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At least 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Stellar migration and chemical enrichment in the milky way disc: a hybrid model

ABSTRACT We develop a hybrid model of galactic chemical evolution that combines a multiring computation of chemical enrichment with a prescription for stellar migration and the vertical distribution of stellar populations informed by a cosmological hydrodynamic disc galaxy simulation. Our fiducial model adopts empirically motivated forms of the star formation law and star formation history, with a gradient in outflow mass loading tuned to reproduce the observed metallicity gradient. With this approach, the model reproduces many of the striking qualitative features of the Milky Way disc’s abundance structure: (i) the dependence of the [O/Fe]–[Fe/H] distribution on radius Rgal and mid-plane distance |z|; (ii) the changing shapes of the [O/H] and [Fe/H] distributions with Rgal and |z|; (iii) a broad distribution of [O/Fe] at sub-solar metallicity and changes in the [O/Fe] distribution with Rgal, |z|, and [Fe/H]; (iv) a tight correlation between [O/Fe] and stellar age for [O/Fe] > 0.1; (v) a population of young and intermediate-age α-enhanced stars caused by migration-induced variability in the Type Ia supernova rate; (vi) non-monotonic age–[O/H] and age–[Fe/H] relations, with large scatter and a median age of ∼4 Gyr near solar metallicity. Observationally motivated models with an enhanced star formation rate ∼2 Gyr ago improve agreement with the observed age–[Fe/H] and age–[O/H] relations, but worsen agreement with the observed age–[O/Fe] relation. None of our models predict an [O/Fe] distribution with the distinct bimodality seen in the observations, suggesting that more dramatic evolutionary pathways are required. All code and tables used for our models are publicly available through the Versatile Integrator for Chemical Evolution (VICE; https://pypi.org/project/vice).

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Environmental Quenching of Low-surface-brightness Galaxies Near Hosts from Large Magellanic Cloud to Milky Way Mass Scales

Low-surface-brightness galaxies (LSBGs) are excellent probes of quenching and other environmental processes near massive galaxies. We study an extensive sample of LSBGs near massive hosts in the local universe that are distributed across a diverse range of environments. The LSBGs with surface-brightness ${\mu }_{\mathrm{eff},{g}}\gt 24.2\,\mathrm{mag}\,{\mathrm{arcsec}}^{-2}$ are drawn from the Dark Energy Survey Year 3 catalog while the hosts with masses $9.0\lt \mathrm{log}({{ \mathcal M }}_{\star }/{M}_{\odot })\lt 11.0$ comparable to the Milky Way and the Large Magellanic Cloud are selected from the z0MGS sample. We study the projected radial density profiles of LSBGs as a function of their color and surface brightness around hosts in both the rich Fornax–Eridanus cluster environment and the low-density field. We detect an overdensity with respect to the background density, out to 2.5 times the virial radius for both hosts in the cluster environment and the isolated field galaxies. When the LSBG sample is split by g − i color or surface brightness μ eff, g , we find the LSBGs closer to their hosts are significantly redder and brighter, like their high-surface-brightness counterparts. The LSBGs form a clear “red sequence” in both the cluster and isolated environments that is visible beyond the virial radius of the hosts. This suggests preprocessing of infalling LSBGs and a quenched backsplash population around both host samples. More so, the relative prominence of the “blue cloud” feature implies that preprocessing is ongoing near the isolated hosts compared to the cluster environment where the LSBGs are already well processed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Non-Virialized Axion Search Sensitive to Doppler Effects in the Milky Way Halo

The Axion Dark Matter eXperiment (ADMX) has previously excluded Dine-Fischler-Srednicki-Zhitnisky (DFSZ) axions between 680-790 MHz under the assumption that the dark matter is described by the isothermal halo model. However, the precise nature of the velocity distribution of dark matter is still unknown, and alternative models have been proposed. We report the results of a non-virialized axion search over the mass range 2.81-3.31 μeV, corresponding to the frequency range 680-800 MHz. This analysis marks the most sensitive search for non-virialized axions sensitive to Doppler effects in the Milky Way Halo to date. Accounting for frequency shifts due to the detector's motion through the Galaxy, we exclude cold flow relic axions with a velocity dispersion of order 10^-7 c with 95% confidence.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Nonvirialized axion search sensitive to Doppler effects in the Milky Way halo

