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Precision solar system dynamics for ultralight dark matter search

Jonas Frerick1, Hyungjin Kim2, and Felix Kling3

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Phys. Rev. D 114, 095008 – Published 4 November, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/8j6x-94gf

Abstract

Ultralight dark matter exhibits an order-1 density fluctuation at the scale of its wavelength. This density fluctuation exists across the entire dark matter halo and interacts with stars and planets, perturbing their motion via gravitational interactions. We investigate the possibility of using precision solar system dynamics to search for ultralight dark matter. We examine this possibility with interplanetary radio range measurements. We show that the precision of current range measurements can probe ultralight dark matter at masses around 10−15  eV, had its density in the solar system been 105 larger than the so-called local dark matter density. This limit complements other constraints, such as the one from analyses of pulsar timing observations.

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Phys. Rev. D 114, 095008– Published 4 November, 2026
  • Received 13 July 2026
  • Accepted 14 October 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI. Funded by SCOAP3.

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