The dark matter density profile of the lensing cluster MS 2137-23: A test of the cold dark matter paradigm

David J. Sand, Tommaso Treu, Richard S. Ellis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

170 Scopus citations

Abstract

We present new spectroscopic observations of the gravitational arcs and the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) in the cluster MS 2137-23 (z = 0.313) obtained with the Echelle Spectrograph and Imager on the Keck II telescope. We find that the tangential and radial arcs arise from sources at almost identical redshifts (z = 1.501, 1.502). We combine the measured stellar velocity dispersion profile of the BCG with a lensing analysis to constrain the distribution of dark and stellar matter in the central 100 kpc of the cluster. Our data indicate a remarkably flat inner slope for the dark matter profile, ρd ∝ r, with β < 0.9 at a 99% CL. Steep inner slopes obtained in cold dark matter cosmological simulations - such as Navarro, Frenk, & White (β = 1) or Moore (1.5) universal dark matter profiles - are ruled out at better than 99% CL. As baryon collapse is likely to have steepened the dark matter profile from its original form, our data provide a powerful test of the cold dark matter paradigm at the cluster mass scale.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)L129-L133
JournalAstrophysical Journal
Volume574
Issue number2 II
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 1 2002
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Galaxies: elliptical and lenticular, cD
  • Galaxies: evolution
  • Galaxies: formation
  • Galaxies: structure
  • Gravitational lensing

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Space and Planetary Science

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