The Dark Matter Distribution in A383: Evidence for a Shallow Density Cusp from Improved Lensing, Stellar Kinematic, and X-ray Data

Abstract

We extend our analyses of the dark matter (DM) distribution in relaxed clusters to the case of A383, a luminous X-ray cluster at z = 0.189 with a dominant central galaxy and numerous strongly lensed features. Following our earlier papers, we combine strong and weak lensing constraints secured with Hubble Space Telescope and Subaru imaging with the radial profile of the stellar velocity dispersion of the central galaxy, essential for separating the baryonic mass distribution in the cluster core. Hydrostatic mass estimates from Chandra X-ray observations further constrain the solution. These combined data sets provide nearly continuous constraints extending from 2 kpc to 1.5 Mpc in radius, allowing stringent tests of results from recent numerical simulations. Two key improvements in our data and its analysis make this the most robust case yet for a shallow slope β of the DM density profile ρDM ∝ r^(–β) on small scales. First, following deep Keck spectroscopy, we have secured the stellar velocity dispersion profile to a radius of 26 kpc for the first time in a lensing cluster. Second, we improve our previous analysis by adopting a triaxial DM distribution and axisymmetric dynamical models. We demonstrate that in this remarkably well-constrained system, the logarithmic slope of the DM density at small radii is β < 1.0 (95% confidence). An improved treatment of baryonic physics is necessary, but possibly insufficient, to reconcile our observations with the recent results of high-resolution simulations.

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