Fitting functions for dark matter density profiles

We present a unified parametrization of the fitting functions suitable for the density profiles of dark matter haloes or elliptical galaxies. A notable feature is that the classical Einasto profile appears naturally as the continuous limiting case of the cored subfamily amongst the double power-law...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inMonthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Vol. 428; no. 4; pp. 2805 - 2811
Main Authors An, J., Zhao, Hongsheng
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Oxford University Press 01.02.2013
Subjects
Astrophysics
Dark matter
Simulation
Stars & galaxies
methods: analytical
dark matter
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Summary:We present a unified parametrization of the fitting functions suitable for the density profiles of dark matter haloes or elliptical galaxies. A notable feature is that the classical Einasto profile appears naturally as the continuous limiting case of the cored subfamily amongst the double power-law profiles of Zhao. Based on this, we also argue that there is basically no qualitative difference between halo models fitted well by the Einasto profile and the standard Navarro-Frenk-White model. This might even be the case quantitatively, unless the resolution of simulations and the precision of fittings are sufficiently high to make meaningful distinctions possible.
ISSN:0035-8711
1365-2966
DOI:10.1093/mnras/sts175