Nonrelativistic approach for cosmological scalar field dark matter

We derive nonrelativistic equations of motion for the formation of cosmological structure in a scalar field dark matter (SFDM) model corresponding to a complex scalar field endowed with a quadratic scalar potential. Starting with the equations of motion written in the Newtonian gauge of scalar perturbations, we separate out the involved fields into relativistic and nonrelativistic parts and find the equations of motion for the latter that can be used to build up the full solution. One important assumption will be that the SFDM field is in the regime of fast oscillations, under which its behavior in the homogeneous regime is exactly that of cold dark matter. The resultant equations are quite similar to the Schrödinger-Poisson system of Newtonian boson stars plus relativistic leftovers, and they can be used to study the formation of cosmological structure in SFDM models, and others alike, to ultimately prove their viability as complete dark matter models.