Quantized gravitational waves and a novel dark energy-like quantum effect from DArk Compact Halo Objects (DACHOs)

If dark matter consists of stable, nonrelativistic, purely gravitating subatomic particles, then inhomogeneities in its distributions such as galactic halos should lead to the formation of macro-scopic, classical-scale quantum bound states of these particles. Depending on the constituent particles' masses and their quantum configuration, these DArk Compact Halo Objects (DACHOs) emit quantized gravitational radiation over a wide range of frequencies, including the Advanced LIGO range, making galactic halos excellent sources of gravitational waves. It is shown that when the total number of particles in a DACHO exceeds a threshold value, the total attractive potential acting on the particles exceeds their total mass-energy, causing the bound state to acquire a negative mass. This is a new quantum effect that is unique to gravitational systems containing very large numbers of particles. Such negative mass bound states repel ordinary masses and should be a component of the universe's dark energy. As DACHOs in galactic halos accrete more dark matter particles over time, the negative mass of the universe should increase over time at the expense of dark matter.