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On the change of old neutron star masses with galactocentric distance

A. Del Popolo, M. Deliyergiyev, M. Le Delliou, L. Tolos, F. Burgio

Abstract
We show that the pulsar mass depends on the environment, and that it decreases going towards the centre of the Milky Way. This is due to two combined effects, the capture and accumulation of self-interacting, non-annihilating dark matter by pulsars, and the increase of the dark matter density going towards the galactic centre. We show that mass decrease depends both on the density profile of dark matter, steeper profiles producing a faster and larger decrease of the pulsar mass, and on the strength of self-interaction. Once future observations will provide the pulsar mass in a dark matter rich environment, close to the galactic centre, the present result will be able to put constraints on the characteristics of our Galaxy halo dark matter profile, on the nature of dark matter, namely on its annihilating or non-annihilating nature, on its strength of self-interaction, and on the particle mass.

Keywords
Neutron stars; Dark matter; Galaxy centre; General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology; Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena; High Energy Physics - Phenomenology; Nuclear Theory

Physics of the Dark Universe
Volume 28
2020 May

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Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa Universidade do Porto Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade de Coimbra
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia COMPETE 2020 PORTUGAL 2020 União Europeia