Generating the wide sequence of Diffuse Galaxies with de Broglie waves of Dark Matter
Abstract
Extensive Euclid satellite imaging at low surface brightness has revealed that most nearby galaxies are diffuse-looking spheroids, where the stellar radius increases for over three decades in luminosity. We argue this Diffuse Galaxy sequence results from internal stellar diffusion by Wave Dark Matter (ψDM), as wave energy is transferred to star orbits over time. In particular, the soliton random motion scatters central stars onto radial orbits that become enhanced with each passage through the centre, slowly ``puffing up" the stellar profile. Heating is greater within massive galaxies as ψDM fluctuations are stronger and more frequent, reproducing both the Diffuse Galaxy sequence and the rising velocity dispersion along the sequence, from Ultra-Faint to Dwarf Spheroidal and Ultra Diffuse galaxies, favouring a light boson, mψ=2.88+0.14−0.13×10−22eV. Winding back this diffusion, we predict the stellar content of Diffuse Galaxies, including globular clusters, formed near the centre, as anticipated by ψDM simulations, where gas cools efficiently within the dense soliton. This predicted ψDM evolution from compact beginnings towards diffuse spheroidal galaxies today can now be fully charted from JWST to Euclid.
Related
- Probing the dynamics of extreme galaxies. I. Dark matter content in ultra-diffuse galaxies
- Probing dynamics of extreme galaxies I. Dark matter content in ultra-diffuse galaxies
- Dark Matter-Induced Stellar Oscillations in the de Broglie Regime
- Granular Structure and Local de Broglie Wavelength in Fuzzy Dark Matter Halos
- SHARP(ening the) view of unresolved globular clusters in ultra diffuse galaxies
BibTeX
@misc{zhang2026generating,
title = {{Generating the wide sequence of Diffuse Galaxies with de Broglie waves of Dark Matter}},
author = {Jiashuo Zhang and Tom Broadhurst and Alvaro Pozo and Tzihong Chiueh and Justin Schive and Bo-Ren You and Jeremy Lim and Francine Marleau and Tomomi Sunayama and Keiichi Umetsu and Mariam Bouhmadi-Lopez and Masamune Oguri},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.11510},
eprint = {2609.11510},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.11510},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Generating the wide sequence of Diffuse Galaxies with de Broglie waves of Dark Matter
AU - Jiashuo Zhang
AU - Tom Broadhurst
AU - Alvaro Pozo
AU - Tzihong Chiueh
AU - Justin Schive
AU - Bo-Ren You
AU - Jeremy Lim
AU - Francine Marleau
AU - Tomomi Sunayama
AU - Keiichi Umetsu
AU - Mariam Bouhmadi-Lopez
AU - Masamune Oguri
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/29
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.11510
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.11510
AB - Extensive Euclid satellite imaging at low surface brightness has revealed that most nearby galaxies are diffuse-looking spheroids, where the stellar radius increases for over three decades in luminosity. We argue this Diffuse Galaxy sequence results from internal stellar diffusion by Wave Dark Matter (ψDM), as wave energy is transferred to star orbits over time. In particular, the soliton random motion scatters central stars onto radial orbits that become enhanced with each passage through the centre, slowly ``puffing up" the stellar profile. Heating is greater within massive galaxies as ψDM fluctuations are stronger and more frequent, reproducing both the Diffuse Galaxy sequence and the rising velocity dispersion along the sequence, from Ultra-Faint to Dwarf Spheroidal and Ultra Diffuse galaxies, favouring a light boson, m_ψ=2.88^+0.14_−0.13×10^−22eV. Winding back this diffusion, we predict the stellar content of Diffuse Galaxies, including globular clusters, formed near the centre, as anticipated by ψDM simulations, where gas cools efficiently within the dense soliton. This predicted ψDM evolution from compact beginnings towards diffuse spheroidal galaxies today can now be fully charted from JWST to Euclid.
ER -