The dark matter density profile of the Fornax dwarf

Abstract

We construct axisymmetric Schwarzschild models to measure the mass profile of the Local Group dwarf galaxy Fornax. These models require no assumptions to be made about the orbital anisotropy of the stars, as is the case for commonly used Jeans models. We test a variety of parameterizations of dark matter density profiles and find cored models with uniform density ρc = (1.6 0.1) × 10-2 M ⊙ pc-3 fit significantly better than the cuspy halos predicted by cold dark matter simulations. We also construct models with an intermediate-mass black hole, but are unable to make a detection. We place a 1σ upper limit on the mass of a potential intermediate-mass black hole at M • ≤ 3.2 × 104 M ⊙. © 2012. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.