Updated bounds on ultra-light dark matter from the tiniest galaxies

Abstract: The particle mass of dark matter (DM) was previously constrained using kinematics of ultra-faint dwarf galaxies to $m > 3 \times 10^{-19}\,\mathrm{eV}$. This constraint, which excludes the "fuzzy" range of ultra-light dark matter from comprising all of the DM, relies on an estimate of the heating rate from fuzzy dark matter (FDM) wave interference using linear perturbation theory. Here, we compare the results of this perturbative calculation to full Schr\"odinger-Poisson simulations of the evolution of star particles in FDM halos. This comparison confirms theoretical expectations that FDM heating is stronger in fully nonlinear simulations due to the formation of a dense central soliton whose fluctuations enhance gravitational perturbations, and that bounds on the DM particle mass using this perturbative method are indeed conservative. We also show that these bounds are not affected by possible tidal stripping, since for dwarf satellites like Segue 1, the tidal radius is much larger than the observed size of the galaxy. We further show that the constraints on the mass cannot be evaded by invoking DM self-interactions, due to constraints on the self-interaction from large-scale structure. Lastly, we show that if the recently discovered system Ursa Major III/UNIONS I is a galaxy, the observed properties of this object strengthen the lower bound on the DM mass by over an order of magnitude, to $m > 8 \times 10^{-18}\,\mathrm{eV}$, at 95% confidence. This constraint could further be strengthened considerably by more precise measurements of the size and velocity dispersion of this and other similar galaxies, and by using full Schr\"odinger-Poisson simulations.