Dark Matter Halos in the SFDM Model / The dynamics of astrophysical systems in numerical simulations

Part1: The Scalar Field Dark Matter (SFDM) model assumes an ultralight scalar particle (m~1e-22 eV) as a candidate to explain the Dark Matter nature. This model obeys the Schrodinger-Poisson (SP) system of equations coupled to gravity in the non-relativistic approximation. While on a large scale, it behaves as a non-relativistic and pressureless fluid, equivalent to CDM, on a galactic scale, it leads to effective "quantum pressure" and the formation of Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC). This implies an interesting phenomenology which is different from CDM. In fact, the SFDM model shows a cut-off on small-scale structures and predicts cored halos. In this presentation, I will show how to construct the initial conditions for the SP system and the evolution for both small-scale and cosmological simulations. Additionally, I will show some examples of mergers of different halos assembly and the final states of such systems. Finally, I will discuss some perspectives that include Zoom-in cosmological simulations for this model. Since these efforts are expected to be compared with observations, we will use the rotation curves derived from the MaNGA galaxy catalogue to constrain the SFDM-free parameters of the model.

Part2: Given that the nature of dark matter is currently unknown, exploring alternative theories to the Standard Model and their implications on galactic scales is both feasible and compelling, partly because of the continuous development of computational resources. In this talk, we will review the implementation of numerical methods to study the properties and evolution of some astrophysical systems in dark matter models. First, we will study the impact of the Generalized Dark Matter (GDM) model on the formation and distribution of Hickson Compact Groups (HCGs) using the merger trees method and mock catalogues. Studying these systems is interesting for understanding the effects of dark matter on galactic scales in dynamically active structures. Additionally, we will explore the evolution at small scales of halos within the Cold Dark Matter (CDM) and Scalar Field Dark Matter (SFDM) models, using initial conditions from cosmological N-body simulations to compare the final state of the halos, including the shape of the density profile and the process of virialization. In both cases, the properties of astrophysical systems can be compared to observations of nearby galaxies through their rotational curves, as well as distant galaxies, by studying the hierarchy of each model. This allows us to describe the weaknesses and strengths of the dark matter candidates.