Astronomy:Fuzzy cold dark matter

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Short description: Hypothetical form of cold dark matter proposed to solve the cuspy halo problem

Fuzzy cold dark matter is a hypothetical form of cold dark matter proposed to solve the cuspy halo problem. It would consist of extremely light scalar particles with masses on the order of [math]\displaystyle{ \approx 10^{-22} }[/math] eV; so a Compton wavelength on the order of 1 light year. Fuzzy cold dark matter halos in dwarf galaxies would manifest wave behavior on astrophysical scales, and the cusps would be avoided through the Heisenberg uncertainty principle.[1] The wave behavior leads to interference patterns, spherical soliton cores in dark matter halo centers,[2] and cylindrical soliton-like cores in dark matter cosmic web filaments.[3]

Fuzzy cold dark matter is a limit of scalar field dark matter without self-interaction.[4][5] It is governed by the Schrödinger–Poisson equation.

New research (2023) has uncovered evidence that fuzzy dark matter, specifically ultralight axions, may better fit gravitational lens data than WIMP dark matter.[6]

Notes

  1. Hu, Wayne; Barkana, Rennan; Gruzinov, Andrei (2000). "Cold and Fuzzy Dark Matter". Physical Review Letters 85 (6): 1158–61. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.85.1158. PMID 10991501. Bibcode2000PhRvL..85.1158H. 
  2. Schive, Hsi-Yu; Chiueh, Tzihong; Broadhurst, Tom (2014). "Cosmic structure as the quantum interference of a coherent dark wave". Nature Physics 10 (7): 496–499. doi:10.1038/nphys2996. Bibcode2014NatPh..10..496S. 
  3. Mocz, Philip; Fialkov, Anastasia; Vogelsberger, Mark; Becerra, Fernando; Amin, Mustafa A.; Bose, Sownak; Boylan-Kolchin, Michael; Chavanis, Pierre-Henri et al. (2019). "First Star-Forming Structures in Fuzzy Cosmic Filaments". Physical Review Letters 123 (14): 141301. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.123.141301. ISSN 0031-9007. PMID 31702225. Bibcode2019PhRvL.123n1301M. 
  4. Bohua Li; Tanja Rindler-Daller; Paul R. Shapiro (2014). "Cosmological Constraints on Bose-Einstein-Condensed Scalar Field Dark Matter". Phys. Rev. D 89 (8): 083536. doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.89.083536. Bibcode2014PhRvD..89h3536L. 
  5. Lee, Jae-Weon (2018). "Brief History of Ultra-light Scalar Dark Matter Models". EPJ Web of Conferences 168: 06005. doi:10.1051/epjconf/201816806005. Bibcode2018EPJWC.16806005L. 
  6. Timmer, John (2023-04-21). "No WIMPS! Heavy particles don't explain gravitational lensing oddities". https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/04/gravitational-lensing-may-point-to-lighter-dark-matter-candidate/.