Superheavy Q-Balls and Cosmology
Abstract We propose a model for the cosmological formation of superheavy Q-Balls in the mass range 10 -7 M ⊙ to 10 6 M ⊙ . The model is based on a hidden sector scalar potential motivated by broken scale invariance, for which analytic Q-ball solutions and numerical simulations of condensate fragmentation exist. We show that this potential can produce superheavy Q-balls during the radiation-dominated era. As an example, we show that it is possible to produce Q-balls of mass ∼ 10 6 M ⊙ and diameter ∼ 100 light years, with a number density ∼ 1 per galaxy. Such early-forming superheavy Q-balls could play a role in galaxy and supermassive black hole (SMBH) formation. We also show that it is possible to form smaller mass Q-balls with large numbers per galaxy volume, that could form SMBH by merging. Finally, we show that it is possible to produce asteroid mass Q-balls that could account for all of the dark matter whilst remaining consistent with observational limits on MACHOs.
Institutions
- Lancaster University (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
- Published
- 2026-04-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1088/1475-7516/2026/04/050
- Primary Topic
- Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00