Search for ultralight scalar dark matter with NANOGrav pulsar timing arrays

Abstract

An ultralight scalar field is a candidate for the dark matter. The ultralight scalar dark matter with mass around $10^{-23}\mathrm{eV}$ induces oscillations of the pulse arrival time in the sensitive frequency range of the pulsar timing arrays. We search for the ultralight scalar dark matter using the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves 11-year Data Set. We give the 95% confidence upper limit for the signal induced by the ultralight scalar dark matter. In comparison with the published Bayesian upper limits on the amplitude of the ultralight scalar dark matter obtained by Bayesian analysis using the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array 12-year data set (Porayko et al. 2018), we find three times stronger upper limit in the frequency range from $10^{-8.34}$ to $10^{-8.19}\mathrm{Hz}$ which corresponds to the mass range from $9.45\times 10^{-24}$ to $1.34\times 10^{-23}\mathrm{eV}$. In terms of the energy density of the dark matter, we find that the energy density near the Earth is less than $7GeV/c{\mathrm{m}}^3$ in the range from $10^{-8.55}$ to $10^{-8.01}\mathrm{Hz}$ (from $5.83\times 10^{-24}$ to $2.02\times 10^{-23}\mathrm{eV}$). The strongest upper limit on the the energy density is given by $2GeV/c{\mathrm{m}}^3$ at a frequency $10^{-8.28}\mathrm{Hz}$ (corresponding to a mass $1.09\times 10^{-23}\mathrm{eV}$). We find that the signal of the ultralight scalar dark matter can be explained by the solar system ephemeris effect. Also, we reveal that the model of the solar system ephemeris effect prefers parameters which are contrary to the expectation that noise will be reduced on all pulsars.

arXiv comment15 pages, 4 figures, 4 tables

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• Cosmological Tension of Ultralight Axion Dark Matter and its Solutions
• Pulsar Timing Residual induced by Wideband Ultralight Dark Matter with Spin 0, 1, 2
• Fuzzy Dark Matter in Relativistic Stars
• Ultralight Dark Matter Statistics for Pulsar Timing Detection
• Pulsar timing and polarimetry: results and perspectives
• On Pulsar Timing Detection of Ultralight Vector Dark Matter
• Lensed fast radio bursts as a probe of time-varying gravitational potential induced by wave dark matter
• Signature of polarized ultralight vector dark matter in pulsar timing arrays
• Constraining Fundamental Constant Variations from Ultralight Dark Matter with Pulsar Timing Arrays
• Ultralight scalar dark matter versus nonadiabatic perfect fluid dark matter in pulsar timing