Probing Fuzzy Dark Matter in the 21 cm Signal via Wavelet Scattering Transform

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Shimabukuro, Hayato, Liu, Shihang, Li, Bohua
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Shimabukuro, Hayato
Liu, Shihang
Li, Bohua
author_facet Shimabukuro, Hayato
Liu, Shihang
Li, Bohua
contents We explore the imprints of fuzzy dark matter (FDM) on the redshifted 21~cm signal from the Cosmic Dawn and the Epoch of Reionization by employing the wavelet scattering transform (WST). FDM, composed of ultralight scalar particles with masses $m_{\mathrm{FDM}} \sim 10^{-22}\,\mathrm{eV}$, exhibits quantum pressure that suppresses the formation of small-scale structures below the de~Broglie wavelength, thereby delaying star formation and modifying the thermal history of the intergalactic medium. Using modified \texttt{21cmFAST} simulations that incorporate both linear and nonlinear effects of FDM on structure formation, we analyze the two-dimensional 21~cm brightness temperature fields through the first- and second-order WST coefficients. The first-order coefficients, $S_1(j)$, quantify scale-dependent variance analogous to the power spectrum, while the normalized second-order ratio $R(j_1,j_2)=S_2/S_1$ captures non-Gaussian cross-scale couplings. We find that low-order couplings, particularly between large and intermediate scales, are highly sensitive to the FDM particle mass and remain robust under SKA1-Low-like thermal noise. Quantitatively, the WST coefficients yield pairwise distances of $Δ\simeq 225$ between CDM and FDM with $m_{\mathrm{FDM}}=10^{-22}\,\mathrm{eV}$, demonstrating that this framework can effectively discriminate between wave-like and cold dark matter scenarios even under realistic observational conditions. Our results establish the WST as a powerful, noise-tolerant statistical tool for probing the wave nature of dark matter through forthcoming 21~cm observations.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_00402
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Probing Fuzzy Dark Matter in the 21 cm Signal via Wavelet Scattering Transform
Shimabukuro, Hayato
Liu, Shihang
Li, Bohua
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
We explore the imprints of fuzzy dark matter (FDM) on the redshifted 21~cm signal from the Cosmic Dawn and the Epoch of Reionization by employing the wavelet scattering transform (WST). FDM, composed of ultralight scalar particles with masses $m_{\mathrm{FDM}} \sim 10^{-22}\,\mathrm{eV}$, exhibits quantum pressure that suppresses the formation of small-scale structures below the de~Broglie wavelength, thereby delaying star formation and modifying the thermal history of the intergalactic medium. Using modified \texttt{21cmFAST} simulations that incorporate both linear and nonlinear effects of FDM on structure formation, we analyze the two-dimensional 21~cm brightness temperature fields through the first- and second-order WST coefficients. The first-order coefficients, $S_1(j)$, quantify scale-dependent variance analogous to the power spectrum, while the normalized second-order ratio $R(j_1,j_2)=S_2/S_1$ captures non-Gaussian cross-scale couplings. We find that low-order couplings, particularly between large and intermediate scales, are highly sensitive to the FDM particle mass and remain robust under SKA1-Low-like thermal noise. Quantitatively, the WST coefficients yield pairwise distances of $Δ\simeq 225$ between CDM and FDM with $m_{\mathrm{FDM}}=10^{-22}\,\mathrm{eV}$, demonstrating that this framework can effectively discriminate between wave-like and cold dark matter scenarios even under realistic observational conditions. Our results establish the WST as a powerful, noise-tolerant statistical tool for probing the wave nature of dark matter through forthcoming 21~cm observations.
title Probing Fuzzy Dark Matter in the 21 cm Signal via Wavelet Scattering Transform
topic Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.00402