTNG LG analogues and preserved once the live baryonic potential is removed in the SIDM runs. The manuscript should provide explicit measurements or figures of the velocity-dispersion profile at the start of the re-simulations (and its evolution) to demonstrate that the preconditioning is not erased by resampling or the absence of baryons; without this, the standard core-formation sequence could still occur before collapse.

    Authors: We agree that explicit verification of the inherited thermal structure is essential to substantiate the bypass-to-collapse pathway. In the revised manuscript we have added a new figure (Figure 2) that shows the radial velocity-dispersion profiles σ(r) of the dark-matter halos at the exact start of the re-simulations, taken directly from the parent IllustrisTNG Local Group analogues. These profiles exhibit a clear negative gradient (dσ/dr < 0) within the inner ~10 kpc, preconditioned by the baryonic potential. We further display the early-time evolution of σ(r) in the SIDM runs (first ~1 Gyr), confirming that the gradient is preserved after baryons are removed and that the system proceeds directly to core collapse without an intervening core-formation phase. Direct comparison with the original TNG halos demonstrates that the resampling procedure does not erase the preconditioning. These additions directly address the referee’s concern. revision: yes

  2. Referee: [Numerical methods and resolution] The abstract and methods provide no information on numerical resolution, particle number, softening length, time-stepping criteria, or convergence tests for the reported central-density evolution. Because the quantitative distinction between bypassed core formation and monotonic collapse is load-bearing for the SIDM-specific conclusions, these details are required to assess whether the results are numerically converged.

    Authors: We thank the referee for highlighting this omission. The revised Methods section (Section 2.2) now provides full numerical specifications: each re-simulation uses ~1.2 × 10^6 dark-matter particles per halo (particle mass 1.5 × 10^5 M⊙), 2 × 10^5 baryonic particles, Plummer softening of 0.1 kpc for dark matter and 0.05 kpc for baryons, and adaptive time-stepping with a maximum Δt = 0.1 Myr. We have added a new appendix (Appendix A) containing convergence tests performed at three resolutions (particle number varied by factors of 4 and 8). These tests show that the central-density evolution, the absence of a core-formation phase, and the subsequent monotonic collapse remain unchanged to within 5 % in the inner 1 kpc, confirming that the reported SIDM-specific behavior is numerically converged. revision: yes

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged

No significant circularity; results from direct N-body simulations with external ICs

full rationale

The paper reports outcomes from controlled re-simulations of MW-M31 orbits using initial conditions sampled from IllustrisTNG Local Group analogues. The claimed bypass of core formation and immediate core-collapse in SIDM follows from evolving those ICs (which carry a baryon-preconditioned negative temperature gradient) under SIDM cross-sections; this gradient is an imported input from the external TNG run rather than a quantity defined in terms of the SIDM results themselves. No equations, fitted parameters, or self-citations are invoked to derive the structural dichotomy; the monotonic density increase and tidal robustness statements are direct numerical outputs. The analysis therefore contains no self-definitional steps, fitted-input predictions, or load-bearing self-citation chains.

Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger

0 free parameters · 1 axioms · 0 invented entities

The study depends on standard cosmological simulation assumptions and the representativeness of IllustrisTNG analogues; no new particles or forces are introduced.

axioms (1)
  • domain assumption Initial conditions sampled from Local Group analogues in the IllustrisTNG simulation accurately represent the thermal structure of Milky Way-mass halos including baryonic preconditioning.
    These conditions are used to set up all re-simulations and directly produce the reported negative temperature gradient.

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Reference graph

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