Frank C. van den Bosch

Scatter, bias, and chaos of satellite orbits in triaxial dark matter haloes

Abstract The pericentric distances of satellite galaxies govern their tidal stripping, quenching, and survival, yet their orbits are almost universally computed in spherical host haloes, whereas dark matter haloes are generically triaxial. We quantify, orbit by orbit, the error t...

Self-interacting dark matter promotes bar formation in disk galaxies

Abstract Despite its remarkable success on large scales, the standard ΛCDM paradigm faces persistent small-scale challenges that have motivated alternative models for the dark sector. Self-interacting dark matter (SIDM) offers a compelling possibility, in which dark matter partic...

Not all cores are equal: Phase-space origins of dynamical friction, stalling and buoyancy

Dynamical friction governs the orbital decay of massive perturbers within galaxies and dark matter halos, yet its standard Chandrasekhar formulation fails in systems with cores of (roughly) constant density, where inspiral can halt or even reverse, phenomena known respectively as...