DOE OSTI2017
Light, spin-0 particles are ubiquitous in theories of physics beyond the Standard Model, and many of these make good candidates for the identity of dark matter. One very well-motivated candidate of this type is the axion. Due to their small mass and adherence to Bose statistics, axions can coalesce into heavy, gravitationally-bound condensates known as boson stars, also known as axion stars (in particular). In this work, we outline our recent progress in attempts to determine the properties of axion stars. We begin with a brief overview of the Standard Model, axions, and bosonic condensates in general. Then, in the context of axion stars, we will present our recent work, which includes: numerical estimates of the macroscopic properties (mass, radius, and particle number) of gravitationally stable axion stars; a calculation of their decay lifetime through number-changing interactions; an analysis of the gravitational collapse process for very heavy states; and an investigation of the implications of axion stars as dark matter. The basic conclusions of our work are that weakly-bound axion stars are only stable up to some calculable maximum mass, whereas states with larger masses collapse to a small radius, but do not form black holes. During collapse, a rapidly increasing binding energy implies a fast rate of decay to relativistic particles, giving rise to a Bosenova. Axion stars that are otherwise stable could be caused to collapse either by accretion of free particles to masses above the maximum, or through astrophysical collisions; in the latter case, we estimate the rate of collisions and the parameter space relevant to induced collapse.
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