Structure Formation Paradigm and Axion Quark Nugget dark matter model

TL;DR

This paper proposes that axion quark nuggets, as a form of dark matter, could significantly influence structure formation and explain various astrophysical observations through their unique interaction properties.

Contribution

It introduces the AQN model as a novel dark matter candidate that impacts structure formation and may account for observed cosmic radiation excesses.

Findings

AQN behavior as chameleons affects small-scale structure formation.

Potential explanation for UV excesses observed by JWST and GALEX.

AQN-induced radiation could resolve discrepancies in the Extragalactic Background Light.

Abstract

We advocate an idea that ``non-baryonic" dark matter in form of nuggets made of standard model quarks and gluons (similar to the old idea of the Witten's strangelets) could play a crucial role in structure formation. The corresponding macroscopically large objects, which are called the axion quark nuggets (AQN) behave as {\it chameleons}: they do not interact with the surrounding material in dilute environment, but they become strongly interacting objects in sufficiently dense environment. The AQN model was invented long ago with a single motivation to explain the observed similarity $\Omega_{\rm DM}\sim \Omega_{\rm visible}$ between visible and DM components. This relation represents a very generic feature of this framework, not sensitive to any parameters of the construction. We argue that the strong visible-DM interaction may dramatically modify the conventional structure formation pattern at small scales to contribute to a resolution of a variety of interconnected problems (such as Core-Cusp problem, etc) which have been a matter of active research and debates in recent years. We also argue that the same visible-DM interaction at small scales is always accompanied by a broad band diffuse radiation. We speculate that the recently observed excesses of the UV emission by JWST at high redshifts and by GALEX in our own galaxy might be a direct manifestation of this AQN-induced radiation. We also speculate that the very same source of energy injection could contribute to the resolution of another long standing problem related to the Extragalactic Background Light (EBL) with known discrepancies in many frequency bands (from UV to optical, IR light and radio emissions).