The Axion Dark Matter eXperiment (ADMX) has previously excluded Dine-Fischler-Srednicki- Zhitnisky (DFSZ) axions between 680-790 MHz under the assumption that the dark matter is described by the isothermal halo model. However, the precise nature of the velocity distribution of dark matter is still unknown, and alternative models have been proposed. Here, we report the results of a non-virialized axion search over the mass range 2.81–3.31 µeV, corresponding to the frequency range 680–800 MHz. This analysis marks the most sensitive search for non-virialized axions sensitive to Doppler effects in the Milky Way Halo to date. Accounting for frequency shifts due to the detector’s motion through the Galaxy, we exclude cold flow relic axions with a velocity dispersion of $\mathscr{O}$(10 -7 )c with 95% confidence.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Observing signals of spectral features in the cosmic-ray positrons and electrons from Milky Way pulsars

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) has provided unprecedented precision measurements of the electron and positron cosmic-ray fluxes and the positron fraction spectrum. At the higher energies, sources as energetic local pulsars, may contribute to both cosmic-ray species. The discreteness of the source population, can result in features both on the positron fraction measurement and in the respective electron and positron spectra. For the latter, those would coincide in energy and would contrast predictions of smooth spectra as from particle dark matter. In this work, using a library of pulsar population models for the local part of the Milky Way, we perform a power-spectrum analysis on the cosmic-ray positron fraction. We also develop a technique to cross-correlate the electron and positron fluxes. We show that both such analyses, can be used to search statistically for the presence of spectral wiggles in the cosmic-ray data. For a significant fraction of our pulsar simulations, those techniques are already sensitive enough to give a signal for the presence of those features above the regular noise, with forthcoming observations making them even more sensitive. Lastly, by cross-correlating the AMS-02 electron and positron spectra, we find an intriguing first hint for a positive correlation between them, of the kind expected by a population of local pulsars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

The SAGA Survey. V. Modeling Satellite Systems around Milky Way–Mass Galaxies with Updated UniverseMachine

Abstract Environment plays a critical role in shaping the assembly of low-mass galaxies. Here, we use the U niverse M achine (UM) galaxy–halo connection framework and Data Release 3 of the Satellites Around Galactic Analogs (SAGA) Survey to place dwarf galaxy star formation and quenching into a cosmological context. UM is a data-driven forward model that flexibly parameterizes galaxy star formation rates (SFRs) using only halo mass and assembly history. We add a new quenching model to UM, tailored for galaxies with m ⋆ ≲ 10 9 M ⊙ , and constrain the model down to m ⋆ ≳ 10 7 M ⊙ using new SAGA observations of 101 satellite systems around Milky Way (MW)–mass hosts and a sample of isolated field galaxies in a similar mass range from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The new best-fit model, “UM-SAGA,” reproduces the satellite stellar mass functions, average SFRs, and quenched fractions in SAGA satellites while keeping isolated dwarfs mostly star-forming. The enhanced quenching in satellites relative to isolated field galaxies leads the model to maximally rely on halo assembly to explain the observed environmental quenching. Extrapolating the model down to m ⋆ ∼ 10 6.5 M ⊙ yields a quenched fraction of ≳30% for isolated field galaxies and ≳80% for satellites of MW-mass hosts at this stellar mass. Spectroscopic surveys can soon test this specific prediction to reveal the relative importance of internal feedback, cessation of mass and gas accretion, satellite-specific gas processes, and reionization for the evolution of faint low-mass galaxies.

