Dipole Radiation and Kinetic Mixing from Dark Photon Solitons

Abstract

Wave-like dark matter composed of spin-1 particles, known as dark photons, is theorized to form clumps called "vector solitons". These solitons are compact astrophysical objects that exhibit coherent oscillations and a high concentration relative to the local dark matter density. A significant portion of dark matter in galactic halos today may consist of these solitons. This study explores how photons can be produced from these vector solitons by the influence of external electromagnetic fields or charge densities, via a dimension-6 dark photon-photon coupling and a kinetic mixing, respectively. We further explore the astrophysical implications of these phenomena, highlighting a novel avenue for dark matter discovery that our research provides.

Comments: 29 pages, 7 figures, 1 table; v2 - updated towards version accepted for publication in Physical Review D