Prospects for probing small-scale dark matter models with pulsars around Sagittarius A∗

Abstract

Future observations with next-generation large-area radio telescopes are expected to discover radio pulsars (PSRs) closely orbiting around Sagittarius A∗ (Sgr A∗), the supermassive black hole (SMBH) dwelling at our Galactic Center (GC). Such a system can provide a unique laboratory for testing general relativity (GR), as well as the astrophysics around the GC. In this paper, we provide a numerical timing model for PSR-SMBH systems based on the post-Newtonian (PN) equation of motion, and use it to explore the prospects of measuring the black hole (BH) properties with pulsar timing. We further consider the perturbation caused by the dark matter (DM) distribution around Sgr A∗, and the possibility of constraining DM models with PSR-SMBH systems. Assuming a 5-year observation of a normal pulsar in an eccentric (e=0.8) orbit with an orbital period Pb=0.5 yr, we find that - with weekly recorded times of arrival (TOAs) and a timing precision of 1 ms - the power-law index of DM density distribution near the GC can be constrained to about 20%. Such a measurement is comparable to those measurements at the Galactic length scale but can reveal small-scale properties of the DM.