On the phase-space structure of the Milky Way dark-matter halo

Abstract

We analyse a high resolution simulation of the formation of a cluster's dark-matter halo in a $Λ$CDM cosmology (Springel et al. 2001). The resolution achieved allows us to map the phase-space structure in detail, and characterize its evolution and degree of lumpiness. Scaling down the cluster halo to a Milky-Way size halo, we probe the substructure expected in the solar neighbourhood. Here we specifically address the relevance of such substructure for direct detection experiments aimed at determining the nature of dark-matter.