  High resolution N-body simulations have all but converged on a common
empirical form for the shape of the density profiles of halos, but the full
understanding of the underlying physics of halo formation has eluded them so
far. We investigate the formation and structure of dark matter halos using
analytical and semi-analytical techniques. Our halos are formed via an extended
secondary infall model (ESIM); they contain secondary perturbations and hence
random tangential and radial motions which affect the halo's evolution at it
undergoes shell-crossing and virialization. Even though the density profiles of
NFW and ESIM halos are different their phase-space density distributions are
the same: \rho/\sigma^3 ~ r^{-\alpha}, with \alpha=1.875 over ~3 decades in
radius. We use two approaches to try to explain this ``universal'' slope: (1)
The Jeans equation analysis yields many insights, however, does not answer why
\alpha=1.875. (2) The secondary infall model of the 1960's and 1970's,
augmented by ``thermal motions'' of particles does predict that halos should
have \alpha=1.875. However, this relies on assumptions of spherical symmetry
and slow accretion. While for ESIM halos these assumptions are justified, they
most certainly break down for simulated halos which forms hierarchically. We
speculate that our argument may apply to an ``on-average'' formation scenario
of halos within merger-driven numerical simulations, and thereby explain why
\alpha=1.875 for NFW halos. Thus, \rho/\sigma^3 ~ r^{-1.875} may be a generic
feature of violent relaxation.
