Speaker
Description
Observations have confirmed that satellite galaxies of the Milky Way, as well as those of Andromeda and Centaurus A, exhibit a non-homogeneous distribution known as the Vast Polar Structure (VPOS), where satellites show orbits aligned perpendicular to the host galaxy's plane. Conventional Cold Dark Matter (CDM) models face significant challenges in explaining this anisotropic distribution across multiple galaxies. In this work, we propose that the quantum nature of the Scalar Field Dark Matter (SFDM) model offers a natural explanation for the VPOS. By incorporating finite temperature corrections for a complex, self-interacting scalar field at early cosmological epochs, we demonstrate that the SFDM halo behaves as a macroscopic gravitational atom. We show that the system's quantum character allows for the formation of ground and excited states, specifically, p-states that resemble lobes along the north-south direction, which can explain the observed VPOS. By fitting these multistate SFDM solutions to rotation curves for the Milky Way, Andromeda, Centaurus A, and additional galaxies, we find that this model effectively accounts for the anisotropic distribution of satellite galaxies, suggesting that this structure may be a general characteristic of galaxies in the Universe.