Wave Dark Matter and Ultra Diffuse Galaxies

Understand

Dark matter as a Bose-Einstein condensate, such as the axionic scalar field particles of String Theory, can explain the coldness of dark matter on large scales.

• Pioneering simulations in this context predict a rich wave-like structure, with a ground state soliton core in every galaxy surrounded by a halo of excited states that interfere on the de Broglie scale.
• This de Broglie scale is largest for low mass galaxies as momentum is lower, providing a simple explanation for the wide cores of dwarf spheroidal galaxies.
• Here we extend these "wave dark matter" ($\psi$DM) predictions to the newly discovered class of "Ultra Diffuse Galaxies" (UDG) that resemble dwarf spheroidal galaxies but with more extended stellar profiles.