Strong Constraints on Fuzzy Dark Matter from Ultrafaint Dwarf Galaxy Eridanus II

Marsh, David J. E.; Niemeyer, J. C.

doi:10.1103/physrevlett.123.051103

Cited by 185 publications

(138 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…[21]. The implications of these fluctuations for local tracer velocities have been studied elsewhere [34] and they can provide a benchmark for comparing ULDM halo fluctuations to CDM substructure, as well as adding scatter to the expected velocity dispersion. We remark that these fluctuations are not captured by the semi-analytic model of ULDM halos, and that the consequences of this should be kept in mind when trying to fit such a model to observational data.…”

Section: Substructure In Simulated Uldm Halosmentioning

confidence: 95%

The core-cusp problem revisited: ULDM vs. CDM

Kendall

Easther

2020

Publ. Astron. Soc. Aust.

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The core-cusp problem is often cited as a motivation for the exploration of dark matter models beyond standard CDM [cold dark matter]. One such alternative is ULDM [ultra-light dark matter]; particles exhibiting wavelike properties on kiloparsec scales. ULDM dynamics are governed by the Schrödinger-Poisson equations, which have solitonic ground state solutions consisting of gravitationally-bound condensates with no internal kinetic energy. Astrophysically realistic ULDM halos would consist of larger NFW-like configurations with a possible solitonic core. We describe a parameterisation for the radial density profiles of ULDM halos that accounts for the environmental variability of the core-halo mass relation. We then compare the semi-analytic profiles of ULDM and CDM with astrophysical data, and find that a ULDM particle mass of 10 −23 eV can yield a reasonably good fit to observed rotation data, particularly at small radii. This ULDM mass is in tension with other constraints but we note that this analysis ignores any contribution from baryonic feedback.It is widely agreed that non-baryonic dark matter constitutes the majority of the mass of the observable universe, but its precise nature remains an open question. Many dark matter models have been proposed, with particle CDM [Cold Dark Matter] being the most widely studied. This scenario successfully accounts for the large scale structure of the universe [1] and the spectrum of anisotropies in the microwave background [2-8], but the so-called "smallscale crisis" remains a challenge [9]. A key issue is the tension between the central density profiles of dark matter halos in simulations containing only gravitationally interacting CDM, and those inferred from observational data. Simulations tend to produce 'cuspy' central density profiles [10], which grow as 1/r at small radii, but observational data appears to favour flattened central cores [11]. This so-called core-cusp problem has been the focus of much recent attention [12][13][14].The seriousness of the core-cusp problem is the subject of ongoing debate, and may be ameliorated by adding baryonic matter to CDM simulations [15]. Nevertheless, the wider category of "small-scale" problems in standard CDM along with tighter constraints from direct-detection experiments [16] motivates the study of alternative dark matter models. One scenario which has gained substantial traction is ultra-light dark matter [ULDM], also known as scalar-field dark matter, Ψ dark matter, axion dark matter, BEC dark matter and fuzzy dark matter. As reviewed by Hui et al. [17], ULDM consists of an axion-like particle whose very small mass (O(∼ 10 −22 eV )) corresponds to a kiloparsec-scale de Broglie wavelength. ULDM thus exhibits novel wave-like behaviour on astrophysically interesting scales and can form soliton-like gravitationally confined Bose-Einstein condensates. ULDM simulations suggest that realistic astrophysical halos have an inner core consisting of a kiloparsec scale Bose-Einstein condensate or soliton, while the outer halo is ...

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Section: Substructure In Simulated Uldm Halosmentioning

confidence: 95%

The core-cusp problem revisited: ULDM vs. CDM

Kendall

Easther

2020

Publ. Astron. Soc. Aust.

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“…Ref. [38] showed that a dynamical analysis of a central star cluster in Eridanus-II could potentially probe ULDM up to m 10 −19 eV.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Looking for ultralight dark matter near supermassive black holes

Bar

Blum

Lacroix

et al. 2019

J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys.

