Gravitational Lensing by Cold Dark Matter Catastrophes

Abstract

Intrinsically cold particle dark matter inevitably creates halos with sharp discontinuities in projected surface density caused by the projection of fold catastrophes onto the sky. In principle, these imperfections can be detected and measured with gravitational lensing through discontinuities in image magnification and image structure. Lens solutions are discussed for the most common universal classes of discontinuities. Edges caused by cold particles such as condensed axions and thermal WIMPs are very sharp, respectively about $10^{-12}$ and $10^{-7}$ of the halo scale. Their structure can be resolved by stellar and quasi-stellar sources which show sudden changes in brightness or even sudden disappearances (sometimes within hours) as edges are crossed. Images of extended objects such as edge-on galaxies or jets can show sudden bends at an edge, or stretched, parity-inverted reflection symmetry about a sharp line. Observational strategies and prospects are briefly discussed.