Ultralight Dark Matter: Undergraduate Physics in Modern Cosmology

Abstract

Ultralight dark matter is a hypothetical class of particle with a number of interesting theoretical and experimental properties, many of which are best understood by direct analogy with or application of undergraduate physics. We present a series of exercises and discussions which may inspire the reader to bring contemporary research on ultralight dark matter into the undergraduate classroom.

Comments: 4 pages, 1 figure, plus solutions and references. Submitted to Am. J. Phys. for a special issue on motivating physics learning through research applications