Wang, Yunchong (ORCID:000000018913626X)↗
DOE OSTI2022

The Chocolate Chip Cookie Model: Dust Geometry of Milky Way–like Disk Galaxies

We present a new two-component dust geometry model, the Chocolate Chip Cookie model, where the clumpy nebular regions are embedded in a diffuse stellar/interstellar medium disk, like chocolate chips in a cookie. By approximating the binomial distribution of the clumpy nebular regions with a continuous Gaussian distribution and omitting the dust scattering effect, our model solves the dust attenuation process for both the emission lines and stellar continua via analytical approaches. Our Chocolate Chip Cookie model successfully fits the inclination dependence of both the effective dust reddening of the stellar components derived from stellar population synthesis and that of the emission lines characterized by the Balmer decrement for a large sample of Milky Way–like (MW-like) disk galaxies selected from the main galaxy sample of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Our model shows that the clumpy nebular disk is about 0.55 times thinner and 1.6 times larger than the stellar disk for MW-like galaxies, whereas each clumpy region has a typical optical depth of τ cl,V ~ 0.5 in the V band. After considering the aperture effect, our model prediction on the inclination dependence of dust attenuation is also consistent with observations. Not only that, in our model, the dust attenuation curve of the stellar population naturally depends on the inclination, and its median case is consistent with the classical Calzetti law. As the modeling constraints are from the optical wavelengths, our model is unaffected by the optically thick dust component, which however could bias the model's prediction of the infrared emissions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Chemodynamical Analysis of Metal-rich High-eccentricity Stars in the Milky Way's Disk

We present a chemodynamical analysis of 11,562 metal-rich, high-eccentricity halo-like main-sequence stars, which have been referred to as the Splash or Splashed Disk, selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope. When divided into two groups, a low-[α/Fe] population (LAP) and a high-[α/Fe] population (HAP), based on kinematics and chemistry, we find that they exhibit very distinct properties, indicative of different origins. From a detailed analysis of their orbital inclinations, we suggest that the HAP arises from a large fraction (~90%) of heated disk stars and a small fraction (~10%) of in situ stars from a starburst population, likely induced by interaction of the Milky Way with the Gaia-Sausage/Enceladus (GSE) or another early merger. The LAP comprises about half accreted stars from the GSE and half formed by the GSE-induced starburst. Our findings further imply that the Splash stars in our sample originated from at least three different mechanisms: accretion, disk heating, and a merger-induced starburst.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

EMPDF : inferring the Milky Way mass with data-driven distribution function in phase space

We introduce the emPDF (empirical distribution function), a novel dynamical modelling method that infers the gravitational potential from kinematic tracers with optimal statistical efficiency under the minimal assumption of steady state. emPDF determines the best-fitting potential by maximizing the similarity between instantaneous kinematics and the time-averaged phase-space distribution function (DF), which is empirically constructed from observation upon the theoretical foundation of oPDF (Han et al. 2016). This approach eliminates the need for presumed functional forms of DFs or orbit libraries required by conventional DF- or orbit-based methods. emPDF stands out for its flexibility, efficiency, and capability in handling observational effects, making it preferable to the popular Jeans equation or other minimal assumption methods, especially for the Milky Way (MW) outer halo where tracers often have limited sample size and poor data quality. We apply emPDF to infer the MW mass profile using Gaia DR3 data of satellite galaxies and globular clusters, obtaining enclosed masses of M (,r) = 26±8, 46±8, 90±13⁠, and 149±40 x 10 10 M ⊙ at r = 30, 50, 100⁠, and 200 kpc, respectively. These are consistent with the updated constraints from simulation-informed DF fitting (Li et al. 2020). While the simulation-informed DF offers superior precision owing to the additional information extracted from simulations, emPDF is independent of such supplementary knowledge and applicable to general tracer populations. emPDF is currently implemented for tracers with complete 6D kinematics within spherical potentials, but it can potentially be extended to address more general problems.

Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA)↗
DOE OSTI2023

The Circular Velocity Curve of the Milky Way from 5–25 kpc Using Luminous Red Giant Branch Stars

