Cosmological k-essence condensation

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that a k-essence model for dark energy/matter unification can evolve from a perturbative state into a system with substantial cold dark matter-like condensates, using an extended spherical model.

Contribution

It introduces an extended spherical model to study the evolution of k-essence fluids, showing their potential to form dark matter-like condensates.

Findings

K-essence fluid evolves into dark matter-like condensates.

The model incorporates pressure and acoustic horizon effects.

Significant quantities of gravitational condensate form from initial perturbations.

Abstract

We consider a model of dark energy/matter unification based on a k-essence type of theory similar to tachyon condensate models. Using an extension of the general relativistic spherical model which incorporates the effects of both pressure and the acoustic horizon we show that an initially perturbative k-essence fluid evolves into a mixed system containing cold dark matter like gravitational condensate in significant quantities.