Date Feb 4, 2020, 4:00 pm – 4:00 pm Location Jadwin 303 Share on X Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Speaker Cara Giovanetti Affiliation Princeton University Details Event Description Fuzzy Dark Matter (FDM) is a model of dark matter consisting of an ultralight scalar whose quantum mechanical nature is manifest at kiloparsec scales. As such, an object moving through an FDM halo will experience a different drag force due to dynamical friction than an object passing through a classical dark matter halo. This effect is pronounced enough that it can be observed when measuring the infall times of satellites as they spiral in towards galaxy centers. In this talk I will explore the use of analytical theory and numerical simulations to determine the magnitude of this effect. I will also apply these results to different astrophysical systems and discuss the use of dynamical friction to support or rule out FDM as a dark matter candidate.