| Abstract: |
Ultra-light dark matter models, which feature particles whose masses are so light that their behavior can be treated as a collective wave rather than individual particles, are an intriguing alternative to “standard” cold dark matter. They feature a rich and unique phenomenology on astrophysical scales, with implications for small-scale tensions. The most well-studied member of this family is commonly called fuzzy dark matter, where dark matter is composed of scalar particles with a mass of ≈ 10⁻²² eV. Although strong constraints have been placed on this particular model, it remains an important benchmark to understand structure formation in more general wave dark matter scenarios. In this talk, I will present numerical simulations of cosmic structure formation with fuzzy dark matter, and highlight the unique signatures of fuzzy and other ultra-light dark matter models. In particular, I will introduce new cosmological fuzzy dark matter simulations including baryons, using the IllustrisTNG galaxy formation model. Since simulation efforts for fuzzy dark matter have thus far mainly focused on understanding its properties in a dark matter-only context, these simulations will provide invaluable insight in a more realistic scenario, especially regarding how strongly the unique behavior of fuzzy dark matter affects important baryonic processes and astronomical observables, such as star and galaxy formation.
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