Major
Physics
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
The core-cusp problem refers to the inconsistency between simulations of the theory of cold dark matter and observations of dwarf galaxies. Specifically, the disagreement of the dark matter density profiles at the center of these galaxies. Fuzzy dark matter is thought to rectify this disparity. To test the validity of this theory, we used the Klein-Gordon equation for general relativity and derive its non-relativistic limit coupled to gravity. Numerical integration was used to solve this equation of motion for dark matter and the soliton is compared to data from THINGS and theoretical profiles. Analyzing these density profiles allows us to judge the validity of the fuzzy dark matter model.
Faculty Mentors & Instructors
Dr. Walter Tangarife, Assistant Professor, Department of Physics at Loyola University Chicago
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Explaining Galactic Halos with Fuzzy Dark Matter
The core-cusp problem refers to the inconsistency between simulations of the theory of cold dark matter and observations of dwarf galaxies. Specifically, the disagreement of the dark matter density profiles at the center of these galaxies. Fuzzy dark matter is thought to rectify this disparity. To test the validity of this theory, we used the Klein-Gordon equation for general relativity and derive its non-relativistic limit coupled to gravity. Numerical integration was used to solve this equation of motion for dark matter and the soliton is compared to data from THINGS and theoretical profiles. Analyzing these density profiles allows us to judge the validity of the fuzzy dark matter model.