Introduction to Cosmology Ryden · Problem 7.1

Dark Matter

Physics — Astrophysics · dark-matter-black-holes-machos

Problem

Suppose it were suggested that black holes of mass 10−8 M⊙10^{-8}\,M_\odot made up all the dark matter in the halo of our galaxy. How far away would you expect the nearest such black hole to be? How frequently would you expect such a black hole to pass within 1 AU of the Sun? (An order-of-magnitude estimate is sufficient.) Suppose it were suggested that MACHOs of mass 10−3 M⊙10^{-3}\,M_\odot (about the mass of Jupiter) made up all the dark matter in the halo of our galaxy. How far away would you expect the nearest MACHO to be? How frequently would such a MACHO pass within 1 AU of the Sun? (Again, an order-of-magnitude estimate will suffice.)

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