Speaker
Description
We present a new estimate of the local dark matter density by
combining an updated observational determination of the stellar and
remnant mass density with an updated baryonic model and the Galactic
rotation curve.
The stellar mass density is derived from the Gaia Catalogue of Nearby
Stars within 100 pc using synthetic stellar atmospheres and
evolutionary tracks to compute individual stellar masses. This
approach reduces uncertainties compared to empirical mass–magnitude
relations, especially for evolved stars and objects without
spectroscopic parameters. The resulting local stellar mass density is
independent of the Galactic model and provides a purely observational
constraint on the local stellar budget.
Using the rotation curve as a dynamical constraint, we infer dark
matter halo parameters within a Bayesian framework. We combine recent
rotation curve measurements from Classical Cepheids, masers, terminal
gas velocities, and Jeans analysis of red giant branch stars. An
updated baryonic model incorporating atomic and molecular gas, two
stellar disks, the bulge, and the stellar halo is constructed and
normalised to the observational mass density. By fitting this baryonic
model with NFW or Einasto profiles to the rotation curve, we derive
posterior distributions for the halo parameters and obtain an updated
local dark matter density. This work provides a robust,
observationally driven estimate with implications for dark matter
detection experiments and the distribution of dark matter in the Milky
Way.
| Parallel session | Astrophysical Probes of Dark Matter and Dark Energy |
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