Pith. sign in

REVIEW 14 cited by

Direct constraints on the dark matter self-interaction cross-section from the merging galaxy cluster 1E0657-56

Not yet reviewed by Pith; the record is open.

This paper has not been read by Pith yet. Machine review is queued; the pith claim, tier, and objections will appear here once it completes.

SPECIMEN: schema-true, not a live event

T0 review · schema-true

One-sentence machine reading of the paper's core claim.

pith:XXXXXXXX · record.json · timestamp

arxiv astro-ph/0309303 v2 pith:VPWMTZU2 submitted 2003-09-11 astro-ph

Direct constraints on the dark matter self-interaction cross-section from the merging galaxy cluster 1E0657-56

classification astro-ph
keywords darkmatterclustergalaxiesmasssubclusterestimateconstraints
verification ladder T0 review T1 audit T2 compute T3 formal T4 reserved
0 comments
read the original abstract

We compare new maps of the hot gas, dark matter, and galaxies for 1E0657-56, a cluster with a rare, high-velocity merger occurring nearly in the plane of the sky. The X-ray observations reveal a bullet-like gas subcluster just exiting the collision site. A prominent bow shock gives an estimate of the subcluster velocity, 4500 km/s, which lies mostly in the plane of the sky. The optical image shows that the gas lags behind the subcluster galaxies. The weak-lensing mass map reveals a dark matter clump lying ahead of the collisional gas bullet, but coincident with the effectively collisionless galaxies. From these observations, one can directly estimate the cross-section of the dark matter self-interaction. That the dark matter is not fluid-like is seen directly in the X-ray -- lensing mass overlay; more quantitative limits can be derived from three simple independent arguments. The most sensitive constraint, sigma/m<1 cm^2/g, comes from the consistency of the subcluster mass-to-light ratio with the main cluster (and universal) value, which rules out a significant mass loss due to dark matter particle collisions. This limit excludes most of the 0.5-5 cm^2/g interval proposed to explain the flat mass profiles in galaxies. Our result is only an order-of-magnitude estimate which involves a number of simplifying, but always conservative, assumptions; stronger constraints may be derived using hydrodynamic simulations of this cluster.

discussion (0)

Sign in with ORCID, Apple, or X to comment. Anyone can read and Pith papers without signing in.

Forward citations

Cited by 14 Pith papers

Reviewed papers in the Pith corpus that reference this work. Sorted by Pith novelty score.

  1. First Constraints on the Ellipticities of Self-Interacting Fermionic Dark Matter Admixed Neutron Stars from Continuous Gravitational-Wave Searches

    astro-ph.CO 2026-06 unverdicted novelty 7.0

    Using LIGO O3 continuous-wave search data, the authors place the first constraints on ellipticities of self-interacting fermionic dark matter admixed neutron stars and exclude regions of the DM parameter space for mas...

  2. Near-IR Weak-lensing (NIRWL) Measurements in the CANDELS Fields. II. Mass Mapping and Overdensity Characterization

    astro-ph.GA 2026-05 unverdicted novelty 7.0

    First near-IR weak-lensing analysis of CANDELS fields detects 12 shear-selected overdensities with masses 0.2-2.2 x 10^14 solar masses at redshifts 0.22-0.9 and mean z=0.68.

  3. Natural Phantom Dark Energy from a $\mathbb{Z}_N$--Axion

    hep-ph 2026-07 conditional novelty 6.5

    A Z_N-symmetric multi-copy dark-QCD axion, broken by single-sector reheating, yields natural phantom-crossing dark energy with dark-pion DM in a viable parameter window.

  4. Dynamical flattening of halo density cusps by Q-ball dark matter

    hep-ph 2026-07 conditional novelty 6.0

    Interacting Q-ball dark matter flattens NFW cusps via density-dependent mergers that convert rest mass into escaping relativistic dark-sector particles, preferentially in halo centers.

  5. High resolution Lyman-{\alpha} forest constraints on dark matter-neutrino scattering

    astro-ph.CO 2026-07 conditional novelty 6.0

    The Lyman-alpha forest constrains dark matter-neutrino scattering to u_nu_chi < 1.5e-8 (95% C.L.), excluding previously claimed hints of a non-zero interaction.

  6. Coherent collective response in many-qubit systems for dark matter detection

    hep-ph 2026-06 conditional novelty 6.0

    A Ramsey-type array of N unentangled qubits can detect wave-like dark matter with coupling sensitivity δα ∼ 1/(T√N), rivaling entangled-qubit schemes.

  7. Steep Redshift Evolution of the Ionizing Escape Fraction at $z = 5$--$12$: Empirical Constraints and Comparison with Simulations

    astro-ph.CO 2026-06 unverdicted novelty 6.0

    Empirical three-parameter fit to f_esc(M_h,z) yields steep redshift evolution with population-averaged escape fraction rising from ~2% at z=5 to ~9% at z=12.

  8. Entropy considerations in Many-Body Gravity and General Relativity, and the impact on cosmic inflation

    gr-qc 2026-04 unverdicted novelty 6.0

    MBG reproduces cosmic inflation naturally from its 5D entropic equations once interacting massless scalars resolve a QFT-derived time-interaction inconsistency.

  9. Axion-like Particle Search with a Light-Shining-Through-Walls Setup at a $\gamma$-$\gamma$ Collider

    hep-ph 2025-12 conditional novelty 6.0

    A light-shining-through-walls search using a gamma-gamma collider's inverse-Compton photon beam could reach g_aγγ ≈ 3.8e-5 GeV^-1 for m_a < 0.1 eV.

  10. Light Vector Dark Matter via a Magnetic Dipole Portal: Bridging Direct Detection and Fixed-Target Searches

    hep-ph 2025-11 reject novelty 6.0

    A sub-GeV vector DM model with a magnetic dipole portal is studied at LDMX/NA64, but the claimed viable region relies on an unjustified thermal equilibrium assumption.

  11. Vector dark matter with non-abelian kinetic mixing

    hep-ph 2025-10 conditional novelty 6.0

    A four-boson dark sector with one non-abelian kinetic-mixing operator can produce the observed dark-matter abundance by freeze-out, freeze-in, or 3-to-2 annihilations, with a dark-photon mediator almost degenerate wit...

  12. Coherent collective response in many-qubit systems for dark matter detection

    hep-ph 2026-06 unverdicted novelty 5.0

    Ramsey interferometry on large arrays of unentangled qubits achieves dark-matter sensitivity scaling as 1/sqrt(N), enabling projected bounds competitive with or better than existing limits for N greater than or equal ...

  13. CMB-S4 Science Case, Reference Design, and Project Plan

    astro-ph.IM 2019-07 unverdicted novelty 3.0

    Presents the science case, reference design, and project plan for the CMB-S4 ground-based CMB experiment.

  14. SKAO and Gamma-Ray Synergies

    astro-ph.HE 2026-06 unverdicted novelty 2.0

    Overview of synergies between SKA radio observations and gamma-ray facilities for studying transient, variable, and steady GeV-TeV sources.