Gravitating polarons in Bose-Einstein condensate: a contribution to the dark matter substance?

Long-sought relations between the properties of mysterious dark matter in astrophysics and the physics of atomic low-temperature Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) can shed light on puzzling properties of both systems. Aiming at finding possible analogies, here we consider polaronic effects in the non-self-gravitating BECs as a model of a possible contribution to the dark matter-related interactions. We show for various system parameters how the presence of the condensate modifies the gravitational interaction between external particles embedded in the BEC and their corresponding dynamics, concentrating on the fall time problem. In addition, we analyze the effects of the condensate dynamics in a time-dependent potential on the motion of gravitating embedded particles. We show that depending on the interactions in the system, one can expect both a drag of the particles by moving condensate and anti-drag backflow effect.

Automated summary

The effects of the polaronic effects in non-self-gravitating Bose-Einstein condensates on dark matter-related interactions are studied in this research. The dynamics of the condensate and its impact on the motion of embedded particles are analyzed.