Speaker
Description
In this talk, I will discuss a range of approaches to better understand ultralight and light scalar dark matter candidates, including axion-like particles. I will discuss results from PySiUltraLight, a modification of the PyUltraLight code that includes self-interaction terms to model the dynamical evolution of axion fields. I will discuss work that shows that the self-interaction should not be ignored and that the sign of the interaction makes a significant difference in the evolution of the system, both for QCD axions and fuzzy dark matter. I will also describe results showing that in the high-occupancy regime of scalar dark matter, the Boltzmann collision integral does not describe either gravitational or self-interactions. Finally, I will mention some ongoing efforts to use neutron star observations to constrain the presence of dark matter.