We present a sample of 254,882 luminous red giant branch (LRGB) stars selected from the APOGEE and LAMOST surveys. By combining photometric and astrometric information from the Two Micron All Sky Survey and Gaia survey, the precise distances of the sample stars are determined by a supervised machine-learning algorithm: the gradient-boosted decision trees. To test the accuracy of the derived distances, member stars of globular clusters (GCs) and open clusters are used. The tests by cluster member stars show a precision of about 10% with negligible zero-point offsets, for the derived distances of our sample stars. The final sample covers a large volume of the Galactic disk(s) and halo of 0 < R < 30 kpc and |Z| ≤ 15 kpc. The rotation curve (RC) of the Milky Way across the radius of 5 ≲ R ≲ 25 kpc has been accurately measured with ~54,000 stars of the thin disk population selected from the LRGB sample. The derived RC shows a weak decline along R with a gradient of -1.83 ± 0.02 (stat.) ± 0.07 (sys.) km s -1 kpc -1 , in excellent agreement with the results measured by previous studies. The circular velocity at the solar position, yielded by our RC is 234.04 ± 0.08 (stat.) ± 1.36 (sys.) km s -1 , again in great consistency with other independent determinations. From the newly constructed RC, as well as constraints from other data, we have constructed a mass model for our Galaxy, yielding a mass of the dark matter halo of M 200 = (8.05 ± 1.15) × 10 11 M ⊙ with a corresponding radius of R 200 = 192.37 ± 9.24 kpc and a local dark matter density of 0.39 ± 0.03 GeV cm -3 .

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Revealing the Milky Way’s most recent major merger with a Gaia EDR3 catalogue of machine-learned line-of-sight velocities

Machine learning can play a powerful role in inferring missing line-of-sight velocities from astrometry in surveys such as Gaia. In this paper, we apply a neural network to Gaia Early Data Release 3 (EDR3) and obtain line-of-sight velocities and associated uncertainties for ~92 million stars. The network, which takes as input a star’s parallax, angular coordinates, and proper motions, is trained and validated on ~6.4 million stars in Gaia with complete phase-space information. The network’s uncertainty on its velocity prediction is a key aspect of its design; by properly convolving these uncertainties with the inferred velocities, we obtain accurate stellar kinematic distributions. As a first science application, we use the new network-completed catalogue to identify candidate stars that belong to the Milky Way’s most recent major merger, Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus (GSE). We present the kinematic, energy, angular momentum, and spatial distributions of the ~450 000 GSE candidates in this sample, and also study the chemical abundances of those with cross matches to GALAH and APOGEE. Furthermore, the network’s predictive power will only continue to improve with future Gaia data releases as the training set of stars with complete phase-space information grows. This work provides a first demonstration of how to use machine learning to exploit high-dimensional correlations on data to infer line-of-sight velocities, and offers a template for how to train, validate, and apply such a neural network when complete observational data is not available.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

The Pristine survey – XVI. The metallicity of 26 stellar streams around the Milky Way detected with the STREAMFINDER in Gaia EDR3

ABSTRACT We use the photometric metallicities provided by the panoramic Pristine survey to study the veracity and derive the metallicities of the numerous stellar streams found by the application of the STREAMFINDER algorithm to the Gaia Early Data Release 3 data. All 26 streams present in Pristine show a clear metallicity distribution function, which provides an independent check of the reality of these structures, supporting the reliability of STREAMFINDER in finding streams and the power of Pristine to measure precise metallicities. We further present six candidate structures with coherent phase-space and metallicity signals that are very likely streams. The majority of studied streams are very metal-poor (14 structures with [Fe/H] < −2.0) and include three systems with [Fe/H] < −2.9 (C-11, C-19, and C-20). These streams could be the closest debris of low-luminosity dwarf galaxies or may have originated from globular clusters of significantly lower metallicity than any known current Milky Way globular cluster. Our study shows that the promise of the Gaia data for Galactic Archeology studies can be substantially strengthened by quality photometric metallicities, allowing us to peer back into the earliest epochs of the formation of our Galaxy and its stellar halo constituents.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Two Ultra-faint Milky Way Stellar Systems Discovered in Early Data from the DECam Local Volume Exploration Survey

