Stochastic fluctuations of bosonic dark matter

Gary P. Centers, John W. Blanchard, Jan Conrad, Nataniel L. Figueroa, Antoine Garcon, Alexander V. Gramolin, Derek F. Jackson Kimball, Matthew Lawson, Bart Pelssers, Joseph A. Smiga, Alexander O. Sushkov, Arne Wickenbrock, Dmitry Budker () and Andrei Derevianko
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Gary P. Centers: Johannes Gutenberg-Universität
John W. Blanchard: Helmholtz Institute
Jan Conrad: Stockholm University, AlbaNova
Nataniel L. Figueroa: Johannes Gutenberg-Universität
Antoine Garcon: Johannes Gutenberg-Universität
Alexander V. Gramolin: Boston University
Derek F. Jackson Kimball: California State University East Bay
Matthew Lawson: Helmholtz Institute
Bart Pelssers: Stockholm University, AlbaNova
Joseph A. Smiga: Johannes Gutenberg-Universität
Alexander O. Sushkov: Boston University
Arne Wickenbrock: Johannes Gutenberg-Universität
Dmitry Budker: Johannes Gutenberg-Universität
Andrei Derevianko: University of Nevada

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-6

Abstract: Abstract Numerous theories extending beyond the standard model of particle physics predict the existence of bosons that could constitute dark matter. In the standard halo model of galactic dark matter, the velocity distribution of the bosonic dark matter field defines a characteristic coherence time τc. Until recently, laboratory experiments searching for bosonic dark matter fields have been in the regime where the measurement time T significantly exceeds τc, so null results have been interpreted by assuming a bosonic field amplitude Φ0 fixed by the average local dark matter density. Here we show that experiments operating in the T ≪ τc regime do not sample the full distribution of bosonic dark matter field amplitudes and therefore it is incorrect to assume a fixed value of Φ0 when inferring constraints. Instead, in order to interpret laboratory measurements (even in the event of a discovery), it is necessary to account for the stochastic nature of such a virialized ultralight field. The constraints inferred from several previous null experiments searching for ultralight bosonic dark matter were overestimated by factors ranging from 3 to 10 depending on experimental details, model assumptions, and choice of inference framework.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27632-7

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