The validity of the adiabatic contraction approximation for dark matter halos

We use high-resolution numerical simulations to investigate the adiabatic contraction of dark matter halos with a Hernquist density profile. We test the response of the halos to the growth of additional axisymmetric disk potentials with various central concentrations and the spherically symmetric potential of a softened point mass. Adding the potentials on timescales that are long compared to the dynamical timescale of the halo, the contracted halos have density profiles that are in excellent agreement with analytical predictions based on the conservation of the adiabatic invariant M(r)r. This is surprising, as this quantity is strictly conserved only for particles on circular orbits and in spherically symmetric potentials. If the same potentials are added on timescales that are short compared to the dynamical timescale, the result depends strongly on the adopted potential. The adiabatic approximation still works for disk potentials. It does, however, fail for the central potential.