First constraints from Ly-alpha forest limit DAO participation to at most 30% of dark matter for peaks below 50 h/Mpc at 95% CL using a deep kernel emulator of simulations.
Lyman-alpha Constraints on Ultralight Scalar Dark Matter: Implications for the Early and Late Universe
12 Pith papers cite this work. Polarity classification is still indexing.
abstract
We investigate constraints on scalar dark matter (DM) by analyzing the Lyman-alpha forest, which probes structure formation at medium and small scales, and also by studying its cosmological consequences at high and low redshift. For scalar DM that constitutes more than 30% of the total DM density, we obtain a lower limit m >~ 10^{-21} eV for the mass of scalar DM. This implies an upper limit on the initial field displacement (or the decay constant for an axion-like field) of phi <~ 10^{16} GeV. We also derive limits on the energy scale of cosmic inflation and establish an upper bound on the tensor-to-scalar ratio of r < 10^{-3} in the presence of scalar DM. Furthermore, we show that there is very little room for ultralight scalar DM to solve the "small-scale crisis" of cold DM without spoiling the Lyman-alpha forest results. The constraints presented in this paper can be used for testing generic theories that contain light scalar fields.
citation-role summary
citation-polarity summary
representative citing papers
A semiclassical tunneling model shows that two-field ultralight DM halos have stability bounds that can be relaxed for some density-mass ratios but become more stringent across much of the parameter space compared to single-field cases.
Black hole superradiance constrains the coupling strength in interacting dark energy-dark matter models through modifications to the effective mass of ultralight bosons in two scenarios.
An EFT-based field-level forward model for the Lyman-alpha forest matches simulations at the percent level on quasi-linear scales and generates mocks for DESI and DESI-II analyses.
Vortex reconnections in BEC/superfluid dark-matter cores can transfer at most 0.06–4.5% of the virial energy in 10 Gyr under fiducial assumptions, so they cannot appreciably restructure the core.
Simulations show fuzzy dark matter fraction up to 0.3 suppresses low-mass halos in mixed DM models, and a redshift- and fraction-dependent suppression function maps CDM HMFs to MDM HMFs within 0.1-0.2 dex accuracy for z=1-4.
New upper limits on ultralight axion dark matter fraction (<1.5% at 10^{-26} eV, <9% at 10^{-25} eV at 95% CL) from combined CMB lensing data, plus marginal 2.1σ preference at 10^{-24.5} eV driven by few points.
Self-interaction bounds from cosmology constrain ultralight dark matter couplings to neutrinos, electrons, and light quarks via unavoidable quantum loop corrections.
Majoron dark matter is viable for sub-MeV masses in high-scale seesaw models with thermal leptogenesis, produced via misalignment and cosmic strings in pre- and post-inflationary scenarios and constrained by CMB, X-ray, and gravitational wave observations.
Global cosmic strings from symmetry breaking produce Nambu-Goldstone bosons whose cosmological signatures can be constrained by current and upcoming CMB and large-scale structure observations.
Fisher forecasts indicate joint post-reionization LSS cross-spectra and CMB-S4-like data can reach O(10^{-4}) uncertainty on ultra-light axion fraction for m_a ≲ 10^{-28} eV, with peak sensitivity near 10^{-25} eV.
citing papers explorer
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Strongest constraints on dark acoustic oscillations from the Lyman-alpha forest
First constraints from Ly-alpha forest limit DAO participation to at most 30% of dark matter for peaks below 50 h/Mpc at 95% CL using a deep kernel emulator of simulations.
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Tunneling and tidal stripping in multifield ultralight dark matter halos
A semiclassical tunneling model shows that two-field ultralight DM halos have stability bounds that can be relaxed for some density-mass ratios but become more stringent across much of the parameter space compared to single-field cases.
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Constraining interacting dark energy models with black hole superradiance
Black hole superradiance constrains the coupling strength in interacting dark energy-dark matter models through modifications to the effective mass of ultralight bosons in two scenarios.
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Lyman-Alpha Forest and its Cross-Correlation with High-Redshift Galaxies in Effective Field Theory at the Field Level
An EFT-based field-level forward model for the Lyman-alpha forest matches simulations at the percent level on quasi-linear scales and generates mocks for DESI and DESI-II analyses.
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Vortex-reconnection energy bounds in Bose-Einstein-condensed and superfluid dark matter halos
Vortex reconnections in BEC/superfluid dark-matter cores can transfer at most 0.06–4.5% of the virial energy in 10 Gyr under fiducial assumptions, so they cannot appreciably restructure the core.
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Halo mass functions in mixed cold and fuzzy dark matter models
Simulations show fuzzy dark matter fraction up to 0.3 suppresses low-mass halos in mixed DM models, and a redshift- and fraction-dependent suppression function maps CDM HMFs to MDM HMFs within 0.1-0.2 dex accuracy for z=1-4.
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The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Probing new signatures of ultralight axions with gravitational lensing
New upper limits on ultralight axion dark matter fraction (<1.5% at 10^{-26} eV, <9% at 10^{-25} eV at 95% CL) from combined CMB lensing data, plus marginal 2.1σ preference at 10^{-24.5} eV driven by few points.
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Self-Interaction Bounds on Ultralight Dark Matter Couplings to Matter
Self-interaction bounds from cosmology constrain ultralight dark matter couplings to neutrinos, electrons, and light quarks via unavoidable quantum loop corrections.
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Majoron Dark Matter, High-Scale Seesaw, and Leptogenesis
Majoron dark matter is viable for sub-MeV masses in high-scale seesaw models with thermal leptogenesis, produced via misalignment and cosmic strings in pre- and post-inflationary scenarios and constrained by CMB, X-ray, and gravitational wave observations.
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Echoes of Global Cosmic Strings
Global cosmic strings from symmetry breaking produce Nambu-Goldstone bosons whose cosmological signatures can be constrained by current and upcoming CMB and large-scale structure observations.
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Tracing Ultra Light Axions in Post-reionization, Lyman-$\alpha$ and CMB Missions
Fisher forecasts indicate joint post-reionization LSS cross-spectra and CMB-S4-like data can reach O(10^{-4}) uncertainty on ultra-light axion fraction for m_a ≲ 10^{-28} eV, with peak sensitivity near 10^{-25} eV.
- Lyman-$\alpha$ forest constraints on pure and mixed fuzzy dark matter