Model dependence of astrophysical lower bounds on the neutrino mass
Abstract
Astrophysical lower bounds on the neutrino mass require assumptions about the phase-space distribution in dark-matter halos. Even with perfect spherical symmetry, a collisionless dark-matter halo can have an anisotropic phase-space distribution from angular momentum conservation. An example gives much less restrictive condition on the neutrino mass, showing that bounds such as that of Tremaine and Gunn are model dependent. I conclude that current mass bounds on neutrinos derived from dwarf galaxy rotation curves are overly restrictive, so that neutrinos in the mass range of 10-100 eV remain a viable candidate for galactic dark matter.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review Letters
- Pub Date:
- September 1989
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevLett.63.1038
- Bibcode:
- 1989PhRvL..63.1038R
- Keywords:
-
- Dark Matter;
- Neutrinos;
- Nuclear Astrophysics;
- Particle Mass;
- Astronomical Models;
- Computational Astrophysics;
- Dwarf Galaxies;
- Equations Of State;
- Particle Energy;
- Astrophysics;
- 98.60.Ln;
- 12.15.Ff;
- 14.60.Gh;
- 95.30.Cq;
- Quark and lepton masses and mixing;
- Elementary particle processes