Conveners
Making dark matter waves - the cosmic web and wavelike dark matter
- Cora Uhlemann
Description
Despite the astonishing success of cosmological probes in constraining the LCDM model, the dark matter mass remains one of the least constrained physical parameters. Wavelike dark matter is an intriguing alternative to standard cold dark matter with key particle physics motivations and potentially distinct astrophysical signatures. With a simple dynamical model for the evolution of a dark matter wavefunction, I will demonstrate how to predict the large-scale evolution and formation of destructive and constructive wave interference leading to topological defects and granules dressing the cosmic web of large-scale structure. I will also discuss recent advancements in creating efficient numerical methods for wave dark matter evolution, utilising approximative techniques originally developed for cold dark matter, such as FastPM and Bullfrog. Beyond offering a fundamental framework for ultralight particles, a wave-based approach serves as a versatile tool for reducing the complex phase-space dynamics of cold dark matter to position space.