We report the discovery of two ultra-faint stellar systems found in early data from the DECam Local Volume Exploration survey (DELVE). The first system, Centaurus I (DELVE J1238-4054), is identified as a resolved overdensity of old and metal-poor stars with a heliocentric distance of ${\rm D}_{\odot} = 116.3_{-0.6}^{+0.6}$ kpc, a half-light radius of $r_h = 2.3_{-0.3}^{+0.4}$ arcmin, an age of $\tau > 12.85$ Gyr, a metallicity of $Z = 0.0002_{-0.0002}^{+0.0001}$, and an absolute magnitude of $M_V = -5.55_{-0.11}^{+0.11}$ mag. This characterization is consistent with the population of ultra-faint satellites, and confirmation of this system would make Centaurus I one of the brightest recently discovered ultra-faint dwarf galaxies. Centaurus I is detected in Gaia DR2 with a clear and distinct proper motion signal, confirming that it is a real association of stars distinct from the Milky Way foreground; this is further supported by the clustering of blue horizontal branch stars near the centroid of the system. The second system, DELVE 1 (DELVE J1630-0058), is identified as a resolved overdensity of stars with a heliocentric distance of ${\rm D}_{\odot} = 19.0_{-0.6}^{+0.5} kpc$, a half-light radius of $r_h = 0.97_{-0.17}^{+0.24}$ arcmin, an age of $\tau = 12.5_{-0.7}^{+1.0}$ Gyr, a metallicity of $Z = 0.0005_{-0.0001}^{+0.0002}$, and an absolute magnitude of $M_V = -0.2_{-0.6}^{+0.8}$ mag, consistent with the known population of faint halo star clusters. Here, given the low number of probable member stars at magnitudes accessible with Gaia DR2, a proper motion signal for DELVE 1 is only marginally detected. We compare the spatial position and proper motion of both Centaurus I and DELVE 1 with simulations of the accreted satellite population of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and find that neither is likely to be associated with the LMC.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

The AGORA High-resolution Galaxy Simulations Comparison Project. V. Satellite Galaxy Populations in a Cosmological Zoom-in Simulation of a Milky Way–Mass Halo

We analyze and compare the satellite halo populations at z ~ 2 in the high-resolution cosmological zoom-in simulations of a 10 12 M ⊙ target halo (z = 0 mass) carried out on eight widely used astrophysical simulation codes (Art-I, Enzo, Ramses, Changa, Gadget-3, Gear, Arepo-t, and Gizmo) for the AGORA High-resolution Galaxy Simulations Comparison Project. We use slightly different redshift epochs near z = 2 for each code (hereafter "z ~ 2") at which the eight simulations are in the same stage in the target halo's merger history. After identifying the matched pairs of halos between the CosmoRun simulations and the DMO simulations, we discover that each CosmoRun halo tends to be less massive than its DMO counterpart. When we consider only the halos containing stellar particles at z ~ 2, the number of satellite galaxies is significantly fewer than that of dark matter halos in all participating AGORA simulations and is comparable to the number of present-day satellites near the Milky Way or M31. The so-called "missing satellite problem" is fully resolved across all participating codes simply by implementing the common baryonic physics adopted in AGORA and the stellar feedback prescription commonly used in each code, with sufficient numerical resolution (≲100 proper pc at z = 2). We also compare other properties such as the stellar mass–halo mass relation and the mass–metallicity relation. Our work highlights the value of comparison studies such as AGORA, where outstanding problems in galaxy formation theory are studied simultaneously on multiple numerical platforms.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

First Sagittarius A* Event Horizon Telescope Results. I. The Shadow of the Supermassive Black Hole in the Center of the Milky Way

We present the first Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) observations of Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the Galactic center source associated with a supermassive black hole. These observations were conducted in 2017 using a global interferometric array of eight telescopes operating at a wavelength of λ = 1.3 mm. The EHT data resolve a compact emission region with intrahour variability. A variety of imaging and modeling analyses all support an image that is dominated by a bright, thick ring with a diameter of 51.8 ± 2.3 μas (68% credible interval). The ring has modest azimuthal brightness asymmetry and a comparatively dim interior. Using a large suite of numerical simulations, we demonstrate that the EHT images of Sgr A* are consistent with the expected appearance of a Kerr black hole with mass ∼4 × 10$^{6}$ M $_{⊙}$, which is inferred to exist at this location based on previous infrared observations of individual stellar orbits, as well as maser proper-motion studies. Our model comparisons disfavor scenarios where the black hole is viewed at high inclination (i > 50°), as well as nonspinning black holes and those with retrograde accretion disks. Our results provide direct evidence for the presence of a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, and for the first time we connect the predictions from dynamical measurements of stellar orbits on scales of 10$^{3}$–10$^{5}$ gravitational radii to event-horizon-scale images and variability. Furthermore, a comparison with the EHT results for the supermassive black hole M87* shows consistency with the predictions of general relativity spanning over three orders of magnitude in central mass.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