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Measurements of the dynamical environment of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are becoming abundant and precise. We use such measurements to look for ultralight dark matter (ULDM), which is predicted to form dense cores ("solitons") in the centre of galactic halos. We search for the gravitational imprint of an ULDM soliton on stellar orbits near Sgr A* and by combining stellar velocity measurements with Event Horizon Telescope imaging of M87*. Finding no positive evidence, we set limits on the soliton mass for different values of the ULDM particle mass m. The constraints we derive exclude the solitons predicted by a naive extrapolation of the soliton-halo relation, found in DM-only numerical simulations, for 2 × 10 −20 eV m 8 × 10 −19 eV (from Sgr A*) and m 4 × 10 −22 eV (from M87*). However, we present theoretical arguments suggesting that an extrapolation of the soliton-halo relation may not be adequate: in some regions of the parameter space, the dynamical effect of the SMBH could cause this extrapolation to over-predict the soliton mass by orders of magnitude.

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“…dark matter distribution, constrain WDM and FDM theories, favoring particle masses above m WDM ∼ 3 keV and m ∼ 10 −22 eV respectively [17][18][19]. The subhalo mass function may imply even higher masses [20]. However, for FDM these constraints can only be used as guidelines, being based on simulations that ignore the impact of wave effects on baryons.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

First Star-Forming Structures in Fuzzy Cosmic Filaments

et al. 2019

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In hierarchical models of structure formation, the first galaxies form in low-mass dark matter potential wells, probing the behavior of dark matter on kiloparsec (kpc) scales. Even though these objects are below the detection threshold of current telescopes, future missions will open an observational window into this emergent world. In this Letter we investigate how the first galaxies are assembled in a 'fuzzy' dark matter (FDM) cosmology where dark matter is an ultralight ∼ 10 −22 eV boson and the primordial stars are expected to form along dense dark matter filaments. Using a first-of-its-kind cosmological hydrodynamical simulation, we explore the interplay between baryonic physics and unique wavelike features inherent to FDM. In our simulation, the dark matter filaments show coherent interference patterns on the boson de Broglie scale and develop cylindrical solitonlike cores which are unstable under gravity and collapse into kpc-scale spherical solitons. Features of the dark matter distribution are largely unaffected by the baryonic feedback. On the contrary, the distributions of gas and stars, which do form along the entire filament, exhibit central cores imprinted by dark matter -a smoking gun signature of FDM.Introduction. The nearly century-old dark matter problem is one of the most intriguing mysteries in modern physics. We do not know the nature of 84 percent of matter in the Universe, yet it is thought to govern cosmic structure and hold galaxies and clusters together [1]. Observations show that on scales larger than a few megaparsecs (Mpc), the behavior of dark matter is consistent with it being collisionless [2,3]. However, on scales at and below the size of dwarf galaxies (few kpc) dark matter is not well constrained [4], allowing for many plausible theories with exotic small-scale physics and particle masses spanning over 30 orders of magnitude [5][6][7][8][9][10]. The first star-forming regions in the Universe -more susceptible to dark matter's small-scale behavior than much heavier present-day galaxies -will be revealed by next generation space telescopes and offer a unique probe of the nature of this elusive component.A leading hypothesis for the dark matter 'back-bone' of the Universe is cold dark matter (CDM), such as a thermally-produced weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) of mass eV. CDM is collisionless and Jeans unstable to forming structure on all astrophysical scales down to a particle physics model-dependent small-scale

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Strong Constraints on Fuzzy Dark Matter from Ultrafaint Dwarf Galaxy Eridanus II

Abstract: predict that the abundance of halos in FDM is severely reduced relative to CDM for masses less than M cut ≈ 3 × 10 8 m −3/2 22

Cited by 185 publications

References 71 publications

The core-cusp problem revisited: ULDM vs. CDM

The core-cusp problem revisited: ULDM vs. CDM

Looking for ultralight dark matter near supermassive black holes

First Star-Forming Structures in Fuzzy Cosmic Filaments

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