The MUSE Hubble Ultra Deep Field survey: Dark matter halo properties of intermediate-z star-forming

This study focuses on analysing the dark matter (DM) halo properties of an extensive sample of 136 intermediate-z star- forming galaxies, using observations from the MUSE Hubble Ultra Deep Field Survey, as well as photometry from HST and JWST. We performed a disk-halo decomposition with a 3D parametric model, which includes a stellar, DM and gas component, as well as corrections for pressure support. Our 3D methodology was validated using mock data cubes generated from idealised disk simulations. The DM halo was parameterised using six different density profiles. We employ a Bayesian model comparison to select the best-fitting model, and find strong evidence that the Di Cintio et al. halo model is preferred by the data. The rotation curves exhibit diverse shapes, similar to those observed in local galaxies. For 66% of our sample, we infer γ < 0.5, indicating cored DM density profiles. We do not find any correlation between γ and the specific star formation rates of the sample. The stellar mass-halo mass relation aligns well with predictions. Our results confirm the anticorrelation between the halo scale radius and core density. The halo scale radii and DM surface densities evolve with M⋆, while core densities remain constant. We observe a mild evolution of the halo scale radius and density with z, which suggests that the DM cores of z ∼ 0.85 systems are smaller and denser than those of their local counterparts. Furthermore, 89% of the sample has DM fractions larger than 50%.