Are Planets Ensnared in Dark Matter Strands?

DENSE DARK MATTER HAIRS SPREADING OUT FROM EARTH, JUPITER, AND OTHER COMPACT BODIES

Author:

Prézeau

Abstract:

It is shown that compact bodies project out strands of concentrated dark matter filaments, henceforth simply called hairs. These hairs are a consequence of the fine-grained stream structure of dark matter halos, and as such constitute a new physical prediction of ΛCDM. Using both an analytical model of planetary density and numerical simulations utilizing the Fast Accurate Integrand Renormalization algorithm (a fast geodesics calculator described below) with realistic planetary density inputs, dark matter streams moving through a compact body are shown to produce hugely magnified dark matter densities along the stream velocity axis passing through the center of the body. Typical hair density enhancements are 10⁷ for Earth and 10⁸ for Jupiter. The largest enhancements occur for particles streaming through the core of the body that are mostly focused at a single point called the root of the hair. For the Earth, the root is located at about 10⁶ km from the planetary center with a density enhancement of around 10⁹ while for a gas giant like Jupiter, the root is located at around 10⁵ km with an enhancement of around 10¹¹. Beyond the root, the hair density precisely reflects the density layers of the body, providing a direct probe of planetary interiors.