Searching for ultralight dark matter through frequency modulation of gravitational waves
Blas Temiño, Diego (Institut de Física d'Altes Energies)
Gasparotto, Silvia (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Física)
Vicente, Rodrigo (Institut de Física d'Altes Energies)

Date:	2025
Abstract:	Ultralight bosons, naturally appearing in well-motivated extensions to the Standard Model, can constitute all the dark matter. Models with particle mass close to the smallest phenomenologically allowed exhibit coherent field configurations at (sub)galactic scales, oscillating at a frequency corresponding to the fundamental mass of the dark matter particle. The gravitational field of these structures inherits the dark matter field's coherent oscillations, leaving an imprint on gravitational (and electromagnetic) waves sourced close to (or in) such overdensities. This happens via a heterodyning frequency modulation, which can later be decoded in a gravitational-wave detector. An analogous effect occurs in models with universal (conformal) couplings of ultralight bosons with ordinary matter, generated by the direct interaction with the oscillating field. In this work, we explore this phenomenon in detail and assess the capability of near-future interferometers to probe ultralight dark matter and its potential conformal couplings to matter. Using astrophysical population models, together with results from cosmological simulations, we find that the observation of gravitational waves from spinning neutron stars at the Galactic Center with the Einstein Telescope/Cosmic Explorer would be particularly effective in constraining ultralight dark matter.
Grants:	Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2022/FI-SDUR Agencia Estatal de Investigación FJC2021-046551-I Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2021/SGR-00649 Agencia Estatal de Investigación PID2020-115845GB-I00 European Commission 101159929 Agencia Estatal de Investigación PID2023-146686NB-C31
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Published in:	Physical Review D, Vol. 111, Issue 4 (February 2025) , art. 42008, ISSN 2470-0029

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.111.042008

24 p, 3.6 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles