Distinguishing monochromatic signals in LISA and Taiji: Ultralight dark matter versus gravitational waves

Ultralight dark matter (ULDM) is an attractive candidate for cold dark matter, one of the main mysterious components of the Universe. Recent studies suggest that gravitational wave (GW) laser interferometers can also detect bosonic ULDM fields, which would produce monochromatic signals resembling those from GWs. Distinguishing between these potential origins therefore would be essential. In this work, we develop a method to address this challenge for space-based GW interferometers (such as LISA and Taiji) by utilizing the null-response channel (NRC) in interferometric combinations, a channel constructed to have zero response to a specific type of source from a given direction. We find that while the GW NRC remains blind to GWs from a specific direction, it still responds to ULDM, particularly at frequencies above the interferometer’s critical frequency. The ULDM NRC exhibits similar behavior. Based on these observations, we outline a test procedure to discriminate between signal origins. Our method provides a new diagnostic tool for analyzing monochromatic signals in space-based GW interferometers, potentially expanding the scientific scope of future missions.