R-process-rich Stellar Streams in the Milky Way*

We present high-resolution Magellan/MIKE spectra of 22 bright (9 < V < 13.5) metal-poor stars (-3.18 < [Fe/H] < -1.37) in three different stellar streams, the Helmi debris stream, the Helmi trail stream, and the ω Centauri progenitor stream. We augment our Helmi debris sample with results for 10 stars by Roederer et al. for a total of 32 stars. Detailed chemical abundances of light elements as well as heavy neutron-capture elements have been determined for our 22 stars. All three streams contain carbon-enhanced stars. For 13 stars, neutron-capture element lines were detectable, and they all show signatures in agreement with the scaled solar r -process pattern, albeit with a large spread of -0.5 < [Eu/Fe] < +1.3. Eight of these stars show an additional small s -process contribution superposed onto their r -process pattern. This could be discerned because of the relatively high signal-to-noise ratio of the spectra given that the stars are close by in the halo. Our results suggest that the progenitors of these streams experienced one or more r -process events early on, such as a neutron star merger or another prolific r -process source. This widely enriched these host systems before their accretion by the Milky Way. The small s -process contribution suggests the presence of asymptotic giant branch stars and associated local (inhomogeneous) enrichment as part of the ongoing chemical evolution by low-mass stars. Stars in stellar streams may thus be a promising avenue for studying the detailed history of large dwarf galaxies and their role in halo assembly with easily accessible targets for high-quality spectra of many stars.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗
DOE OSTI2021

Uncovering fossils of the distant Milky Way with UNIONS: NGC 5466 and its stellar stream

ABSTRACT We examine the spatial clustering of blue horizontal branch (BHB) stars from the u-band of the Canada–France Imaging Survey (CFIS, a component of the Ultraviolet Near-Infrared Optical Northern Survey, or UNIONS). All major groupings of stars are associated with previously known satellites, and among these is NGC 5466, a distant (16 kpc) globular cluster. NGC 5466 reportedly possesses a long stellar stream, although no individual members of the stream have previously been identified. Using both BHBs and more numerous red giant branch stars cross-matched to Gaia Data Release 2, we identify extended tidal tails from NGC 5466 that are both spatially and kinematically coherent. Interestingly, we find that this stream does not follow the same path as the previous detection at large distances from the cluster. We trace the stream across 31° of sky and show that it exhibits a very strong distance gradient in the range 10 < Rhelio < 30 kpc. We compare our observations to simple dynamical models of the stream and find that they are able to broadly reproduce the overall path and kinematics. The fact that NGC 5466 is so distant, traces a wide range of Galactic distances, has an identified progenitor, and appears to have recently had an interaction with the Galaxy’s disc makes it a unique test-case for dynamical modelling of the Milky Way.

Jensen, Jaclyn↗
DOE OSTI2022

The velocity-dependent J -factor of the Milky Way halo: does what happens in the galactic bulge stay in the galactic bulge?

Here, we consider the angular distribution of the photon signal which could arise from velocity-dependent dark matter annihilation within the Galactic bulge. We find that, for the case of Sommerfeld-enhanced annihilation, dark matter annihilation within the bulge is dominated by slow speed particles which never leave the bulge, allowing one to find a simple analytic relationship between the dark matter profile within the Galactic bulge and the angular distribution. On the other hand, for the case p- or d-wave annihilation, we find that the small fraction of high-speed particles which can leave the bulge provide a significant, often dominant, contribution to dark matter annihilation within the bulge. For these scenarios, fully understanding dark matter annihilation deep within the Galactic bulge, and the angular distribution of the resulting photon signal, requires an understanding of the dark matter profile well outside the bulge. We consider the Galactic Center excess in light of these results, and find that an explanation of this excess in terms of p-wave annihilation would require the dark matter profile within the bulge to have a much steeper profile than usually considered, but with uncertainties related to the behavior of the profile outside the bulge.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