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arXiv · 0711.1352

Axion constraints in non-standard thermal histories

Daniel Grin·Tristan L. Smith·Marc Kamionkowski
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Abstract

It is usually assumed that dark matter is produced during the radiation dominated era. There is, however, no direct evidence for radiation domination prior to big-bang nucleosynthesis. Two non-standard thermal histories are considered. In one, the low-temperature-reheating scenario, radiation domination begins as late as 1 MeV, and is preceded by significant entropy generation. Thermal axion relic abundances are then suppressed, and cosmological limits to axions are loosened. For reheating temperatures less than 35 MeV, the large-scale structure limit to the axion mass is lifted. The remaining constraint from the total density of matter is significantly relaxed. Constraints are also relaxed for higher reheating temperatures. In a kination scenario, a more modest change to cosmological axion constraints is obtained. Future possible constraints to axions and low-temperature reheating from the helium abundance and next-generation large-scale-structure surveys are discussed.

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Daniel Grin, Tristan L. Smith, Marc Kamionkowski. 2008-05-25. Axion constraints in non-standard thermal histories. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevd.77.085020

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