Probing Neutrino Properties with the Cosmic Microwave Background

Abstract

Neutrinos that decay leave their imprint on the cosmic microwave background. We calculate the CMB anisotropy for the full range of decaying neutrino parameter space, and investigate the ability of future experiments like MAP and Planck to probe decaying neutrino physics. MAP and Planck should be able to distinguish from $Λ$CDM, eV-scale neutrinos that decay after recombination. Neutrinos that decay before recombination are distinguishable if the decays occur very much out of equilibrium; Planck should be sensitive to the border between equilibrium and out of equilibrium decays. Adding decaying neutrino parameters to the set of cosmic parameters, we calculate the uncertainty in the full set of parameters. The ability to measure neutrino parameters depends sensitively on the decaying neutrino model. Adding neutrino parameters degrades the sensitivity to non-neutrino parameters; the relative amount of sensitivity degradation depends on the decaying neutrino model, but tends to decrease with increasing experimental sensitivity.