Search arXivSearch

arXiv · 2606.19995

Finite-Core Signatures in LISA-Band Wave-Optics Lensing by Low-Mass Dark Matter Halos

Abstract

LISA-band gravitational waves from massive binary black holes can be diffractively lensed by low-mass dark matter halos and subhalos, so their frequency-dependent amplification can probe the inner density profile. We isolate the generic finite-core part of this signal by comparing fixed-mass Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) and cored-NFW lenses and propagating both profiles to the complex wave-optics amplification factor. A finite core smooths the time-delay response and reshapes the diffraction peak; an NFW template with a lower concentration can mimic part of the effect, but structured complex residuals remain after time and phase alignment. The residual peaks for intermediate cores, $r_c/r_s\simeq0.25$--$0.3$. An SIDM-inspired isothermal-core profile gives the same qualitative response, showing that the signal is not an artifact of one cored parameterization. For a fiducial LISA source, an appreciable mismatch requires favorable near alignment and $M_{\rm vir}\gtrsim 10^7M_\odot$. The result is a finite-core baseline for isolated line-of-sight halos and for subhalos perturbing strongly lensed macro-images.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Dejiang Li, Tonghua Liu, Kai Liao, Beining Xia, Cuihong Wen, Jieci Wang. 2026-06-18. Finite-Core Signatures in LISA-Band Wave-Optics Lensing by Low-Mass Dark Matter Halos. https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.19995

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

From quantum fluctuations to galaxy power spectrum multipoles

These notes trace large-scale structure from primordial curvature perturbations generated by inflationary quantum fluctuations to galaxy power-spectrum multipoles. Three core lectures develop the linear matter power spectrum, spherical and anisotropic collapse, galaxy bias, redshift-space distortions, the Kaiser model, and multipole estimators with Gaussian covariance. The extension develops nonlinear bias and the one-loop effective field theory model used in full-shape analyses. Derivations are explicit; appendices collect longer calculations and solutions. The core lectures assume undergraduate-level cosmology; the extension assumes familiarity with perturbation theory.

astro-ph.CO

A universal connection between lens density profiles and low-frequency wave optics in gravitational-wave lensing

We investigate the low-frequency behavior of the amplification factor in gravitational lensing and explore how it encodes information about the density profile of the lensing object. We derive the low-frequency expansion of the amplification factor under the Born approximation for a broad class of projected density profiles. For spherically symmetric profiles that decay faster than any power law at large distances, we derive a systematic expansion of the amplification factor in powers of frequency, with the logarithmic dependence appearing only in the leading term, and show that each expansion coefficient is determined by a finite set of moments of the density profile. We then extend the analysis to profiles with power-law tails and demonstrate that such profiles induce additional non-analytic frequency dependences, including fractional powers and logarithmic terms, which directly reflect the asymptotic behavior of the density distribution. Furthermore, we investigate the effects of non-sphericity and show that contributions from the quadrupole moment appear only as higher-order corrections relative to the spherically symmetric component in the low-frequency regime. Finally, we investigate the validity of the Born approximation in the low-frequency expansion. We derive a criterion for the maximum order of the low-frequency expansion up to which the Born approximation remains dominant over the post-Born corrections.

astro-ph.CO

Initial clustering of primordial black holes: A general formulation for arbitrary local non-Gaussianity

Initial spatial clustering of primordial black holes (PBHs) induced by local-type non-Gaussianity (LNG) can substantially modify cosmological constraints on PBH abundance. Several inflationary scenarios that enhance curvature perturbations at small scales relevant to PBH formation predict LNG that is not necessarily perturbative. Therefore, it is crucial to establish a theoretical framework capable of investigating the initial clustering induced by arbitrary LNG. Here, we present a general analytical formulation for the PBH two-point correlation function applicable to arbitrary LNGs in the alternative approach. Under the assumptions that PBHs form only at the large peaks of perturbations, and that large-scale modes weakly modulate the local variance of small-scale perturbations, we derive an analytic expression for the PBH bias parameter, directly connecting initial clustering to the primordial trispectrum in the collapsed limit. We demonstrate the versatility of our formula by computing the bias parameters in the ultra-slow-roll inflation, curvaton, and modulated reheating scenarios. We also formally generalize the framework to broad power spectra to account for correlations across different PBH mass scales. Because our formulation does not rely on weak or perturbative non-Gaussianity assumptions, our result provides a universal theoretical basis for evaluating initial clustering impact on PBH observables.

astro-ph.CO