Dynamical friction in dark matter spikes: corrections to Chandrasekhar's formula

Abstract: We consider the intermediate mass-ratio inspiral of a stellar-mass compact object with an intermediate-mass black hole that is surrounded by a dark matter density spike. The interaction of the inspiraling black hole with the dark matter particles in the spike leads to dynamical friction. This can alter the dynamics of the black hole binary, leaving an imprint on the gravitational wave signal. Previous calculations did not include in the evaluation of the dynamical friction coefficient the contribution from particles that move faster than the black hole. This term is neglected in the standard Chandrasekhar's treatment where only slower moving particles contribute to the decelerating drag. Here, we demonstrate that dynamical friction produced by the fast moving particles has a significant effect on the evolution of a massive binary within a dark matter spike. For a density profile $\rho\propto r^{-\gamma}$ with $\gamma\lesssim 1$, the dephasing of the gravitational waveform can be several orders of magnitude larger than estimated using the standard treatment. As $\gamma$ approaches $0.5$ the error becomes arbitrarily large. Finally, we show that dynamical friction tends to make the orbit more eccentric for any $\gamma < 1.8$. However, energy loss by gravitational wave radiation is expected to dominate the inspiral, leading to orbital circularization in most cases.