Single mechanism for generating large-scale structure and providing dark missing matter

William H. Press, Barbara S. Ryden, David N. Spergel

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

110 Scopus citations

Abstract

We consider a boson field with a phase transition driven by a cosmologically small quartic self-coupling. While its short-wavelength components are stabilized, its very-long-wavelength components start a slow-rolling phase transition as soon as they come within their horizon. The Universe becomes filled with a critical density of soft-boson particles with a Compton wavelength of tens of kiloparsecs. Large-scale structure with present size tens of megaparsecs is inescapably formed by the wave-packet dynamics of such soft bosons. Baryons are gravitationally coupled to this structure. The Heisenberg uncertainty principle prevents soft bosons from falling into clusters of galaxies.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1084-1087
Number of pages4
JournalPhysical review letters
Volume64
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 1990

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Physics and Astronomy(all)

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