Bose-Einstein-condensed dark matter or scalar field dark matter (SFDM), comprised of ultralight bosons, has become a popular alternative to the standard cold dark matter (CDM) paradigm. In this talk, I will present characteristic features, which distinguish SFDM from CDM, especially with respect to the evolution of the (very) early Universe along with recent findings concerning structure formation in SFDM. A special emphasis will be on models endowed with a repulsive self-interaction. The results reveal a more nuanced picture of small-scale structure formation with implications for the reliability of SFDM as a potential resolution to the CDM small-scale problems. I will discuss important differences in cosmological evolution and structure formation, depending on whether SFDM is modelled as a complex or real field, with or without self-interaction.
Bose-Einstein-condensed scalar field dark matter: from the (very) early Universe to structure formation
Perex