Boson Stars: Rotation, Formation, and Evolution

Abstract

Boson stars are descendants of the so-calledgeons of Wheeler, except that they are built from scalarparticles instead of electromagnetic fields. If scalarfields exist in nature, such localized configurations kept together by their self-generatedgravitational field can form within Einstein's generalrelativity. In the case of complex scalar fields, anabsolutely stable branch of such non-topologicalsolitons with conserved particle number exists. Thepresent surge of interest stems from the speculativepossibility that these compact objects could provide aconsiderable fraction of the non-baryonic part of dark matter. In any case, they may serve as aconvenient “laboratory” for studyingnumerically rapidly rotating bodies in generalrelativity and the generation of gravitational waves.Furthermore, we mention how to detect boson stars by gravitationallensing or gravitational redshift. Finally, we explorethe evolution of boson stars within scalar-tensortheories.